Do I need a website or an app for my business?

A website does the universal jobs: it makes you discoverable in search, establishes credibility, works on any phone or computer without anything to install, and is far cheaper to build and maintain. This is why it is the right first investment for virtually everyone.

An app earns its place only under specific conditions — when people use your product frequently (daily or weekly), when you need device features like notifications, camera or offline use, or when you are building a logged-in product with its own ongoing experience. Apps also cost more, must be built and maintained for both iOS and Android, and require customers to find and install them, which is a real barrier.

There is a middle path. A mobile-friendly website or a Progressive Web App (PWA) can deliver much of the app-like feel — home-screen icon, fast loading, even some offline support — without the cost of a native app or the app stores. Many businesses are best served by a strong website first, and an app later only once demand clearly justifies it.