Blog

In today’s mobile world, users expect seamless, app-like experiences across devices and platforms. This is leading web and mobile teams to embrace a new web technology – progressive web apps (PWAs) – unlocking native-quality interactions on the open web.

The Gap Between Websites and Apps

Websites and native mobile apps have historically served differing needs:

• Websites offer instant access from browsers but limited capabilities for advanced interactivity.
• Native apps provide polished interactions harnessing device features yet face friction with required installs and scattered user bases across platforms.
• Meanwhile, users increasingly expect slick performance, offline access, cross-platform availability and engaging experiences wherever they access content.

This gap has left both websites and apps falling short of modern demands – fueling the rise of PWAs.

What Are Progressive Web Apps?

 Progressive web apps (PWAs)  bridge website and app capabilities to deliver app-caliber user experiences on the web. They load fast, work offline, can be installed, handle notifications and function on any device browser – devoid of app stores.

Key attributes of PWAs include:

• Lightning-fast loading
• Smooth scrolling and animations
• Offline support
• Push notifications
• Installable home screen icons
• Responsiveness across devices
• Linkable/shareable via URLs

Examples of popular PWAs include Twitter, Uber, Pinterest, Tinder and Forbes.

PWA Benefits Over Websites and Apps

PWAs fuse website reach and access with app-level speed and interactivity.

Compared to regular websites, PWAs:

• Load much faster
• Support offline use
• Offer native-app style navigation
• Can utilize push notifications
• Allow installable home screen icons

Compared to native mobile apps, PWAs:

• Require no installs or app store approval
• Work instantly across all modern browsers/devices
• Update instantly without new app versions
• Enable easier sharing via URLs

For users accustomed to either websites or apps, PWAs eliminate pain points and upgrade experiences substantially.

Unlocking Native-Quality Interactions on the Web

Beyond closing the capability gap between websites and native apps, PWAs unlock new levels of interactivity natively on the web, including:

Ultra-Fast Initial Load Times

PWAs utilize code splitting and caching to serve optimized bundles to users, minimizing files requests. Interactivity streams in under a second on repeated loads on 4G networks.

Smooth Scrolling and Animations

Unlike traditional websites, PWAs adopt app-style navigation with animated transitions between views alongside silky-smooth scrolling performance.

Immersive Full-Screen Experiences

Web capabilities like full-bleed layouts, minimal UI and gesture controls provide app-like immersion tailored to devices from phones to desktops.

Contextual Push Notifications

With user permission, push notifications display timely, personalized alerts to re-engage users – no matter whether the PWA is currently open or not.

Installable Home Screen Icons

Add to home screen prompts allow users to conveniently install PWAs like native apps directly from mobile browsers to their device home screens with app-style icons.

The PWA-Powered Future

Given the capacity to now deliver native-app level interactivity on the open web, PWAs represent the ideal fusion of website reach and app capability for the modern mobile era.

Leading brands from Twitter to Starbucks already leverage PWAs to equip their vast mobile users with fast, immersive and reliable experiences wherever they access online content across devices.

As users increasingly demand app-style performance without install friction, PWAs will only continue to eclipse traditional websites and apps. The offline-first, light and interactive PWA model aligns perfectly with modern mobile usage behaviors and expectations.

To explore leveraging PWAs to engage mobile audiences with app-caliber web experiences, connect with our technical team today.