Statista estimates that 64% of the world’s population has a smartphone. This number is expected to rise in 2017. Statista predicts that the global number of smartphone users will exceed 5.07 billion by 2020. This is a large audience, right?
You, as a CEO or business owner, have probably thought about how you can win this audience. What mobile strategy should you apply? Whether to create a mobile application or website. There is no one answer. The choice of whether to use app development companies will depend on many factors, including your business plans and resources as well as any web properties that you may need.
Mobile Website
A mobile website can be accessed via a browser just like any other website. It’s not like regular websites and is therefore not optimized for desktop.
Mobile is just one aspect of optimizing websites to fit smaller screens. We’re talking here about responsive design.
A responsive website is made up of HTML pages that are linked together and viewed across all browsers. You won’t find anything unusual here. This website, however, is designed to display correctly on all screen sizes.
It is compatible with both mobile-friendly websites as well as desktop versions. However, it can be properly scaled down for tablets and smartphones with touchscreen interfaces. A responsive web design works equally well with mobile devices as a mobile site.
Mobile websites, also known as responsive or mobile websites, are ideal for supporting PR campaigns and outreach strategies. A mobile website is an excellent first step in boosting and supporting your mobile marketing campaign. It is compatible with all devices and is easy to use.
Let’s discuss the advantages and limitations of a mobile site as well as how they can be used to help you make a decision about which app or website to use.
Pros
Compatibility. Websites can be used on different mobile devices to improve the user experience. A mobile application, on the other hand, requires separate versions for each device and operating system. Responsive websites offer compatibility benefits that users who have different devices may appreciate. They also allow for easy integration with mobile features such as QR codes or text messaging.
Greater reach. It’s easier to reach a wider audience thanks to responsive web design’s multi-device support across multiple platforms. The website wins the debate between app and website in terms of audience potential.
Support and maintenance. It is also cheaper to upgrade websites. Only one version is required to keep a website current. Mobile apps require you to download every update. Responsive/mobile websites allow you to change the content and design of your website by simply editing it once. They also make it easy to edit them quickly and easily. Once you have implemented the updates, they become active and are visible on all devices.
Cons
Mobile websites are more accessible, have better compatibility and cost less than mobile apps. They do have some limitations.
Convenience. A responsive/mobile website cannot use all features of a smartphone as effectively as an application. Even though libraries and APIs have been developed to address these issues, responsive/mobile websites are not always well-equipped for GPS, camera, phone dialing, or other features that can be integrated into mobile devices.
A device’s screen size is another limitation that can limit user benefits. Users love smaller devices that they can carry around with them. Mobile devices can display much less content than a laptop or computer screen. Mobile websites and responsive design don’t have full access to the same content as desktops. Although responsive web design adapts to screen size dynamically it still doesn’t make it easy for users to browse the content on their mobile devices. Mobile website does the same thing, but reduces or rearranges content on the desktop.
User Experience. Mobile experiences are very different from desktop experiences so implementing the same interface on both platforms could harm your UX strategy. This is mostly due to the single-window limitation. This restriction states that users shouldn’t need to leave their current page in order to find all the content they want. However, mobile sites make it difficult to fit all information onto one page.
Offline access. Mobile Access. A mobile website cannot be run locally. It must have an internet connection in order to function fully.
Mobile App
Mobile applications cannot be downloaded via browsers. They must be downloaded from specific portals like the Google Play Market, App Shop, or any other market that is available depending on the operating system.
Mobile apps allow for faster content access and more seamless interactions. Recent statistics show that mobile apps are more convenient than ever. Flurry Analytics’ 2016 survey found that 90% of mobile users prefer to use apps over mobile websites.
Another study by comScore confirms that the time spent surfing the internet on mobile devices has increased more than 50% between 2013 and 2016. This is significant because 90% of the growth can be attributed to mobile apps.
Mobile apps are becoming more popular than responsive web design. Let’s start by determining when it is a good idea to create a mobile application.
These are the Best Cases for Building a Mobile App
There are common situations in which an application is best suited for your business. An application is more efficient than a mobile site if you intend to set up native device functionality such as click-to call, GPS, cameras or scanners.
If you are building a platform like a content marketplace, or a social network, it is a good idea to select an application. This will require access to different types of content (images and texts, as well as Youtube videos), and must keep them all functional and dynamic.
A mobile application can also be used for interactive games (Angry Birds), daily use tools (Evernote), as well as services that track your progress and send reminders (FitBit and Duolingo).
A mobile app is also a good option for manipulating data. An app is also a better option if you have to perform complex calculations or create reports in areas like investment and banking.
A mobile app can be a great addition for banking services and operations. Banks (Bank of America Raiffeisen), have mastered this concept by selecting the most important desktop web features and then incorporating them into their apps. This makes it easy and efficient to use.
It is important to consider the pros and cons of building an app before you decide to create one.
Pros
Convenience. Apps are more popular than similar websites because they’re easier to use. Apps for mobile devices offer better user experience, load content quicker, and are simpler to use. Apps also have push notifications, which is a big advantage over websites. Apps can be used to share updates, reminders, and special features within the app, which increases customer loyalty. Mobile apps are also more responsive to different screen sizes than websites.
Personalization. For services that are frequent, mobile apps can be a great option. Apps allow users to create accounts and set preferences. They also make it easy for them to keep important information close at hand. Mobile apps are more useful for businesses because they allow them to target specific audiences and build marketing campaigns that appeal to different user groups.
Offline work. Mobile apps offer another important advantage: the ability to use them offline. Apps can be installed on mobile devices so that they provide access to content and other features even if there is no internet connection.
Cons
Compatibility. A mobile application must meet the specific operating system’s requirements to function properly. Every platform, including Android, Windows, and iOS, requires its own app version.
It is possible to create a cross-platform solution to fit all operating systems and devices.
Cross-platform frameworks may not support every feature and module of each operating system. Cross-platform frameworks may not be able to support 3D graphics. This could limit the ability to create and display app designs. These restrictions can have an effect on app stability and could lead to sub-optimal functionality.
Support and maintenance. Supporting an application that is designed for multiple platforms can be more expensive and time-consuming. You must provide updates and correct compatibility issues for all devices, and you should do this regularly. You must also inform your users about the updates and encourage them to download the latest version of the app. Maintaining an app can also be difficult due to the effort required to obtain approval from the markets in which it is placed.