Mobile website vs mobile application
When it comes to deciding whether you need a mobile app or a mobile website, there are a few things to consider. You would need to decide what would be the intended purpose, what’s your target audiences, which are the required features and what’s your available budget. Normally you should go with a mobile version of a website if your aim is a web presence to mobile devices as opposed to an application developed for a very specific purpose that cannot be effectively accomplished via a web browser.
Let’s try to clear the waters a bit here and see what put each of those on the table. A mobile website is always available, in an instant. No installs required, no user account created with the app marketplaces. They run in a browser and offers immediacy. It is usually compatible with any mobile platform, easy to maintain and update and, very important, less expensive to develop. Sharing it’s URL is done easy and quick and it can not be uninstalled from the user’s device. BUT, there are things to consider in favour of an application also: if you need something heavily interactive, especially games, or something that requires a lot of computation and/or reporting then this second option should be your choice. An app would always bring the user experience to a new level, being personalized and adjusted to fit the needs. An app would be much more effective in processing the mobile specific functions, such as camera, GPS, accelerometer, proximity and so on.
So, what do I do?
The decision is all your, but as any other investments you’re making, you need to properly weigh in all the options and choose the optimal one. There would be no point in spending time and money for building an app to do something basic that can be achieved with a mobile website. But if you’re after a user experience that feels more like a game interface or a computer software than a website, or if you require access to a user’s phone storage and/or native functions, then an app is probably going to be required. We’re here to help you decide and build it.