The Web is Dead. Long Live the InternetThe Web is Dead?! A DebateHow the Web WinsHow Do Native Apps and Web Apps Compare?
Two roads diverge on a tablet screen. One is the path to the native app, the other leads to the open web.
Luckily, you can take both. The latest mobile devices ship with a thoroughly modern browser capable of handling emerging web standards. Beneath that is a modern operating system with access to the magic inside the hardware: the camera, GPS, gyroscope and compass. But if you had to pick one — native app or web app — which would you choose? Your decision will make all the difference in how you approach your design, development and distribution.
The Issues Native Apps Web Apps
| Internet access | Not required | Required, except for rare apps with offline capability
| Installation/updates | Must be deployed or downloaded | Hit refresh
| User interface | Native apps are responsive and functional | Browsers can be clunky, but new advancements in JavaScript like jQuery Mobile are catching up fast
| Device compatibility | Platform-dependent, hardware-dependent | Platform-agnostic, content can be reformatted with CSS to suit any device
| Animation/Graphics | Fast and responsive | Web apps are getting closer, but will probably always lag
| Streaming media | Few problems with audio and video. Flash works, but only if the device supports it | Flash works where supported. Browser-based audio and video are getting there, but still beset by compatibility headaches. Give it a year or two
| Fonts | Tight control over typefaces, layout | Almost on par, thanks to advancements in web standards. Give it six months
| Is my content searchable? | Not on the web | By default
| Sharable/Tweetable? | Only if you build it in | Web links are shared freely. Social APIs and widgets allow easy one-click posting
| Discussion and collaboration | Only if you build it, and it’s more difficult if data is disparate | Discussion is easy, all data is stored on a server
| Access to hardware sensors | Yes, all of them: camera, gyroscope, microphone, compass, accelerometer, GPS | Access through the browser is limited, though geolocation is common
| Development | Specific tools required for some platforms (like Apple’s). You have to build a new app for each target platform | Write once, publish once, view it anywhere. Multiple tools and libraries to choose from
| Can I sell it? | Charge whatever you want. Most app distributors take a slice, up to 30% | Advertising is tolerated, subscriptions and paywalls less so. No distribution costs beyond server fees
| Distribution | Most app stores require approval. And you gotta wait | No such hassle
| Outside access to your content | No, the reader must download your app | Yep, just click a link
| Advertising | Control over design (though limited in iAds) and rate | More choices for design, plus access to web analytics. Rates vary widely
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