July 16, 2026 · 7 min read
In short: a native app installs from the store (App Store, Google Play), is built for iOS and Android and has full access to device features. A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a website that behaves like an app: it opens in the browser, can be installed to the home screen without going through a store and works offline too. Native gives the best performance; a PWA costs less, reaches everyone and updates itself.
| Criterion | Native app | PWA |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Apple and Google stores | Direct link, no store |
| Typical cost | from €3,000 | from €1,500 |
| Hardware access | Full (NFC, Bluetooth, sensors) | Limited |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes (with caching) |
| Push notifications | Full | Yes, limited on iOS |
| Updates | Through the store | Automatic and instant |
A PWA is the right call when the goal is to reach as many people as possible on a modest budget. There is no store download, so it removes the initial friction, and a single project covers desktop, iOS and Android. It is perfect for catalogs, booking portals, customer areas and content-driven services. In practice it is a website built to advanced standards: fast, installable and usable even without a connection.
A native app is worth the extra investment when you need high performance, heavy use of the hardware (camera, NFC, motion sensors), reliable push notifications even on iOS, or complex offline behavior. That covers games, field tools, apps that handle large volumes of local data, or apps that need to appear in the stores for brand credibility.
When in doubt, our advice is to start with a PWA and move to native only if a real limit appears. Dig into the numbers in our guide on how much it costs to build an app, see our app development service and custom software development, or tell us about your project for honest advice.