[27 Points] Difference Between Responsive Website and Mobile App | Pros and Cons

Do you have an idea but not sure, should you develop a responsive website of a mobile app?

What is the difference betwen responsive website and mobile app?

This article is for you.

In this guide I will tell you the differece bweten responsove web and mobile app with pros and cons of each. At the end of this article, you will clear all your doubts.

Let’s begin.

Responsive Web vs. Native Apps: Which Is Better?

Mobile is the future and there is no denying the fact.  Google has confirmed that people nowadays prefer more searches on mobile than on the desktop!

So for any business to thrive today, it is imperative that they have a mobile presence. But what will it be? A mobile app or a responsive web?

In this case determining which one is better is a choice that you have to make. But to help you out, the major difference between the 2 are enlisted here.

With this knowledge you will be able to decide better about which one will be most suited for your business.

Mobile App Vs. Responsive Website

There are a few differences between the mobile app and responsive web design.

Mobile apps are special applications that are customised for different Operating Systems. That comes with exclusive codebases and Operating Services. In today’s mobile dominating world, the native mobile apps are a popular choice for most of the sites that bring to the users a top-shelf experience.

 The responsive mobile design implies that your site is to be used specifically for mobile usage. This often uses a different URL and this will feature subset of the desktop content that are apt for mobile viewing. Whatever the screen size that the user uses, thepages are going to adapt to it.

To help you better understand here is a summarization of how the 2 versions act. These are segregated under various categories for simpler comprehension.  Take a look.

Now that you know the difference between the 2, here are the Pros and Cons that you face while usingboth.

Mobile App

The mobile apps are said to be the best solution for the business mobile problems.

Now, let’s find out the pros and cons.

Going through this will also crear the difference betwen responsive website and mobile App.

Pros (Advantages) of Mobile Apps

9. Better and faster performance with lighter elements with low load times
10. Internet connection is not necessary as the app can open and function (in some cases) even without it
11. Enhanced user security which facilitates less user exposure without third party intervention
12. Improved functionality as it works in conjunction with the various tools of the smartphone which enables businesses to provide better service and user experience
13. Increased brand awareness and accessibility as it sits on the customers’ mobile stage permanently and they do not have to find the site by browsing through the internet which also boosts the exposure and accessibility of your brand

Cons (Disadvantages) of Mobile Apps

14. Designing mobile apps is tough.
15. A shoddy app can make the business look amateur.
16. This one takes more time to be created.
17. Businesses have to spend extra bucks for these.

Want to Develope Your Own Mobile App?

Android is the most popular and widely used mobile opporating system.

The development has simplified so much that you can create your own Android app even though you have some coding knowledge.

Responsive Sites

The responsive mobile websites are the erstwhile counterparts of mobile apps. But they contain some critical benefits.

Pros (Advantages) of Responsive Site

18. Easy to maintain as they use codes that are common across multiple platforms
19. Much more affordable compared with mobile apps
20. As long as they are able to run in the web browser, the responsive sites can be built for all platforms
21. Don’t call for approval from the app marketplace and can be released in any format and at anytime
22. No requirement of managing the updates regularly as the newest versions load up when the user opens the web app.
23. There are a lot of page builders like Novi HTML builder. With a simple drag and drop feature, you can create the front view of the website.

Cons (Disadvantages) of Responsive Site

23. Not so fast and functional as mobile apps
24. Difficult to navigate through the site
25. Limited scope in leveraging devise features
26. Less interactive and intuitive than native apps
27. Poor discoverability as not enlisted in app store

Wnat to Develope Your Own Website?

If you want to become a full stop developer, check what are all the skills required to become a full-stack web developer.

If you are interested in developing a website and have some knowledge of Python programming, you can create your website using popular frameworks like Django, Flask or Bottle.

Follow proper web designing pratices to create responsive website.

Which one to Choose between a Website and a Mobile App?

So both the alternative have their share of pros and cons. The experts in web development suggest that you should keep a number of things in mind including what you are thinking of achieving and your budget for deciding which one will be most suitable for your business.

Hope it is clear for you to find the difference betwen responsive website and mobile app.

Any further questions? You can ask me in the comment section.

Akshay Sharma

Akshay is a social media marketing enthusiast and has written many topics in this and related fields. He works with Mind Digital Group - an independent digital and <a href="https://www.minddigital.com/website-design/">web designing company</a> providing Offshore Web Development services in India.