Progressive Web Apps vs Native Apps — Which Should You Build?

What Are PWAs and Native Apps?

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites that behave like mobile apps — they can work offline, send push notifications, and be installed on the home screen. They're built with web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and run in a browser.

Native apps are built specifically for iOS (Swift/Objective-C) or Android (Kotlin/Java) and installed from the App Store or Google Play. They have full access to device hardware and OS features.

Performance and User Experience Comparison

• Speed: Native apps are 20-30% faster for complex interactions. PWAs are fast enough for most business use cases
• Offline capability: Both support offline mode, but native apps handle it more gracefully
• Push notifications: Both support push notifications. iOS PWA notification support was added in 2023
• Hardware access: Native apps have full access to camera, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC. PWAs have limited hardware access
• Updates: PWAs update instantly (no app store approval). Native apps require app store review (1-7 days)

Cost and Timeline Comparison

• PWA: Rs. 5-15 Lakhs, 2-4 months. One codebase for all platforms
• Native (single platform): Rs. 10-25 Lakhs, 3-5 months
• Native (both platforms): Rs. 18-45 Lakhs, 4-7 months (or use Flutter for cross-platform at Rs. 12-30 Lakhs)

When to Choose PWA vs Native

Choose PWA when: Your app is content-heavy (news, e-commerce, directory), you want maximum reach without app store friction, and your budget is limited.

Choose Native when: You need heavy hardware integration (camera, Bluetooth, sensors), your app requires complex animations or gaming, or you're building for a specific platform's ecosystem.

ITD GrowthLabs builds both PWAs and native apps. Let us help you choose the right approach.