An app costs more to build, more to maintain, and has to earn its place on a phone that is already full. A website meets customers where they already are: a search result or a WhatsApp link. So we start by trying to talk people out of an app.
The test
You probably need an app if your customers come back on their own at least weekly, and if the app can do something a browser cannot: push notifications, offline use, the camera, GPS tracking, or a saved logged-in account people use constantly. Delivery, loyalty, logistics tracking and internal operations tools usually pass this test.
You probably do not need one if
- Most customers buy or book from you a few times a year
- Discovery happens through Google, Instagram or word of mouth
- Everything you want the app to do works fine in a mobile browser
- You do not yet have a steady audience to install it
The middle path
Often the right answer is a fast mobile-first website now, and an app later once you have the repeat customers to justify it. And when the app is justified, one cross-platform codebase covers both iPhone and Android, which is roughly half the cost and time of building two native apps.
Thinking about a project?
Tell us what you are building and we will give you a straight answer on scope, price and timeline.
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