A responsive website is a perfect platform to start for broad marketing outreach. When you want to initiate a mobile presence for your business or organization, the first thing that will be coming to your mind is whether you should go for custom responsive website development or build a mobile application that users can download and install.
At first glance, both a responsive website and an app look pretty much similar. Deciding which is most suited to your business needs will depend upon several factors, including target audience, budget available, and many more features.
The Difference Between a Mobile App and a Mobile Website
Before you get familiar with the advantages of a responsive website and a mobile app, it is crucial to understand the main differences between the two. Both responsive websites and mobile apps are accessed on handheld devices like tablets and smartphones (e.g., iPhone and Android devices).
A responsive site is very identical to any other website composed of browser-based HTML pages associated and accessed over the Internet (through WiFi or 3G or 4G networks). The feature that differentiates a responsive website on a handset from a standard website is designed for the smaller handheld display and touch-screen interfaces.
Like any website, a responsive website on a handset displays data images, text content, and video. Other mobile-specific features can also be accessed, like click-to-call (to dial a phone number) or location-based mapping.
On the other hand, apps are the actual applications that can be downloaded and installed on your mobile devices, rather than provided with a browser. Various users visit device-specific portals like Google Play Store or Apple App Store to download apps for a given operating system. Like a responsive website, the app can also pull content and data from the Internet, or the content can be downloaded without an internet connection.
The Better Option – A Mobile App or Mobile Website?
When decision-making is concerned to build a native app or a responsive website, the choice depends entirely on your end goals. The better option will be an app if you are developing an interactive game. But if you wish to provide mobile-friendly design & development or content to the broadest target audience, then the responsive website is the best option. In some cases, there might be the situation that you need both a responsive website and a mobile app. But it does not make any sense to develop an app without already having a responsive website in place.
In general, a responsive website should be your first step to develop a mobile web presence. If you have an existing website, you can convert it into a responsive one. In contrast, an app is used for a specific purpose that cannot be effectively accomplished via a web browser.
How Mobile Apps Can Be Beneficial For Hotel Business?
When a Mobile App makes Sense?
#Personalization
If your target users need to use your app in a personalized manner regularly, then an app provides a great way to do that. Delivering a personalized experience through a responsive website is quite a difficult task.
#The Processing Required
Mobile web browsers are increasingly good at accessing certain mobile-specific functions like click-to-call, SMS, and GPS. But, when you need to access a user’s camera, the app will be the best option.
#No Connection Required
If you need to provide offline access to content or perform different functions without a network, custom mobile app development makes more sense.
#Gaming
For highly interactive games like Angry Birds, the app is the best choice to opt for. A responsive website will not work well for games.
Why Should You Hire Mobile App Developers for Your Business?
When a Mobile Website Makes Sense?
#Immediacy
Responsive websites are instantly accessible to users via a web browser across a wide range of devices. Users don’t need to download and install them.
#Upgradability
A responsive website can be updated instantly. Publish the edit once, and your changes are immediately visible. On the other hand, a mobile app requires downloading the new version to update each device’s app.
#Findability
Users can easily find responsive websites’ contents as they are visible in search engine result pages, whereas the visibility of apps’ data is restricted to search engine users.
#Less Expensive
Responsive websites are less expensive than native mobile apps, especially when you want your presence on all devices and platforms.
The Conclusion:-
This ‘app vs. web’ question will remain a real consideration for different organizations looking forward to building a robust mobile presence. When your mobile goals are marketing-driven, and you wish to provide content and establish a broad mobile presence that can be shared easily between users and can be found on search engines, a mobile website is a correct choice. But if you wish to provide an application that needs to work like a computer program than a website, then the app will fit best to your requirement.
