Mobile Website VS App – Which One to Choose?

The use of mobile phones is increasing exponentially. Nowadays there are over 8.98 billion mobile connections worldwide. We basically use the mobile phone for everything, it’s more convenient, faster and easier.

For these reasons, the majority of the companies want to be able to show their products and services in a mobile display, whether using a responsive website or an app. And because of that, it comes up the discussion: What’s better? Which one should we use?

Firstly, you really need to think about who will use your service/product, how often and how much time and money you want to spend with the development process.

Secondly, it is really important to be aware of what are the main features of each platform and if they make sense in your business. Let’s see some differences between both platforms.

Mobile Website

Normally, when we want to check information online we search on a web browser, so the website is the first place we go, and most websites are available for everyone for free. You don’t need to download it to use, however, you can’t access the website without an internet connection.

In terms of design and development, on responsive websites the design is based on CSS media queries and the content fits into any type of screen. It’s not necessary to create different versions of your website to be available in every device.

Currently, the websites are easier and cheaper to update and fix bugs although, they can take longer to download. According to Google, responsive websites are more effective, reaching the top positions easily.

Mobile App

Mobile Apps are more focused on special functions and features which leads to a friendly design and intuitive use. Apps normally work with regular clients and allow you to push notifications. Besides this, a lot of apps can work offline and can interface with the device’s features and hardware such as the camera, GPS location, etc, which improves user’s life.

Regarding the development process, mobile apps require different apps for each operating system since you need to make sure that your app works perfectly fine on all the platforms and devices that your users have. This process will take you more time and money.

Normally, apps require access to personal information or third-party services. However, mobile apps tend to be more secure than browsers.

One amazing thing on mobile apps is the fact that it’s easier to apply monetization strategies.

I summed up some of the pros and cons of each platform in the table below. Please take a look:

The most important thing to take in consideration is the needs of your business. In most cases, the best approach is the use of both platforms. You can have an institutional website and, if it makes sense, you can develop an app. However, if you have an e-commerce business the best solution might be having the exact same thing on both platforms – website and app.


But for instance, if your business is a game or something specific to only use on your mobile device, it might make sense to just develop an app.

I recently discovered a platform that can help you to choose which platform better fits your business. If you are certain that you need a mobile app for your business, don’t waste time and send us a message!