To most web and technology enthusiasts, Progressive Web Apps or PWA, non-progressive web apps, and native apps have become some of the many hot topics today.



On the other hand, for those who find themselves to be averse to technology, this might be a point of curiosity and wonder. Either way, with the increasing necessity of technology and the internet in our lives, it is necessary for us to understand how Progressive Web Apps work, how they are different from native apps, and how they are better than non-progressive web apps.

Moreover, many app development companies in New York now hire dedicated developers to specifically make Progressive Web Apps for their company websites, indicating how important they have become. With this being the case, the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of Progressive Web Apps, non-progressive web apps, and native apps, are now being actively discussed around the world.

What Are Progressive Web Apps & How Does It Work?

A term first used by Alex Russell, a Progressive Web App is simply a kind of website that has certain added features to it. It is a kind of software that functions much like any other mobile or desktop application. However, to do so, it uses a browser and an internet connection. For instance, a Progressive Web App would look and feel like an ordinary application, except that it does not require to be downloaded from the Android or iOS app store.



Essentially, this means that a mobile app development company, through the use of Progressive Web Apps, would be blending a desktop app with a mobile app in order to provide its maximum benefits to its users.

Unlike an ordinary mobile or desktop application, PWA development is done using technologies of the web such as HTML, JavaScript, or CSS. It is created with the intention that it can work on any kind of device that uses a standard type of web browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and so on. However, sometimes a Progressive Web App can be made available offline as well and also allow its users to download a shortcut to the home screen of a mobile device that will provide direct access to the web app.

What Are Non-Progressive Apps And How Do They Work?

As opposed to Progressive Web Apps, non-progressive web apps are simply regular web apps. Such a web app is essentially a website that would be accessible on all devices, including mobile phones, as opposed to websites that are accessible through desktops alone.



While many marketers hire dedicated developers to design Progressive Web Apps for an efficient approach to their websites, non-progressive web apps are still very much important in today’s technology. These websites, much like Progressive Web Apps, are designed through the use of technologies like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, but without the features of a Progressive Web App. This means that these apps, or websites, unlike Progressive Web Apps, are not always optimized to work offline and may not always have shortcut options available for the mobile home screen.

How Can We Define Native Apps?

Apart from a Progressive Web App and a non-progressive web app, the third important kind of app is a native app. A native app is an ordinary app that is found on smartphones, tablets, and other such mobile devices. These apps are either installed during manufacturing or can be downloaded through a platform such as the Google Play Store. Some examples of native apps are the camera app, the messaging app, and other such apps that can be downloaded directly onto a device. This is different from a Progressive Web App in the sense that it requires to be downloaded onto a mobile phone, while a mobile application development company designs a PWA in such a way that it can be used over the internet through the browser.

What Are Some Advantages Of A Progressive Web App?

Progressive Web Apps are known for their greater efficiency over regular web apps in the following ways:

Progressive Web Apps feel very much like a normal phone app or a native app in their functioning. According to what any good mobile application development company feels is important for a good user experience, a Progressive Web App allows its users to transition easily between a web browser and mobile apps by providing an intermediate option that functions more efficiently than a website and quite similar to native apps.
Progressive Web Apps do not require memory space on the devices that they are being used on. Through PWA development, a Progressive Web App is meant to function over the internet, and any shortcuts that are available for the home screen would load over the internet. This means that unlike native apps, they do not have to be downloaded and stored on a mobile phone and therefore, do not take up any space on the mobile device’s internal or external memory.
Unlike native app development, the process of developing a Progressive Web App does not need to follow the guidelines and prerequisites of app stores. This is because unlike native apps, Progressive Web Apps do not require to be downloaded onto a mobile device for use. These two important features of a Progressive Web App ensure that developing such an app is far more cost-effective than developing a native app.
The further advantages of a Progressive Web App over a native app lie in the fact that the process of web application development for a Progressive Web App ensures that it can function very much like a native app in terms of reading a phone’s sensor, supporting push notifications and also providing an icon for the mobile home screen while not having any of the disadvantages of a native app such as taking up too much memory.
The Differences Between Progressive Web Apps, Non-Progressive Web Apps, And Native Apps

Features

Progressive Web Apps

Non-Progressive Web Apps

Native Apps

1. Development

Progressive Web Apps are developed through applications such as HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, similar to how a normal website would be developed. They do not require to follow the guidelines of various app stores in order to be approved since they are not made available through such app stores. However, they do have other guidelines provided by Google for their development.

Non-progressive web apps are essentially regular websites that can function on mobile devices. Therefore, these too require to be developed through HTML, CSS, or Javascript.

Unlike the other two, native apps are developed through software tools that are different from those used for websites and web apps. This is because a native app functions vastly different from that of web apps or websites even if Progressive Web Apps and native apps can look and feel similar. They also have to follow the guidelines of app stores through which they are made available to users.

2. Functioning

Progressive Web Apps function much like a website but look and feel like a native app on a mobile device. They require a browser and an internet connection in order to be able to run their program. However, some Progressive Web Apps have the ability to run offline.

Non-progressive web apps also require a browser and an internet connection in order to function. However, they do not have features that enable them to function like a native app and cannot run offline.

A native app does not require a browser to run. Sometimes, they can also function without an internet connection. However, a native app must be downloaded from an app store onto a mobile device before it can be used.

3. Compatibility With Other Apps

Progressive Web Apps do not require to be downloaded onto a mobile device. This means that they may not always be made to be compatible with all the other apps on a mobile device. However, they can still function like a native app in terms of supporting push notifications.

Non-progressive web apps do not require to be compatible with other apps on a mobile device since they are not developed with the intention of being used as an app. Therefore, they may not even support functions like push notifications on a mobile device.

Native apps are perfectly compatible with all other apps that are made for a mobile device. This is indeed necessary for their functioning since a native app requires to be downloaded onto a mobile device. Further, they can also support push notifications and also be able to read a mobile phone's status and other such data, if required.

4. Icons

Progressive Web Apps are designed to function like websites as well as native apps. This is why they are enabled with an option that lets users have an icon on their mobile phone’s home screens that will function as a shortcut to the web app.

Non-progressive web apps do not have the option for an icon that would look similar to a native app icon. This is because, while they are compatible with a mobile web browser, they are not intended to be run as a website that also functions as an app.

Native apps require icons to function, as they are meant to be downloaded and stored on a mobile device. Therefore, they allow users to run an app by clicking on the icon. This icon may or may not be found on a mobile phone’s home screen.

5. Memory Usage

Progressive Web Apps do not require to be downloaded from an app store. This means that they will not take up space on the mobile device's internal or external memory.

Non-progressive web apps only require the use of a mobile device’s memory if a user downloads something from this website onto the device. Therefore, these too, do not require to use the memory space of a mobile device.

Native apps can only function on a mobile device if there is sufficient internal and external memory space on the device. Since these apps have to be directly downloaded from an app store, they require a set amount of memory space on a mobile device in order to be able to function.

Progressive Web Apps Or Native Apps?

Having understood the differences between Progressive Web Apps, native web apps, and the basic processes of custom web application development for the two, the question that remains is whether or not Progressive Web Apps be actively chosen over native apps and non-progressive web apps.

The current trend, according to most app developers, would appear to be shifting towards Progressive Web Apps. They are so popular that they are endorsed by tech giants such as Google. For instance, Google has published a list of requirements that would help any individual with enough knowledge about web apps or a mobile app development company, to build their own Progressive Web Apps. This is certainly a testament to the advantages of a Progressive Web App.



However, some companies still prefer to create a Progressive Web App as well as a native app for their websites. This is because the process of native app development, as opposed to developing a Progressive Web App, ensures that a native app is far more efficient at interacting with other native apps. Further, a native app can also have a payment system that allows its users to make purchases directly through the app while a Progressive Web App requires its own payment system to do the same. Therefore, while both are quite advantageous in their own ways, it still remains to be seen which one will win the ultimate debate.

Conclusion

As technology is improving it is definitely giving rise to some excellent use cases for progressive web applications. However, they cost a lot to build and also require a time-consuming process. Hence to ensure customer satisfaction native development is recommended for the websites. Native applications offer personalized, exceptional and performance-oriented User experience. It has the potential to harness the advantages for the business platforms through which the clients can meet the growing and dynamic demands of their customers.

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