Mobile Apps VS Mobile Web
Internet makes it easier for us to find and get information and communicate with other people, and most of us definitely use smartphones to access it. And of course, we have used both platforms, the mobile web, and the mobile apps. But maybe some people don’t know the difference between mobile apps and mobile web.
When accessing information via mobile device, of course, you often use web browser or open an application to find the information you need. You have indirectly used mobile apps or mobile web on your device. Maybe you also don’t realize that the two are different things, or sometimes you don’t understand the meaning of both platforms. For that, let’s find out more what mobile apps and mobile web are.
What is Mobile Apps?
Mobile apps are applications made for mobile devices that users must download and install from application stores such as the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for iOS devices and many other application stores that are compatible with the smartphone platform.
Lots of sectors have taken advantage of the use of Mobile Apps as a platform for distributing information. Such as marketing, education, health, government, banking, advertising, and so forth. The use of the smartphone application itself has helped many parties to carry out their work practically and easily.
What is Mobile Web?
Mobile web is a browser-based HTML page that is accessed using a portable device (smartphone or tablet) via cellular networks such as 3G, 4G, or Wifi. Mobile Web is designed to display data such as text, images, and videos from a website into a smaller display, namely a mobile device
The difference between Mobile Apps and Mobile Web
The difference between the two platforms are in the way of accessing information or data. Mobile web requires a browser application to access information from a predetermined domain. The mobile web is also dependent on your internet connection. The mobile web will not work if there is no internet connection. Meanwhile, mobile apps can be both. The content available in mobile apps can be accessed without the internet or offline. However, there are also mobile apps that must be connected to the internet or online.
This all depends on the target user. Several bussinesses only rely on websites and mobile web in marketing their products. But there are also business owners who need both to attract their target market.
Development Process of Mobile Apps and Mobile Web
Making a Mobile Web tends to be easier because it’s the same as building a website. It’s just that there need to be additional responsive features so that they can be accessed via a browser on a mobile device. As for Mobile Apps or Mobile Apps, you need to involve Mobile Apps developers to make them according to the platform you choose, such as Android or iOS and even both. In terms of time and cost, making Mobile Apps tends to be more time-consuming and costly. Meanwhile, Mobile Apps are faster in the production process.
The mobile web has the principle of “develop once run everywhere”, which means it can operate across platforms in one development. So, the mobile web relatively does not require a lot of development costs compared to mobile apps because it can run well on all browsers and mobile platforms. Mobile web can be distributed without having to get approval from certain parties and users don’t need to search in application stores. But there are drawbacks such as having to have 2 domains and if there is interference, it will be complicated to fix it. The mobile web is only available if the user is online, performance is relatively slow, and not all devices have certain features that can be had on the mobile web.
Unlike mobile apps, which have faster performance, only have 1 domain, and are more attractive from a visual standpoint. Users have full access to mobile devices, such as cameras, gestures, notifications, speakers, and other features. The quality and security of mobile apps are guaranteed because they are controlled by the respective vendors. Mobile apps cannot always be operated when users are online, but they can also be offline. It’s just that, there are several types of applications that are not used on all other iOS platforms. Application development and maintenance costs are also more expensive. Mobile apps also require approval processes and content restrictions that apply to app stores.
Pros and Cons of Mobile Apps
Pros
- Faster than web apps
- Greater functionality because they have access to system resources
- Can work offline
- It’s safer because native apps must first be approved by the app store
- Easier to build due to the availability of developer tools, interface elements, and SDKs
Cons
- It’s more expensive to build than web apps
- Compatibility with different platforms (i.e. iOS and Android) due to having to design and build the app from scratch
- Expensive to maintain and update systems
- It might also be rejected or not approved by the app store
Pros and Cons of Mobile Web
Pros
- There’s no need to download or install – it because the web app works inside the browser
- Easy to maintain – i.e. has a common codebase regardless of mobile platform
- Will update itself
- Faster and easier to build than mobile apps
- Does not require app store approval, so it can be launched quickly
Cons
- Unable to work offline
- Slower than mobile apps, and less advanced in terms of features
- It cannot be downloaded like a mobile app because it is not registered in a specific database, such as an app store
- Quality and security are not always guaranteed and web apps do not need to be approved by the app store
The following is an explanation of the differences and advantages of Mobile Apps and Mobile web that you need to know. The sophistication of Mobile Apps has now changed the way humans view the world and technology designed with human intelligence as well. This of course will provide benefits for human daily activities. To find out about developments in other fields visit our website and see other articles.