If mobile presence is needed in your industry then it could be one of two ways mobile website and mobile application. It won’t hurt if you build both the mobile application and mobile website. Mobile apps and mobile websites can look the same at the time but there is a lot of difference in both of them if you look deep enough.
It is true that you can go with either a mobile application or mobile website according to your needs. There are so many factors that can affect this, it includes the targetted audience, the available budget of your organization, the features of your app or your website requirements, and last but not least the intended purpose of your organization.
But, first of all, you will have to look for the difference in both the application and website. So let's get to know the differences between them. Shall we?
What is the Difference Between the Mobile App and a Mobile Website?
Well, to be honest, it is so hard to find actual similarities and differences in both of them. Talking about similarities there is an identifiable one and that is you can handle the mobile websites and mobile apps on your mobile.
A mobile website is the same as any other website which works on a browser base and can be accessed over a network. Mobile websites are built for smaller handhelds and also it is built for the touchscreen interface. If your mobile web design is versatile then you will be able to handle the smartphone website on your desktop.
Likewise, any other website may display text content, data, images, videos, etc. but the thing is it can be really worthy of mobile-specific features too such as click-to-call or location-based mapping.
So, now you know about mobile websites let me brief you about the mobile applications. You will not have to render the application on the browser, you might be able to actually download it on your mobile. Users will be able to download applications from the App store, Playstore, or even blackberry app world. Similar to the website the application will also be able to pull data or content from the internet.
To access the data or content offline, the application will download them from the website. Facilities, huh?
Well, it is now damn clear to you what are both the mobile website and mobile application. Now it is time to compare them both.
What is Better than What? (Mobile App Vs Mobile Website)
The most appropriate choice depends on your end goals when it comes to deciding whether you want to build a mobile website or a mobile application. If your choice is the game then you should definitely be developing an application. If your choice is selling your product then you should move towards the website. But in some cases, it is essential to build both application and website in order to run smoothly.
Overall speaking that if you want to establish your online presence then website development is the best idea of them all. But if you want to build a reputation globally and you already have been established then you will have to go for mobile application development.
Advantages of the Competition
There is immense competition between both mobile websites and mobile applications. There are some factors that are affecting, which we should consider first. So let’s get deeper into it. These factors will decide the fact that if your organization is in need of a mobile website or a mobile application.
Immediacy
Immediacy decides if your online presence is readily available or not. For example, the mobile website is readily available to reach whenever you want it, but on the other hand the mobile application you will have to download in order to get access to it. It will require time. If you are in hurry then you will always choose a mobile website over a mobile application.
Compatibility
Native applications require separate versions or development methods to run on different devices but on the other hand, the website can be run all over web browsers. And with the help of URL, you might as well be able to share the website with different people and also platforms.
Reach
Let’s take an iPhone application for example. Let’s say you want to build an iPhone app and you have successfully built it but what about reach? You will lack android users. On the other hand, websites allow every user to get access, isn’t it the best? It increases your reach in the most possible way.
Time and Cost
In terms of time and cost management for dedicated developers. Mobile website developers are more effective than mobile application developers. Because it requires less time and cost to build a mobile website than a mobile application.
Applications Over Websites
There were facts in the above paragraph showing the greatness of mobile websites but it will be wrong if we imply that mobile applications are negligible. They are used but used in a different unique way.
Gaming
There is a possibility that you might have to build an app over a website and the most strong possibility is that if you want to develop a game. Online game, yes it is okay but it will not give as many fans as it is supposed to. So mobile applications for games, right isn't it?
Regular Usage
Yes, if your application is used regularly then it deserves to be an application. Evernote, Facebook, Instagram, and online banking applications are examples. Like they are worth having an application.
Connection not Required
There is most important fact that applications do not have to have a network connection whenever they need to use it. If you want to build an application that gives completely offline access to your audience then it is fine if you build an application.
Conclusion
In the end, it is not about the competition both the platforms have. It is about the need that you have. You can always build an application or a website or also you can make both of them according to organizational needs. There is a number of organizations having both mobile application and mobile website. So, you get to decide whether you want to build an application or a website.
Also Read:
