To remain competitive in this day and age, you absolutely must have a strong digital presence. Sometimes that means building a mobile-optimized website, other times, a mobile app. But between the two, mobile app or website, which is right for you?
What is the Difference?
The primary difference between a mobile app or a website is that an app is a piece of software that must be downloaded to your device. A mobile website is a bunch of responsive, interconnected pages that scale to fit on your device’s screen, but no software is installed.
What Are the Benefits of a Mobile App?
A mobile website, a site like any other but optimized for a mobile device, is more cost effective than an app. Skilled web developers are much easier to come by these days than app programmers, especially when you consider you’d need someone skilled in both iOS and Android development if you went the app route.
Mobile websites are also quite adaptable. Apps are designed for specific devices and screen layouts, while a website can be more fluid. It can stretch and scale depending on the device, be it a smartphone, tablet, or even desktop PC.
Speaking of which, with a mobile website, it does not matter what kind of device you’re using. It can be an Android or iOS device, a mobile website will still work on it.
Mobile Website Downsides
The first and most impactful disadvantage of a mobile website is that you have no offline access at all. Your users may only be able to visit and have access to previously cached pages, but wouldn’t otherwise be able to interact with anything.
Additionally, mobile sites cannot easily make full use of a device’s capabilities, as compared to apps. This includes push notifications, Bluetooth connectivity, or text integration.
Finally, websites cannot beat an app’s user experience in most cases. Mobile apps are designed to take a device’s specifications into consideration. This means a more slick and interactive experience, compared to the limitations brought about by a browser-based website.
The Choice Is Yours
In the end, you have to ask yourself what you want your users to get out of the experience. Once you determine this, you’re on your way to making the right choice. However, if you are struggling to make that choice, get in touch with Thinc today and let us help guide you towards your ultimate goal.
