Mobile Apps
Planning a Mobile App: Native, Cross-Platform or Progressive Web App?
How to choose between native, cross-platform and progressive web apps, what app store publishing involves, and the questions to answer before a mobile app is built.
A mobile app is a good investment when people need to do something repeatedly, quickly and on the move. Before choosing how to build it, it helps to understand the three common approaches.
Native apps
A native app is written separately for iOS and Android using each platform's own tools. It gives the deepest access to device features and the most polished platform feel. The trade-off is two codebases to build and maintain.
Cross-platform apps
Frameworks such as Flutter and React Native let one codebase produce apps for both iOS and Android. For most business apps, such as booking, ordering, field reports or customer accounts, this gives a native-quality result with less duplicated work.
Progressive web apps
A progressive web app (PWA) is a website that can be installed on the home screen, work with a weak connection and, on supported devices, send notifications. It needs no app store approval. It is a strong choice when the audience will not download an app, though some device features remain limited compared with store apps.
Questions that decide the approach
- Must it be listed in the App Store and Google Play?
- Does it need the camera, location, Bluetooth or background tasks?
- Will it work offline, for example for field staff?
- How often will you release updates?
- Is there a web version or admin panel that must share the same data?
App store publishing takes planning
Store listings need screenshots, descriptions, a privacy policy and, for the Apple App Store, a review that can request changes. Developer accounts should be opened in your business's name, so the app belongs to you. Allow time in the plan for review cycles.
The back end matters as much as the app
Most business apps rely on a server: user accounts, data, notifications and an admin panel. Plan these together with the app screens. A beautiful app on top of a weak back end will struggle as soon as real users arrive.
Launch with the core journey
Pick the one journey that matters most, such as "book and pay for a visit", and make it fast and reliable. Additional features are easier to add once real users show you what they need next.
