The best thing that a startup need is an effective presentation of its services to users. Presenting your company or business’s products and services goes a long way in getting your clients. In order to cater your potential users and to manage your day to day processing you essentially need a solution for it.
There seems to be no better solution to it other than having a mobile application or a mobile-friendly website. But businesses, especially startups often get confused at whether to go with Top Rated Mobile App Development or having a website that is mobile friendly.
Both have some or the other advantages over another development platform while both have some similar advantages. In this blog, we will dig deep and try to find out the answer to having the best possible solution to this looming question.
Advantages of Having a Mobile Application for Startups
There are some advantages to having a mobile application as far as startups are concerned. Have a look at them below.
Easy to Use
Creating a mobile app makes the job easier for users to a great extent. Not only it provides seamless user experience but also is easy to be used compared to a non-portable desktop or even portable laptop devices. Moreover, the faster load time and ease in using it make it the preferred destination for users.
Interactive
The advantage of having a mobile app lies in its interactive features. Especially having an app gives your users the freedom to customize the way they want to use the application. Moreover, users get interactive features and updates like Push Notifications and offers.
User Retention
Every business looks to have users that stay with them for a longer period of time. This is where mobile apps are ahead of mobile-friendly websites. Moreover, mobile apps have one-click checkouts and minimum load times and take lesser internet data to operate.
Ability to Work Offline
This is where as a leading mobile application development company; we can happily say that the prime reason why businesses want an app is primarily due to this advantage. If you are about to launch a product then a mobile app can give you more conversion than a mobile website.
Mobile Apps Pose Some Limitations As Well
Device Compatibility
No matter how beautifully you make the mobile app design, the application poses a problem which is device compatibility. Even after many device testing efforts, the apps are not compatible with all sorts of devices. This is due to the limitation of the app development method you choose.
Maintenance and Support
Though both mobile applications and websites require updates every few months in order to improve performance. In the case of mobile applications, an update needs to be handled by the user only by downloading it while with websites this process is carried out automatically.
Let us now have a look at a mobile website offers to startups. Have a look at the points below.
Advantages of Having a Mobile Website for a Startup
There are great enough reasons to say that mobile websites are great to start a business for startups. Here’s why:
Reach is Larger
Websites have a relatively larger reach compared to applications. Moreover, it supports multiple devices and browsers. Moreover, when we considered the data of top websites in the USA only, it showed that mobile websites drive great traffic through mobile devices.
Compatible
Mobile websites are more compatible to the user devices. Unlike mobile devices which are limited to platform and device compatibility, websites can be built once and are compatible across all browsers and devices.
Lesser Maintenance and Support
Mobile websites do not need much maintenance as it is the case with mobile apps which require periodic updates and bugs fixing. A website could easily be updated and the updates are visible on all the devices.
Read Also: Best Celebrity Look Alike Apps in 2022
Limitations of Mobile Websites for Startups
User Experience
Unlike mobile applications, websites are not greatly compatible to fit on mobile devices. For this, you need to hire a mobile app developer or a Best Mobile App Development Company in UK which can use the latest frameworks and provide you a website that behaves like a mobile app.
Offline Accessibility
Contrary to mobile apps, websites need an internet connection which is a necessity to function it. This is where mobile applications are better off compared to the websites as they can work in offline mode as well.
Convenience
Mobile websites are not convenient when it comes to accessing features of a device. This is where a mobile app can use features like Geo location (GPS), calling, and a camera, etc. This is why it adds to the inconvenience of a user.
Mobile Website vs. Mobile App: Some Important Statistics to Look At
It is expected that by the year 2020, the mobile app market would hit the mark of $190 Billion. This shows that Mobile App Development might be the best option for you to go about.
Inference-
If you are a products based company then better go with a mobile application.
Mobile Browser audience is comparable to that of mobile Apps.
Inference-
The above image shows that the importance of mobile apps do not overpower the importance of mobile websites or simply saying, websites that run of mobile devices as well.
Time Spent on mobile devices is more than double of that on website. This shows that users want to use mobile applications.
The industries that require more interaction with users require a mobile app while others are happy with having a mobile website.
What is better for a Startup? A Mobile App or a Website
Well, this is a burning question which is difficult to answer even considering both websites advantages and limitations. But there are some questions which you need to ask yourself in order to find out the right and the most suitable platform for development.
Remember, it is your needs which should drive the decision of choosing a platform. Have a look at the points below.
Also Read : React VS Angular App Development
Looking to Increase Reach
As mentioned above, if your main aim is to get more users or higher traffic then you must go for mobile web app development. Though mobile apps are more profitable but remember in order to build a brand you need a higher reach which would bring more conversion.
Ideally, you can go for web development at first and then capitalize it for Mobile app development. For this, you can take the help of a mobile app development company which has a great network to boost up your business with traffic.
Operational Speed
If delivering data at the user’s click or swipe is the primary aim of your development model, then, of course, you will require it to be delivered faster. In that case, mobile apps can be better as it has data locally stored in it thus giving users a faster experience. This is why if operational speed is a concern then you should go for mobile app development.
Faster Conversions
If not user reach or traffic but faster conversions is what you wish for, then a mobile app can very well do the job for your business. Of course, higher traffic on a website also drives sales but when compared to websites, applications bring faster sales.
Features Required By the Software
One more factor which you should consider before you go for any Web and Mobile App Development Company is the features required by the development model. If your business requires features like GPS, Camera or calling then it cannot be done with a website.
However, with modern tools and frameworks like React Native, Node JS, it is possible to integrate the features on a web app. But ultimately, the efficiency and performance matters which will surely be affected to some extent.
Managing Budget Being a Startup
A startup always has some budget constraints. After analyzing your requirements you can easily know the features and the technology or framework which would be required. Ideally, mobile app development cost ranges anywhere between $8K and $100K. However, Hybrid app development can cost you all native features of a device at a lesser cost.
Let’s Wrap Up, Shall We?
I think that deciding between a mobile app and a mobile-friendly website will continue to be a debatable question. But as mentioned above, it depends on what your business needs are.
If as a startup, your focus in on reach, then better be ready with providing content in terms of the blog, or updates on various social networks. This process will follow even if you decide to go with app development. In short, if you want more engagement with users, then you should consider mobile app development. Otherwise, websites are great for reaching out to a larger population in a shorter time frame.
Looking for a Reliable app developer? Contact Fluper and get a free 30-minute consultation now!
