Most businesses should start with a good mobile-friendly website, because it can be found on Google, opens on any phone or computer without an install, and is usually quicker and cheaper to build and update. A mobile app makes sense first only when customers will use it often, need features a browser handles poorly, such as working offline or sending timely notifications, or when the app itself is the product. For many businesses, a web app that works well on phones is the practical middle ground.
This guide compares the two, explains the middle ground and gives you a checklist for deciding what to build first.
What a website does best
- Being found. Search engines and AI assistants index websites. People searching for what you offer can find you before they have ever heard your name.
- Reaching everyone. A website opens on any phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to download and no storage space needed.
- One version to maintain. You update the site once and every visitor sees the change immediately.
- Sharing. A link to a page can be sent on WhatsApp, email or social media and opened straight away.
- Lower cost to start. A website is generally less work to design, build and look after than a native app.
What a mobile app does best
- Repeat use. An icon on the home screen suits services people use daily or weekly, such as ordering, banking, booking or tracking.
- Notifications. Push notifications can remind users about orders, appointments or payments.
- Offline working. An app can store data on the device and sync when the connection returns, which matters for field staff and patchy networks.
- Device features. Apps have fuller access to the camera, location, barcode scanning, biometrics and other phone features.
- A focused experience. For complex, frequent tasks, a well-designed app can be faster to use than a website.
The middle ground: web apps
A web app is software that runs in the browser: customers or staff sign in and do real work, such as placing orders, checking balances or updating records. Built properly, it works well on phones and computers alike, and it can often be added to the home screen like an app. Many businesses start with a web app, learn how people use it, and build a native mobile app later for the features that truly need one.
Checklist: questions to decide what comes first
- Do most new customers find you through search or recommendations? If so, start with a website.
- Will customers use the service at least weekly? If so, an app may be worth it.
- Does the service need to work without an internet connection?
- Do you need the camera, location, barcode scanning or push notifications?
- Are the users your own staff, whom you can ask to install an app, or the public?
- Can you budget for maintaining an app on both Android and iPhone after launch?
- Do you already have a website that works well on phones?
- What is the single most important thing users must be able to do?
Costs beyond the first build
A native app has to be published in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, updated when the phone operating systems change, and supported on a wide range of devices. Both platforms have their own review rules. A website avoids those steps. Whichever you choose, budget for hosting, the server or back end that stores the data, security updates and ongoing improvements.
A sensible order for most businesses
For most businesses, the order that wastes the least money is: first, a fast, mobile-friendly website that explains what you do and makes it easy to get in touch; second, a web app or customer portal if customers need to sign in and do things; and third, a mobile app when you know which features people use often enough to justify it. Design the back end so that a website, a web app and a mobile app can all share the same data, and you will not have to start again at each step.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need separate apps for Android and iPhone?
Not always. Cross-platform frameworks let one codebase produce apps for both Android and iPhone, which reduces the cost of building and maintaining them. Some apps with demanding requirements still benefit from separate native versions.
Can my website become an app later?
Yes, especially if the website or web app is built on a back end that exposes its data through an interface an app can use. Planning for that from the start makes the later app much simpler.
Will a website work well on slow mobile connections?
It will if it is built for them: light pages, compressed images, minimal scripts and a design that puts the important content first. We build our websites with those conditions in mind.
Can you build apps for businesses outside Ghana?
Yes. Our team is based in Accra and works with clients anywhere in the world, and design, development and support all run well remotely.
Get advice on what to build first
If you are unsure whether you need a website, a web app or a mobile app, book a free consultation and we will help you decide what to build first. See our website design and development and app design and development services for more detail.