Native App vs Progressive Web App: Complete Comparison Guide
Compare Native Apps and Progressive Web Apps on performance, distribution, cost, and hardware access. Discover which app strategy best fits your project.
Native App
An application specifically developed for one platform (iOS or Android) using the native programming language and SDKs. Native apps offer the best performance, full hardware access, and an optimal user experience that follows platform guidelines.
Progressive Web App
A web application that uses modern web technologies to provide an app-like experience through the browser. PWAs are installable, work offline via service workers, and are accessible via URL without an app store. They run on any platform with a browser.
Comparison table
| Feature | Native App | Progressive Web App |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Optimal — direct access to hardware and platform APIs | Good — improved but limited by browser sandbox |
| Distribution | Via App Store / Google Play — review and approval required | Via URL — instantly available, no store approval needed |
| Offline capability | Full — complete offline functionality possible | Good — offline caching via service workers |
| Hardware access | Full — camera, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, sensors | Limited — camera and GPS yes, Bluetooth and NFC partially (iOS more limited) |
| Development cost | High — separate development for iOS and Android | Lower — one codebase for all platforms |
| Updates | Via app stores — review cycle of 1-7 days | Instant — updates are rolled out immediately like a website |
Verdict
The choice between a native app and a PWA depends on your specific requirements and budget. Native apps offer the best performance, full hardware access, and an optimal platform experience, but are more expensive to develop and maintain. PWAs are more cost-effective, instantly available via URL, and easier to update, but offer more limited hardware access and perform less well for graphically intensive tasks. For many business applications and content platforms, a PWA is an excellent choice. For apps requiring deep platform-level integration, native remains the standard.
Our recommendation
At MG Software, we recommend a web-first strategy with PWA functionality for most projects. Our Next.js applications can easily be extended with service workers and a manifest for an app-like experience. This reaches the broadest audience at the lowest cost. When clients need native hardware features, we build cross-platform with React Native, allowing us to share code with the web application. We only recommend a fully native approach when maximum performance or deep platform integration is essential.
Frequently asked questions
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