Mobile app and responsive website may look similar in an individual point of view, but they are different in the real sense. Many businesses are venturing into ways on how to increase traffic from smartphones and tablets. It has resulted in the development of both the mobile app and responsive websites.

Each platform has its unique benefits, but no one is superior over the other depending on the nature of the business. Let us now look deeper into each one of the platforms.

Mobile App vs. Responsive Web Design.

The mobile app is a specific application that is designed by a Mobile App Development Company to suit different Operating System (OS). The app has unique features of designs and code base. In the recent days, mobile apps are becoming popular to offer top quality services to the users.

On the other hand, responsive web design is where the website is designed to suit any size of the mobile phone. The site is structured to create desktop content to be also viewed using a mobile phone or whatever size of the screen.

Benefits of Responsive Web Design

Responsive mobile web designs are less fashionable as compared to the mobile app since it is a thing of the past. However, it is still useful in today’s world of business for information can reach quite some users depending on the type of devices they are using.

Here are some of the benefits of using responsive web design:

  • It has a flexible layout that can respond to any size of the screen
  • Provide broader audiences since a majority of people are accessing the internet
  • The search engine can quickly index the website with a mobile-friendly view.
  • All updates are made in one place as compared to the mobile app.
  • Anyone who visits the site can see all the updates.

Benefits of Mobile App

Mobile apps are programs that are downloaded and stored on the smartphone. They are local applications and in most cases do not require the internet to function well. It is known to be faster than responsive web designs. Although it takes longer to develop, it has the following advantages to the user:

  • The features of the apps and tools in the mobile phone can easily be integrated to give more significant results than mobile-oriented sites.
  • The apps load faster than web pages since they are more efficient to have a better user experience.
  • The app helps to create awareness and promote the brand of the business to the user as compared to responsive web design.
  • Mobile apps guarantee more significant safety than web pages
  • Mobile apps do not require internet connections to function as compared to the responsive web design.

Both mobile app and responsive web design have its advantages and disadvantages. The mobile-oriented site is not better than the mobile app and vice versa. Choosing the right platform will depend on the type of products being offered by the organization.

In the modern business world, many organizations have mobile-optimized pages, and they do not need mobile apps to be successful despite them being more efficient than mobile-oriented sites. Many businesses have opted for the mobile-oriented site since they are less expensive as compared to developing an app. On the other hand, mobile apps are known to create awareness of the brand and have a top user experience friendly. Therefore, it is advisable to examine your budget and consider venturing into any of the two platforms.

About the Author

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Mirko Humbert

Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.