Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
The latest mobile experience is browser-based but performs and feels like a "native app" while circumventing the native app cost, development time and packaging.
- Browser-based and native -app hybrid.
- Affordable and efficient development.
- Push notifications (like Gmail or Facebook)
- Reliable, fast, can work offline.
- No app-store or approval process.
- Installs seamlessly from your website on Android. (Works on Apple devices but has another step.)
Responsive Website (aka Mobile Friendly)
The most common mobile site method today lets you build one browser-based site that can adapt (or respond) to multiple screen-sizes.
- Browser-based, requires internet connection.
- Make one main site and with minor changes, it can work on any screen.
- Affordable and efficient development.
- No app-store or approval process.
Mobile Website
These are browser-based websites "designed just for mobile" but are not considered responsive websites. They often have a dedicated URL such as mobile.domain.com
- Browser-based, requires internet connection.
- Custom made just for mobile devices.
- Automatically loads when a mobile device accesses the main domain.
- Reasonably affordable, but is essentially a separate website.
- No app-store or approval process.
Web Apps
This is a browser-based mobile website but usually created for a particular purpose such as a survey, data collection tool, simple game, etc.
- Browser-based, requires internet connection.
- Custom made for mobile devices.
- Usually has a primary purpose like collecting or sharing data.
- Reasonably affordable, but is essentially a separate website.
- No app-store or approval process needed.
Mobile Apps (aka Native Apps)
These are "made just for mobile" apps that are custom coded for each platform (Apple, Android, etc.) and are installed direct from their respective stores.
- Custom programmed for each mobile platform: Apple, Android, Windows, etc.
- Requires app-store and approval process.
- Does not require constant internet connection.
- Fast and focused.
- Expensive and longer development time.