Apps vs. the Web

Pull the iPhone out of your pocket and look at the home screen. Likely, you’re seeing some

well known brands on the web: Facebook, Flickr, and Google to name just a few. You’ll

also see companies like Amazon, Target, and Walmart which sell a lot of products via the

web.

Like you, these sites and companies know how to build an effective website using the latest and greatest web technologies. The

iPhone’s Safari browser also supports HTML5 markup with CSS3 styling and is

powered by a fast JavaScript engine. So why is there a proliferation of apps instead of web

pages that can do the same thing?

New data from app analytics provider Flurry released today states that native app usage on smartphones is continuing to grow at the expense of the mobile web. The company claims that users are now spending 2

hours and 42 minutes per day on mobile devices as of March 2014, up from 2 hours, 38 minutes as of a year

ago. Meanwhile, mobile app usage accounts for 2 hours and 19 minutes of that time spent, while mobile web

usage has dropped from 20% of the U.S. consumer’s time in 2013 to just 14% – or 22 minutes per day – as of last month. Says Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf, the changes

indicate that the mobile browser has become just “a single application swimming in a sea of apps.”

Facebook, combined with Twitter (1.5%) and Social Messaging apps (9.5%) grew to 28% of time spent on mobile, up from 24% last

year, indicating the broader shift from socializing on Facebook to sharing within

smaller, more private messaging applications.

When it comes to deciding whether to build a native app or a mobile website, the most

appropriate choice really depends on your end goals. If you are developing an

interactive game an app is probably going to be your best option. But if your goal is to offer mobile-friendly content to the widest possible audience then a mobile website is probably

the way to go. In some cases you may decide you need both a mobile website and a mobile

app, but it’s pretty safe to say that it rarely makes sense to build an app without already

having a mobile website in place.

Generally speaking, a mobile website should be considered your first step in developing a

mobile web presence, whereas an app is useful for developing an application for a very

specific purpose that cannot be effectively accomplished via a web browser.

Meanwhile, new social category YouTube accounted for 4% of time spent.

Entertainment (including YouTube) and Utility apps saw their shares remain the same at 8% each, year-over-year, while productivity apps

doubled their share from 2% to 4%.

This is best suited if your app will offer micro-purchases, which our low price point products or services within the app, like buying virtual goods, membership to the premium version of the app or access to additional content.

This is best suited if your app will offer micro-purchases, which our low price point products or services within the app, like buying virtual goods, membership to the premium version of the app or access to additional content.