Mobile Web vs Responsive Web. or Better an App?
Tags: mobile, webdev, development, application
Published: 2023-11-08 06:29:21

The mobile web is the present and the future, there is no doubt about that, especially for a **[mobile app development company](https://www.sparkouttech.com/mobile-application-development/)**. You only have to look at smartphone penetration data to realize this. As shown by the results presented in the VIII Mobile Marketing study prepared by IAB Spain, mobile penetration among users between 16 and 65 years old reaches 94%, which represents a population of 21 and a half million individuals. Behold the mother of the lamb! The question of questions and why developing a mobile website is so important for a mobile app development company.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/me2kms146p4pwz677fxh.jpg)
Almost two years ago, Google announced the update to its mobile search algorithms in which web pages adapted to mobile devices have more weight to be shown as better quality and more relevant content compared to those that are not adapted. Many companies reacted to this ultimatum. However, there are still companies that do not open their eyes to this reality. With the problems that this entails to compete in the online environment.

And wasting the opportunities that a mobile website offers us is a capital sin. Sacrilege! Yes, truly crazy. Who in their right mind would think of ignoring hundreds of thousands of potential customers? Well, inexplicably, to many companies. How many times have you visited a website through your Smartphone or Tablet and run away because you couldn't see or read anything at all? No! Better not tell me, it's Friday and I don't want my day to be ruined. Granted, one cannot afford the investment involved in developing a website specially designed for each screen size or mobile device. But really, developing a responsive website is not a big investment.

**Differences between Mobile Web and Responsive Web**

**1. Economic Cost**
As we have already mentioned, one of the differences lies in the cost of one or another modality. And developing a responsive website is much cheaper than developing a specific design for each screen size, for obvious reasons. While a responsive website consists of a single version of the website that adapts the contents to different sizes, a mobile website is a website completely separate from the original. However, the mobile web offers an improved user experience, similar to that offered by an app. That is, much more satisfactory and simple.

**2. Content**
On traditional websites, depth is king. So responsive websites, being simple adaptations, carry this weight of content. Therefore, when developing a responsive website, it is very important to focus on offering the necessary content at an informative, technical and functional level without making the mobile user experience too cumbersome and complicated to manage.

On the contrary, a mobile website offers more specific content with the aim of meeting the expectations of the user, who in most cases seeks quick access. Space limitations influence the structure and arrangement of information, so the content must be rigorous, clear and accessible.

**3. Design and Ergonomics**
Although a responsive website has the objective of being accessible on mobile devices, in reality the structural core emerges from the traditional website. So we are faced with an adaptation of the design from a computer screen size to a mobile one. So it must be taken into account when defining a structure and design that best adapts to both options. While a mobile website is designed to be accessed from a smartphone or tablet, with a smaller screen and touch navigation.

These differences mean that ergonomics must adapt to the phone and tablet format in order to allow the user to navigate through mobile web pages with ease.

**Differences between Mobile Web and Mobile App**

As in the previous case, the economic cost is one of the differences between these two options. An economic cost that will be determined by the following differences:

**1. Download**
While the mobile website does not need to be downloaded and can be accessed from any mobile device by searching through search engines, the mobile app requires the user to download it. This need to download implies the need to hire the services of app distributors, the famous App Store. And also, perhaps one platform is not enough, but you must be on several (Google Play for Android devices and Apple Store for Mac), a consideration that's vital for a **[mobile application development company](https://www.sparkouttech.com/mobile-application-development/)** when strategizing their presence in the app ecosystem.

**2. Compatibility**
The mobile web has the advantage that it is compatible with any device, as long as it is well developed. On the contrary, an app requires a different development and design depending on the device. In addition, a user effort factor also intervenes, since while mobile websites update automatically without requiring a specific action from the user, apps require the user to download updates for the implemented improvements to work.

**3. Accessibility, capacity and performance**
Accessibility, capacity and performance are the great values of an app. Its programming and design are specially developed so that the user's constant interaction with the different functionalities offers an optimal user experience, in which accessibility and speed shine by themselves. However, the mobile web is more limited in terms of loading speed.