In today’s mobile-first world, businesses face a critical decision: should they invest in a Progressive Web App (PWA) or go the traditional native mobile app route? With mobile usage accounting for over 60% of web traffic globally, this choice can significantly impact your business’s digital success, user engagement, and bottom line.
At MIB Promotions, we’ve helped businesses across Malaysia, Singapore, and Southeast Asia navigate this decision for over 12 years. Through our experience developing both PWAs and native applications, we’ve seen firsthand how the right choice can transform a business—and how the wrong one can waste valuable resources.
Progressive Web Apps represent the evolution of web technology, combining the best features of websites and mobile applications. PWAs use modern web capabilities to deliver app-like experiences directly through web browsers, without requiring users to download anything from app stores.
Key characteristics of PWAs include:
Native mobile apps are built specifically for a particular operating system (iOS or Android) using platform-specific programming languages and tools. They’re downloaded from app stores and installed directly on users’ devices.
Native apps excel in:
PWAs offer significant advantages:
Native apps require more investment:
The gap between PWAs and native apps has narrowed dramatically. Modern PWAs can achieve near-native performance while offering unique advantages like instant loading and universal accessibility across devices.
However, native apps still lead in:
Starbucks saw a 2x increase in daily active users after launching their PWA, with 99.84% of users accessing it on mobile devices.
Pinterest experienced a 60% increase in core engagements and 44% more ad revenue after transitioning to a PWA approach.
Alibaba reported 76% higher conversions across browsers with their PWA implementation.
These results demonstrate PWAs’ potential for driving real business outcomes, particularly for e-commerce and content-driven platforms.
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