8 Things a Mobile App Can Perform That a Website Can't
Tags: mobile, development
Published: 2023-10-05 11:04:37

Businesses nowadays sometimes argue internally over the value of creating various digital assets, particularly when comparing the relevance of developing **[mobile application development](https://www.sparkouttech.com/mobile-application-development/)** against websites versus web apps.


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Many individuals believe that all you really need is a website that works well on mobile devices rather than a smartphone app. Others assert that mobile applications provide benefits that websites cannot provide. Who is correct? In order to understand how mobile applications vary from web-only goods, we will examine the similarities and differences between these three categories of software in this article.

Although you could believe that web applications and mobile apps are of the same kind, this is not the case. They differ not just in terms of structure but also in the kind of users for whom they were designed. Let's start by going over the structural distinctions between webpages and progressive web apps.

**Progressive Web Apps Defined**
In short, a progressive web app (PWA) is a website that works correctly, smoothly, and user-friendly on mobile devices. Web applications specifically do the same functions as downloadable apps, but from the comfort of your mobile device computer's browser. They function similarly to webpages yet offer a similar user experience to native applications, falling in between websites and mobile apps.

**Native Apps Defined**
Native applications are those developed specifically for a platform, such as iOS for the Apple iPhone or Android for any smartphone running the Android operating system. They often utilize smartphone features like GPS and the camera functions and are downloaded and installed through an app store. Native apps are programs that operate exclusively on a native device.

Snapchat, Instagram, Google Maps, and Facebook Messenger are a few popular smartphone applications. Native applications are limited to the device they are operating on, in contrast to web apps, which are accessible through a web browser and adjust to any computer you are using. Most online applications are static, but a few are dynamic and interactive enough to scale themselves to fit on various devices.

**Why Build a Mobile App?**
Why then do native mobile platforms differ from online interfaces in terms of functionality? By definition, mobile applications are the only place to find a number of important functions. The following are some of these characteristics, which we will go over in more depth below:

Use of device-specific features
Ease of personalization
Offline usage
Easier user access
Better speed
Push notifications
Brand visibility
Design freedom

**Use of Device-specific Features**
Users can utilize device-specific features like the touch screen, camera, dictionary, GPS, and autocorrect while using smartphone applications, which are not often available on desktop or laptop computers.

Particularly while reading an article, watching a fashion show, or recording any on-screen event, screen captures are incredibly easy to take and preserve for later use. Touch displays' straightforward zoom in and zoom out features make cropping and focusing effortless.
These features can speed up convenience and cut down on the time needed to do routine chores.

**Ease of Personalization**
You have the option to customize a user's experience with mobile applications based on their preferences, location, use habits, and more. Smartphone applications make it simple to provide users a highly customized user experience. Additionally, users of a mobile app may be able to alter the program's look to suit their tastes.

**Offline Usage**
Although it is not particularly simple to implement, offline usage may be the most important benefit provided by mobile applications. Mobile app may nevertheless provide users with essential material and functionality in offline mode even if they often require internet connectivity to carry out many of their functions.

Take applications for health and wellbeing as an illustration. Even without the aid of an internet connection, these applications may offer functions like a diet plan, calorie chart, body measurement, water consumption alert, and many more.

**Easier User Access**
Only 14% of the time is spent on mobile websites, whereas 86% is spent on mobile applications. In contrast, consumers are spending more time overall using mobile applications, up 21% in a single year. There is no denying that individuals spend a significant amount of time using native mobile apps for social networking and games.

**Better Speed**
A well-built mobile app will undoubtedly operate considerably more quickly than a mobile website.

Applications often save their data locally on mobile devices as opposed to webpages, which normally require web servers. Data extraction is straightforward in mobile applications because of this. Apps can also save users time by remembering their preferences and acting proactively on their behalf.

Since webpages on smartphones employ JavaScript code, which is often considerably less efficient than native code languages, smartphone applications must to perform more efficiently technologically as well. Most consumers find it confusing what happens in the background, therefore from a user experience (UX) standpoint, the quicker app type-in this case, mobile apps-wins this category.

**Push Notifications**
Push notifications and in-app alerts are the two types of smartphone app alerts. For smartphone users, they are both eye-catching solutions that connect in a less intrusive manner. In-app alerts are notifications that consumers may only access by opening an app.

Push notifications, on the other hand, are shown to consumers independent of the activity they are now engaged in on their mobile device. This is an effective approach to get the user's attention; in some instances, push notifications have resulted in click-through rates of 40% or higher.

**Brand Visibility**
Consumers spend a significant amount of time interacting with mobile apps. It is reasonable to believe that many individuals look for a company's app icon on their cellphones every day. This common occurrence presents a chance for app developers to promote their products.

People will be reminded of a smartphone app every time they view their home screen, even if they are not actively using it. The app icon functions as a little advertisement for the brand.

**Design Freedom**
Even with all the technological advancements in web design, mobile websites still heavily rely on browsers to carry out even the most basic tasks. The "back" button, "refresh" button, and address bar are only a few of the browser features that are necessary for mobile websites to work.

Mobile apps are exempt from all of these restrictions
A **[mobile app development](https://www.sparkouttech.com/mobile-application-development/)** may be designed with many complex features based on sophisticated motions like "tap," "swipe," "drag," "pinch," and more. Apps may make advantage of these motions to develop innovative features that will make users' jobs easier for them to do. An app may, for example, allow users to advance to the following or prior phase using a swipe motion.