The app or website question is almost always answered the same way: with a website. We say that as developers of apps, because most of the ideas that come to us as “I want an app” are better solved —and much more cheaply— with a well-made website. But there are cases where an app is not a whim but the only option. Let’s separate one from the other.
The question that decides it
It’s not “what looks better?” or “what do my competitors have?” It’s this: will the person use this many times, or once?
An app lives on a phone’s home screen, and it earns that spot by being something people open often. If your customer is going to come in twice a year, they won’t install anything: they’ll search on Google and enter through the browser. Installing is a huge barrier, and people only cross it when it pays off.
When the website is the right answer
- You want people to find you. Apps don’t appear in Google. If your problem is visibility, an app won’t solve it: it makes it worse, because you put the content where nobody searches for it.
- You show a catalog or sell online. A store works perfectly in the mobile browser, and someone who buys from you twice a year will never install anything.
- You capture leads or quotes. A form on a well-made website converts just as well and costs a fraction.
- You need to change things often. On the web you publish and that’s it. In an app, every change goes through two companies’ review process.
- The budget is tight. For what the cheapest app costs, you can have an excellent website and plenty of budget left to bring in traffic.
When the app does pay off
- Daily or weekly use. A team that clocks in, delivers, or inspects every day. The friction of opening the browser and typing the address, multiplied by 200 days, is real.
- It needs to work without coverage. Warehouses, construction sites, the road, basements. An app saves the work and syncs it when signal returns; a website does not.
- Push notifications that must be seen. A new order, an incident, a shift. Email gets ignored; mobile notifications, not so much.
- It really uses the phone. Camera for scanning codes, background GPS, NFC reader, biometrics.
- The product IS the app. If what you sell is the application —through subscriptions, purchases, or advertising— there is no debate.
Quick comparison
| Initial cost | Website: much lower. App: from around €5,000 and up depending on screens and server. |
| Maintenance cost | Website: moderate and stable. App: mandatory, because Android and Apple raise requirements every year. |
| Visibility on Google | Website: that’s its territory. App: none; you have to bring in downloads another way. |
| Publishing changes | Website: instantly. App: with app store review in between. |
| Offline | Website: very limited. App: one of its reasons for existing. |
| Push notifications | Website: possible with limitations, especially on iPhone. App: native and reliable. |
| Entry barrier | Website: one click. App: download, install, and sometimes sign up. |
The third option almost nobody brings up
There is a middle ground: a website that can be “installed” on the phone and works partially offline, known as a progressive web app. It’s much cheaper than a native app, updates without going through any store, and still appears in Google.
Almost nobody sells it because it brings in less revenue, so it’s worth saying: its limits are in hardware access and notifications on iPhone, which lag behind. For many internal use cases it is more than enough.
How to decide in five minutes
Answer these four and you’ll have the answer:
- Will the same person use it more than once a week? If not, website.
- Does it need to work without coverage or use the camera, GPS, or NFC? If yes, app.
- Do you want people to find you by searching? Website, always.
- Is the product you sell the application itself? App, no debate.
If you get mixed answers, the usual approach is to start with the website and add the app when usage justifies it. The other way around almost never works well.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn my website into an app?
Putting the website in a window and publishing it as an app is exactly why Apple rejects hundreds of applications. Another thing is reusing the website’s server and data, which is done and makes the project much cheaper.
What if my competitor has an app?
See whether people actually use it before copying it. The stores show ratings and the approximate number of downloads: many business apps were published, nobody installed them, and they’re still there without updates.
Do I need both?
That’s normal when the app makes sense: the website so people can find you and understand who you are, and the app for repeated use by existing customers. Each one does its own job.
If after this you still think yours is an app, in custom apps you can see how we work, what’s included, and what it costs. And if you think it’s a website, take a look at our services: we’ll tell you just as clearly in the first reply.
Related guides
- How much it costs to make an app, to put a number on the decision.
- Why your app gets rejected in the stores, if you’ve already decided and want to avoid surprises.
