PWA vs Native App: Which Should You Build?

PWA vs native app: the short answer

Choose a PWA if you want an installable tool quickly, without the stores, for an audience that already knows you. Choose an app published on the App Store and Google Play if you want to be found in the stores, make full use of the phone and deliver the best experience on iPhone.

The two options are not mutually exclusive. Many projects start as a PWA to validate usage, then move to a store app once the need is confirmed.

What is a PWA?

A progressive web app is a website that behaves like an app. It relies on three standard web building blocks: a manifest describing the app's icon and name, a service worker that enables offline use and notifications, and HTTPS.

In practice, a user opens your site, adds it to the home screen, and gets an icon that opens the tool full screen. Updates are instant: you ship a new version and everyone gets it on the next load.

What a PWA can do, and its limits

A PWA covers most needs of a business tool or simple service, but it is less integrated with the phone than a native app.

What it does well:

• installs on the home screen, on Android and iPhone;
• works partly offline, with cached data;
• sends notifications: on iPhone, this has been possible since iOS 16.4 for web apps added to the home screen, as announced by the WebKit team;
• uses the camera, location and sharing through browser APIs;
• ranks on Google and in AI search engines, since it is a website.

Its limits:

• on iPhone, installation is manual, through the share button: many users never do it;
• hardware access is partial: Bluetooth, NFC, advanced sensors or background tasks are limited, especially on iOS;
• no presence in the App Store, where many people look for apps;
• dependence on browser vendors' choices: in 2024, Apple considered removing home screen web apps in the European Union before backtracking (Engadget).

Side-by-side comparison

The PWA wins on simplicity and cost; the app wins on visibility and device integration.

When a PWA is the right choice

A PWA is ideal when users reach you through a link, an email or a QR code, not by searching a store. Examples:

• an internal tool for your teams: time tracking, reports, checklists, orders;
• a customer portal: case tracking, documents, appointments;
• a restaurant menu or on-site ordering service;
• a prototype to test a concept before investing in an app.

When a store app is the better option

A published app is better when usage is frequent, consumer-facing, or depends on the phone. For example:

• a loyalty or e-commerce app used every week;
• an app using Bluetooth, NFC or background tracking;
• a product that must be found in the App Store;
• an iPhone experience that has to be flawless, notifications included.

In that case, React Native covers iOS and Android with one codebase. We compare the options in React Native vs native.

Our approach at Ozapp

Ozapp is an AI-first agency based in Belgium, with more than 20 years of web and mobile development experience. We build PWAs, React Native apps and custom websites, and we pick the option once we understand how your users will access the tool.

A PWA is also a great home for an AI chatbot or a business assistant. To shape your project, try our free mobile app demo, which suggests screens, an MVP and a technical choice. And if your project is a website first, read brochure website or e-commerce.

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