Website and web app are two web types that many enterprises use for their businesses. However, for small businesses that don’t have much technical knowledge, the difference between websites and web app is often little or none. This confusion often leads to difficulty and mistakes in choosing the right technology for business needs.
If you are also facing the same problem then don’t worry, this article will give you all the necessary information!
Contents
Website And Web App: General Information
Definition
A website is a collection of pages and content (text, video, picture, etc.). These pages are identified by a common domain name and published through the webserver.
The web types are also quite diverse. Some websites are public ones that anyone can access. On the other hand, there are also private ones available in the private network of an organization only.
The web app is application software that runs on a web server. Unlike computer software that can only be used after downloaded, web apps are available directly on the internet. As long as the user has a connection, they can access it.
Although operated through a web server, the web app has the same interface as a native app, thanks to its unique structure.
Examples
Many news websites like BBC News, New York Times, The People, etc use websites. In addition, some academic websites such as Wikipedia or Google Search also use this technology.
Although born after the website, you may even come across more web apps than websites these days. You may even be using a web app without noticing. Some good examples are Google Docs, Google Sheet, Facebook, etc.
Architecture
The website’s structure is quite simple. As mentioned, it is a collection of web pages and contents. The pages are written using web technology (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). The latter is the information posted on the website – photos, videos, text. All are stored in a host computer.
The web app is also built in a web programming language. However, its technology is more complex. Specifically, this application has a tiered structure.
Each application can have a different number of layers, but the most common are three. The first layer is the presentation layer, showing what the customer sees. The second layer is the layer that makes the web app look and function like a native app, this is the application layer. The third layer contains the database, also known as the storage layer.
Difference Between Website And Web App: A Closer Look
Customer interaction abilities
This is the difference that most businesses are especially interested in. The ability to interact with users is an essential factor in determining the customer experience.
The website’s interaction ability is relatively weak because of its static nature. In other words, it only provides visual and textual content. So, users can only view, read and click links on the pages. Because of this limitation, website development is quite cheap compared to web apps. However, it causes boredom so it is difficult to stimulate customer demand.
Web apps, on the other hand, are known for their diverse functions. Users can view the content, interact with and manipulate it, like filling fields in Google Forms. Experts also call this dynamic property. These features are vital in increasing the interaction between businesses and customers. As a result, the time they spend on the website also increases, companies have more time to introduce their products to customers.
Performance
As mentioned, the website has a static interface so its function does not have a high interactive ability. Customers don’t have much to do on these platforms. Thus, its performance and ability to retain customers is not high.
Speed is another factor that has a big impact on user experience. However, a website’s pace is often not as fast and stable as that of a web app, which can handle data easily without affecting loading speed.
The final factor that makes a web app perform better than a website is its appearance. It has an app-like look. For users, they will have a more convenient and fast experience with this excellent interface. And as a business, you can easily take care of your customers and stimulate their buying decision process.
Integration and scalability
In terms of integration and extensibility, the website seems to be the winner. Its simple structure is a significant advantage. Thanks to this, the web developers’ workload is much shorter. The complexity of the expansion and integration process is lower, reducing the number of resources needed for any change.
In addition, the difficulty in web app data storage also indirectly makes its expansion more inconvenient. Hosting a web application usually consumes more resources because it has a lot more components than a regular website, such as a database and back-end solution.
The development team size needs to upgrade the web app is also quite large. There should be a minimum of one project manager, one UX/UI expert, one interface layer developer, and one supporting layer builder.
Because of those factors, web app development, maintenance, and technology integration are many times more complicated than those of a website.
Which One Is Better For Your Business?
Web apps and websites have plenty of different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, you must base on many factors like business model, budget, and the like to decide which platform is more potential.
For instance, if your company doesn’t have many resources to invest in your online store, a regular eCommerce website should meet most of your needs. It has effective management systems for business owners and excellent customer shopping interfaces.
On the contrary, if your business has large enough resources, consider a web app. Especially when your company has a unique business model like delivery, food delivery, etc., a web app will be worth the investment.
A Credible Solution Providers
Currently, there are numerous web app and web solution providers on the market. Therefore, choosing one of those distributors is quite challenging.
If you are also facing the same problem, you should consider Tigren. We are confident that we will be perfect teammates.
We have dedicated and skillful developer teams, with over ten years of experience building eCommerce websites, web apps, and progressive web apps (an advanced type of web apps). Our products always acquire diversified features and excellent performance.
Besides, after a long time of cooperating with clients in different categories, we have succcessfụlly developed an optimized development process that can minimize development costs and time to market.
Bottom Line
The difference between websites and web apps is considerable. These contrasts can all have a massive impact on your business. Therefore, think carefully before deciding which type of website is right for you and who is the suitable web development agency. You should consider this based on your business model, your resources, and your customers.
Above is all information about web applications and websites. We hope it is helpful to you!
