What is a PWA?

PWA stands for progressive web app. This is an app built from the web technologies we all know and love, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but with a feel and functionality that rivals an actual native app. Thanks to a couple of smart additions, you can turn almost any website into a progressive web app. This means that you can build a PWA rather quickly, in regards to a native app that’s pretty difficult to develop. Plus, you can offer all the features of native apps, like push notifications, offline support, and much more.

What’s the difference between a native app and a PWA?

A native app, like the ones you download from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store, is often built in a programming language specific to that platform. So for iOS apps, that would be Swift and for Android apps, Java. If you want to build an app for those platforms, you need to know the technology. Yes, there are shortcuts, but these come with their own limitations. If you want to have an app on all the mobile platforms, you need to know all the different technologies. There’s no easy way to build one and publish it to all the stores out there.

What are the benefits of a PWA?

• You don’t have to go through the process to get into different app stores
• You can build PWAs with common web technologies
• They are often cheaper to build
• Since you’re turning your site into an app, you’ll have fewer code-bases to maintain
• PWAs are responsive and work with many different screen sizes
• PWAs are smooth, fast and lightweight
• No need to hand off big chunks of money to Google and Apple
• They work offline, unlike your regular site
• PWAs are discoverable via search engines (which have a lot larger audience than app stores. Plus, if you want you can still get your PWAs distributed via app stores)
• You can use push notifications to re-engage users
• Installing a PWA can lead to higher engagement

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Case Studies

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