There is often a lot of hustle whenever something new hits the market. It is of no doubt that with time, a lot of things have been completely replaced. It is important since for instance, the earliest means to store something was a Floppy Disk but who could’ve thought about Cloud. Likewise, every trend has its life and prolongs for a time. Although, the real question is,” Are PWAs capable of replacing native apps?”. Well, the question is quite stipulated and there is no confirmation that it is bound to happen. Therefore, it would be better that we investigate the situation by working on facts and figure out the necessary probability because everything is possible.
What are PWAs or Progressive Web Apps?
PWAs are web applications that behave like an application. The concept has been devised to cater to the laptop and desktop user. Although, on a smartphone or tablet, a PWA looks exactly like an application. Although, if you are opening it on a laptop or any machine like that the overall experience would be quite close to a website. There are a couple of advantages because of which PWAs are considered. Below we have mentioned some, therefore, just check them out.
- They don’t need any kind of installation. The user just needs to enter the URL in the address bar and voila. They also give the user the capability to pin them onto the screen of the browser.
- A PWA generally pre-caches some of the aspects of the website. Therefore, if you suddenly go offline then at least some of the features would be working irrespective of the cell phone coverage.
- These are very lightweight in comparison to an application. This is the reason that the user experience is quite fluid in comparison to an app. Some even say that the app scroll is smoother in case of a PWA.
- PWAs, unlike a traditional website, have the capability to interact with the hardware of your device. It gets the capability to use features like push notifications.
There can be many advantages to getting a PWA. Although, these are some mainstream advantages that one can have if they have a PWA.
What are the advantages of having a Native App?
Native Apps are generally considered to be the best experience in terms of UI/UX. Although, these two depends on the efficiency of your developers. Although, native apps are built from scratch which means that the developer has the capability to make the app whatever he/she can. This gets ample advantage in terms of functionality, features, and usability. The reason is simple because everything is made in accordance with whatever you have in mind. Although, to make it more concise below are the advantages of having a native app.
- Great Performance: Unlike a hybrid application, these native apps are created for the platform. This means that the usability is going to translate into something better as it will be made in accordance with the platform. This offers higher device usability and more capability for your app to interact with the hardware.
- Security: This is among the most important reason why people choose to go for native apps. As mentioned before these apps are made from scratch, it also means that one can design the app to be as secure as possible. Most of the web apps are created using CSS, HTML, and Javascript which are quite vulnerable. Therefore, a native app gets you better security options.
- Interactive and Intuitive Design: This is the major reason why a lot of people consider getting a native app made. These apps feel so natural in terms of usage because they inherit a lot of capabilities from the OS’s interface. Since these applications are platform-specific, therefore, they stick to the guidelines and provides a superior interactive as well as intuitive design.
- Features: In terms of hardware, smartphones have so many devices that can be used along with the apps. Along, to take the full benefit one needs to get a native app built to access the full potential. Some of these features are a camera, device, GPS etc.
- Fewer Bugs: This will only work well if you are creating your app for a single platform be it Android, iOS, or Web. In case, if you are going for more than one then they are completely different. Therefore, since the developers are only focusing on a single platform, therefore, it becomes easy for them to manage bugs.
Challenges related to the development of a Native App
- Flexibility: There is no flexibility whenever we are talking about the development of native apps. Native App development is done on a particular platform be it Android, iOS, and Website. In case, if you are developing for two different platforms then you need to separate teams.
- Time-Consuming: As we have already discussed that it needs a separate team for development, therefore, the time required to complete the whole project in every platform will take time.
- Expensive: Two separate teams means more money. Therefore, the usual development would take almost double the price of any hybrid app.
- Frequent Updates: A native app needs to be frequently updated for all the bugs and fixes that occur dedicatedly. Also, there are so many updates that are related to OS updates and much more needs to be amended. It makes sure that the native app you have created is up to the market standards.
Can PWAs replace Native App in the Future?
Well, it depends entirely on the future whether the PWAs will be capable of replacing a native app or not. Although, for now, it is a secure and viable option for having something that is platform-independent. It can also be made at a much cheaper price in comparison to an app. Also, as we have discussed before, it provides a superior user experience in comparison to many apps. Therefore, no doubt that much of the entrepreneurs might think of getting a PWA instead of a native app.
Although, there are limitations to a PWA. A PWA can access some of the hardware but not all. It is still tied to its web framework. Also, most of these PWAs are supported by modern browsers although for the legacy ones they are simply not compatible. Therefore, replacements of apps with a PWA seems like a possibility although since it is not that efficient as per today, it is still an anticipated question of whether PWAs can replace native apps or not.
So this was our argument over the topic of whether PWAs can replace native mobile apps or not. It is still a difficult question because work is being done in every hemisphere. Although, one sure thing is that the websites of tomorrow will be completely replaced by PWAs. In case, if you need anyone to develop a PWA for you then maybe we can help. To send us an enquiry mail us at [email protected]. We have also written an article over Progressive Web Apps and SEO, therefore, to check it out click on the link provided. We hope this article may have been of some help to you. Also, thank you for reading it until the end.
