Mobile App vs. Mobile Website

By 2022, the number of mobile users worldwide is forecast to grow to 7.26 billion (statista.com). According to App Annie (appannie.com), the average user spends 3.7 hours (3 hours and 40 minutes) a day on their smart phone. With stats like these, it’s no surprise that businesses continue to focus on a strategy to ensure a strong “mobile” online presence. You want your business to be visible and accessible to your audience, making communication or interactions as easy and convenient as possible. So is a mobile app or mobile website the way to go?

Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are applications designed to specifically run on a mobile device. Users must download the app (from the Apple App Store or Google Play Market, for example) in order to use the application.

PROS of Mobile Apps

Offline access – Mobile apps don’t necessarily need internet connections and so content and certain features can still be accessible even if users are not online.

Customized user experience – The use of push notifications and the ability to share updates and special features within an app can help boost customer engagement, loyalty and satisfaction.

Faster – Mobile apps tend to load content faster in general.

CONS of Mobile Apps

Maintenance – Continual upgrades and ensuring compatibility with newer operating systems and mobile devices is can get expensive. You will also need to encourage users to download the latest version of the app.

Users need to download – An extra step required in order to view content vs. simply accessing a readily available mobile website.

Mobile Websites

A dedicated mobile website is a separate version of your website that users are automatically redirected to if they are accessing your site via a mobile device. The mobile site URL is commonly denoted by adding “m.” before the main website URL. For example, the mobile site for website.com could be m.website.com.

PROS of Mobile Websites

Faster & easier implementation – If you already have an existing website, creating a dedicated mobile website would be faster and easier to launch compared to building a mobile app.

Broader Reach – Instant access vs. the need to download an app makes it easier to reach a broader audience.

CONS of Mobile Websites

Requires internet connection – Unlike mobile apps, where users can access content and some features without connecting to the world wide web.

Additional domain – aside from requiring users to be redirected to your mobile site (which can create additional load time), you’ll have an additional site to maintain.

These are just a few of the advantages and disadvantages for mobile apps and mobile websites. Whether you’re looking to build a mobile app or a mobile website, get in touch! We would love to discuss a mobile strategy that’s best suited for you and your business.