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Know Your App: Progressive Web App and Mobile Phone Apps

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Know Your App: Progressive Web App and Mobile Phone Apps

Know Your App.

Not every app is the same and with the advancements in mobile app development in recent years, different apps are now being used by millions of consumers.

These apps are known as Mobile, Native, Hybrid and Web Apps.

About Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Progressive Web Apps are just what they sound like. They utilize ever-adapting software to provide easier and faster accessibility within mobile technology. They combine the best of both worlds, the web and the mobile.

Mobile apps, those running off the native app store differ in several ways and are more advanced in their capabilities than Web Apps, those which run within a browser. Progressive Web Apps fix all these issues with web apps and run separate from a internet connection. With the advantage over Hybrid Apps, these apps run accessible to anyone without the constraints of a web browser.

To understand this more fully, take a look below at our infographic, that shows the top 10 features of a PWA app and its advantage over other mobile applications.

As you can see in BLUE CAPS on our infographic, there are specific features which make a Progressive App surpassingly modern and superiorly unique to other apps:

App Shell Model

App Shell is a basic UI shell, that provides a content framework in which an app is loaded and saved. This is the major factor behind why when a user returns to the app, the content is cached and does not have to be loaded with the support of internet.

Service Workers

Service workers are scripts (Javascript files) that run and trigger the different events within the app. The abilities to send push notifications, cache content and operate offline is as a result of these complex service workers. Just like other Javascript coding, common code is used across all PWApps to perform common tasks within the applications.

Which one is right for you?

Think about what the goal of your mobile application will be? Are you trying to engage potential mobile app consumers to your website? Are you promoting your mobile app as a main marketing tool? To Know Your App is important and we hope with this article, we helped your business get a jumpstart to discovering the best path for you.

PWA vs. Other Apps, which one is for you?

Now let’s compare PWApps to Mobile Native, Hybrid and Web Apps. A major benefit to Progressive Web Apps is being able to immediately use it, without the need for an app store or internet connection. In addition, a progressive web application looks and feels like a mobile application but in most cases, runs faster and more smoothly.

Native mobile apps run on a specific platform, either IOS or Android operating system and are downloaded and installed from an app store. While these apps provide many features and fast speeds, they are restricted to the platform they are coded for and require custom development.

Web apps are web pages that run within a web browser developed with common web scripts, HTML and Javascript. They can be comparable to responsive web pages, in that they look and function across all devices in the browser. As such, they do not require custom application coding as do native mobile apps and are easier to implement.

Hybrid mobile apps run within a web browser and also a specific device’s browser engine. To do this, a wrapped container allows them to access the device’s features. While these apps are very much like progressive apps, they have great limitations in comparison. While considered easier, they are dependent on devices and are not always uploadable to an app store.

Historically, the best option for businesses has been to develop a native app for the app store, accessible on each major device type. This offers the most custom feature options. Of course, a budget is needed for development of a custom app.

Web applications can work for a business, depending on their needs and circumstances, as they are cheaper and faster to develop. However, this option does not provide access to a device’s native functionality and may run slower. All web application need access to the internet within a browser.

Until most recently, a hybrid application was considered the middle road. Its device containers take time to get updates and access to all features is not immediate. Quicker development than native applications is possible, though with the sacrifice of performance speeds.

Ready to Start Your App Today?

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About Tag Team Design

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