We are entirely dependent on our mobile phones to get things done, from shopping to booking movie tickets to looking out for nearby cafes. This is because of the convenience and ease that mobile phones have created in our lives. Mobile driven websites are chosen and preferred over traditional websites. Every e-commerce website and business is on mobile today. So what are the different options to go mobile. Let’s discuss.
Every technology has its pros and cons. It’s up to the clients, what they are looking for in their businesses. Progressive Web App and RWA are quite similar by nature, RWA is designed with a web technology stack like JavaScript, Ruby, HTML, CSS, etc., and operates through a browser. It offers many native-device features and functionalities like Progressive web applications. On the other hand, developers use JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to build progressive web apps.
So if you are getting confused between PWA and Responsive Web, then you are on the right page. This article can make things simpler. This article can give you crystal clear knowledge about the differences between PWA vs. RWA.
Progressive web application is more of an application than a website. PWA is a website that looks and feels like a native mobile app. PWA do not need independent downloads from the Play Store or App Store and run perfectly well in the browser. PWAs are intended to eradicate various problems that range from sluggish networks to restrictive data or total lack of connectivity. To provide an engaging, reliable and quick user experience, websites that meet all the requirements of a PWA would typically leverage the latest web technologies. One of the examples of this is the social media websites such as Gmail or Instagram. Whenever you log onto these websites, you encounter an in-app like experience offering you all the features that an installed application would have provided.
Responsive web application refers to creating a website that can be accessed from both desktop and mobile interface. RWA is a comprehensive and holistic approach to crafting different user experiences for different devices.
Users expect the best experience on your websites irrespective of the devices and the networks they use.
To stay in the game for long, meeting the expectations of the users becomes crucial. This is where responsive web application designs come into play.
Wired, an information provider and a unanimously used platform is one of the best examples of a Responsive Web App. Wired prioritizes content in all channels, ensuring users can easily access the data and the articles they want. For instance, if we compare the smartphone edition with the desktop and the tablet edition, the former is dramatically condensed to dazzle the user. It takes advantage of the restricted space to show the “Top Stories” before anything else. Similarly, they have included other features that add up to provide an outstanding user experience irrespective of the device you are using the platform on. Overall, Wired’s smooth navigation and simple social buttons make sharing articles and information super easy.
Fig: Wired examples of progressive and responsive web apps
Pinterest, a platform that allows you to discover new trends and information is a famous PWA example. From articles to images to videos to GIFs, Pinterest has everything to offer. Back in time, when Pinterest used to provide a slow website experience, they decided to create a PWA. Only 1% of their total user pool has migrated to iOS and Android signups and software install. It was noticed that visitors spend more time on the PWA than the mobile website. A sudden steep was noticed in the performance metrics. This shift not just increased Pinterest’s user experience, but it also accelerated its ad revenues.
Fig: Pinterest examples of progressive and responsive web apps
Fig: Pros and cons of PWAs
Fig: Pros and cons of RWAs
| Field | PWA | RWA |
|---|---|---|
| Push Notifications | As soon as you open the PWA, the user is prompted to enable the push notifications they receive. Just like in an application, each push notification is unique to the users. | On the contrary, RWA does not provide the user with the convenience to subscribe and get notifications. |
| Adoptive | The responsive design of PWA is efficient and capable to run on any device. | In the case of RWA, you need to develop separate code for various devices and platforms making it expensive and tricky. |
| Add To Home Screen | With just the home screen icon, PWAs will live directly on the phone screen with the tap-able icon giving it the look and feel of a native app. | The convenience of adding the app to the home screen is absent in RWAs. |
| Convenience | In continuation to the above point, PWAs are more convenient than RWAs as they exit just like a native app with all back-end framework features making the website very appealing. | This is one of the main reasons as to why people prefer PWAs over RWAs. RWAs lack the features and connectivity criteria, compromising the user experience. |
| High Loading Speed | Another unbeatable advantage that PWAs provided over RWAs is their amazing speed. The mechanism and the usage of ‘App Shell’ makes the process faster and gives the feeling of using a real application. | RWAs do not use ‘App Shell’ which makes the loading and running of data on mobile phones a longer and tiring process. |
As a prominent web development company, our experience makes us an ideal partner for both startups and enterprises. Our in-house project managers, developers, and designers confidently deliver all types of web application projects on time. Here are more reasons to hire us;
Fig: Reason to choose Mindbowser for web app development
Responsive web design vs. progressive web app is a perpetual debate. Almost all user-centric and e-commerce websites and companies are adopting PWAs and RWAs. To reach up to the side that wins this debate is difficult. Just like the two sides of a coin, both these technologies have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Both the technologies have the dynamic characters you need to figure out which technology will work best for you and your customers.
Launch Faster with Low Cost: Master GTM with Pre-built Solutions in Our Webinar!
Register Today!
Mindbowser and team are professional, talented and very responsive. They got us through a challenging situation with our IOT product successfully. They will be our go to dev team going forward.
Founder, Cascada
Amazing team to work with. Very responsive and very skilled in both front and backend engineering. Looking forward to our next project together.
Co-Founder, Emerge
The team is great to work with. Very professional, on task, and efficient.
Founder, PeriopMD
I can not express enough how pleased we are with the whole team. From the first call and meeting, they took our vision and ran with it. Communication was easy and everyone was flexible to our schedule. I’m excited to...
Founder, Seeke
Mindbowser has truly been foundational in my journey from concept to design and onto that final launch phase.
CEO, KickSnap
We had very close go live timeline and MindBowser team got us live a month before.
CEO, BuyNow WorldWide
If you want a team of great developers, I recommend them for the next project.
Founder, Teach Reach
Mindbowser built both iOS and Android apps for Mindworks, that have stood the test of time. 5 years later they still function quite beautifully. Their team always met their objectives and I'm very happy with the end result. Thank you!
Founder, Mindworks
Our CISO was extremely impressed by Mindbowser’s work. It is pretty rare to see this kind of clean security report so early in the company’s journey. Huge Thank you for the disciplined approach here.
Founder, TrestleIQ
Mindbowser has delivered a much better quality product than our previous tech vendors. Our product is stable and passed Well Architected Framework Review from AWS.
CEO, PurpleAnt
The flexibility and capacity of the Mindbower staff has been impressive.
CEO, ProofPilot
I am happy to share that we got USD 10k in cloud credits courtesy of our friends at Mindbowser. Thank you Pravin and Ayush, this means a lot to us.
CTO, Shortlist
Mindbowser is one of the reasons that our app is successful. These guys have been a great team.
Founder & CEO, MangoMirror
Kudos for all your hard work and diligence on the Telehealth platform project. You made it possible.
CEO, ThriveHealth
Mindbowser helped us build an awesome iOS app to bring balance to people’s lives.
CEO, SMILINGMIND
They were a very responsive team! Extremely easy to communicate and work with!
Founder & CEO, TotTech
We’ve had very little-to-no hiccups at all—it’s been a really pleasurable experience.
Co-Founder, TEAM8s
Mindbowser was very helpful with explaining the development process and started quickly on the project.
Executive Director of Product Development, Innovation Lab
The greatest benefit we got from Mindbowser is the expertise. Their team has developed apps in all different industries with all types of social proofs.
Co-Founder, Vesica
Mindbowser is professional, efficient and thorough.
Consultant, XPRIZE
Very committed, they create beautiful apps and are very benevolent. They have brilliant Ideas.
Founder, S.T.A.R.S of Wellness
MindBowser was great; they listened to us a lot and helped us hone in on the actual idea of the app. They had put together fantastic wireframes for us.
Co-Founder, Flat Earth
Ayush was responsive and paired me with the best team member possible, to complete my complex vision and project. Could not be happier.
Founder, Child Life On Call
As a founder of a budding start-up, it has been a great experience working with Mindbower Inc under Ayush's leadership for our online digital platform design and development activity.
Founder, Courtyardly
The team from Mindbowser stayed on task, asked the right questions, and completed the required tasks in a timely fashion! Strong work team!
CEO, SDOH2Health LLC
Mindbowser was easy to work with and hit the ground running, immediately feeling like part of our team.
CEO, Stealth Startup
Mindbowser was an excellent partner in developing my fitness app. They were patient, attentive, & understood my business needs. The end product exceeded my expectations. Thrilled to share it globally.
Owner, Phalanx
Mindbowser's expertise in tech, process & mobile development made them our choice for our app. The team was dedicated to the process & delivered high-quality features on time. They also gave valuable industry advice. Highly recommend them for app development...
Co-Founder, Fox&Fork
