Short answer
Most businesses do fine with a good mobile-friendly website or web app that opens without installing anything. A mobile app is worth it if customers will use it regularly, you need phone features (notifications, camera, Bluetooth, location) or it controls devices. Building and maintaining an app costs more.
Comparison
| Website / web app | Mobile app | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | In any browser, nothing to install | Installed from the App Store or Google Play |
| Findable on Google | Yes | Limited |
| Phone features | Partly | Fully (notifications, Bluetooth, camera) |
| Development cost | Lower | Higher (often two platforms) |
| Updates | Instantly for everyone | Through the app stores |
When to choose an app
- Customers will use it often, for example every week.
- You need notifications, offline work or communication with devices.
- The app is the product itself.
Example
In the self-service car wash solution we built, customers use an Android and iOS app to pay for the service and control the wash — here a mobile app makes sense, because it replaces the POS terminal and talks to the equipment.
A compromise
A progressive web app (PWA) runs in the browser but can be added to the phone’s home screen, and it partly works offline. It’s often a good first step.
