Do you need an app, or will a web app do?

Most small businesses do not need an app store app to start with. A well built web app runs on every phone and computer, goes live the day it is finished, can be added to a home screen and can even send notifications on an iPhone. An app store app earns its extra cost when customers use it every week, it needs hardware like the camera or Bluetooth, or being in the store is part of how people find you.

What is the difference between an app and a web app?

An app store app (developers call it a native app) is downloaded from Apple's App Store or Google Play and installed on the phone. A web app is software that runs in the browser at a web address, like online banking or a booking system, with no download needed.

The line has blurred. A progressive web app, or PWA, is defined by Mozilla's developer documentation as "an app that's built using web platform technologies, but that provides a user experience like that of a platform specific app." Once installed, a PWA sits on the home screen with its own icon and opens without the browser's address bar.

So the real choice is less about how the software looks and more about how customers get it, what it needs to do, and what each route costs to run.

When does a small business actually need an app store app?

A small business needs an app store app when the app is something customers open often and expect to keep. Loyalty schemes, regular ordering, fitness and habit tracking, and tools staff use all day on the shop floor are good examples. In those cases the icon on the phone does real work.

An app store app is also the better choice when the software leans heavily on the phone itself. Scanning, working offline for long periods, Bluetooth devices, background location and contactless features are all easier, and sometimes only possible, in a native app. Apple's contactless chip is a live example: on 20 October 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority opened a consultation on NFC access on iOS , because that access is still controlled by Apple.

There is one thing an app store app cannot be, and that is a copy of your website. Apple's review guidelines say, in guideline 4.2, that an app should include "features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website" . If your idea is mostly pages of information, Apple may turn it away, and a web app is the honest answer.

What can a web app do on an iPhone now?

A web app on an iPhone can do far more than most people assume. Since iOS 16.4, WebKit announced that Home Screen web apps can send push notifications that appear on the Lock Screen, in Notification Centre and on a paired Apple Watch, just like a native app's.

There are conditions. The customer has to add the web app to their Home Screen first, from the Share menu in Safari, and the web app can only ask for notification permission after the customer taps something to request it. That extra step is the main weakness of web apps on iPhone: fewer people install them, because nothing prompts them to.

For many businesses that trade off is fine. A booking page for a salon, an ordering system for a restaurant, a client portal for an accountant or a dashboard for a warehouse is usually opened from a link, an email or a search result. Nobody needs it on their home screen for it to work. That kind of software is the core of our web app development work.

How much do the app stores charge a small business?

The app stores charge a membership fee to publish and, for digital sales, a share of the money. To publish at all, Apple charges a $99 annual membership and Google charges a US$25 one time registration fee . A web app has neither cost, only hosting.

The commission matters only if you sell digital things inside the app, like subscriptions, credits or premium features. Apple's small business scheme takes a reduced commission rate of 15% on paid apps and in app purchases for developers earning up to 1 million US dollars a year. Google changed its UK fees on 30 June 2026. For the first million dollars of earnings, Google now lists 10% plus a 5% billing fee on subscriptions, and 20% plus a 5% billing fee on other purchases from new installs .

Selling physical goods or real world services is different. Apple's guideline 3.1.3(e) says that if people buy physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app , you must use payment methods other than in app purchase, such as Apple Pay or a card. A takeaway order or a haircut booking does not pay Apple a commission.

The rules may change again. The CMA consulted on a proposed steering requirement from 30 June 2026, aimed at letting developers point customers to cheaper ways to pay outside the app, and published the responses on 14 August 2026. No final decision is listed yet, so plan on today's fees.

How long does each option take to reach customers?

A web app reaches customers the moment it goes live, and every update after that is instant. An app store app has to pass review every time it changes, which adds days to launch and to every fix.

Apple says its App Review team is typically reviewing at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours , and warns that incomplete submissions take longer. Google adds a bigger hurdle for new personal accounts: developers with personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for at least 14 days before going public.

None of that is a reason to avoid the stores. It is a reason to put the time in the plan, and to think about how quickly you need to change things once customers are using them.

A simple way to decide between an app and a web app

The quickest way to decide is to answer five questions honestly:

1. How often will customers use it? Weekly or more points to an app store app. Occasionally points to a web app.
2. Does it need the phone's hardware? Bluetooth, contactless, long offline use or background location points to native.
3. How will people find it? If they arrive from search, links and email, a web app meets them there. If you expect people to look for you in the App Store, you need to be in it.
4. What will it sell? Digital subscriptions inside the app pay store commission. Physical goods and services do not.
5. How fast must it change? Frequent updates are simpler on the web, with no review queue.

Plenty of businesses land in the middle: start with a web app, prove people use it, then build an app store app once the demand is clear. When the answers point the other way, our mobile app development service covers iOS and Android from design to launch, and we have put our own apps on both stores.

If you are not sure which side of the line your idea falls on, book a free 15 minute call and we will tell you straight, even if the answer is that you need less than you thought.

Frequently asked questions

Is a web app cheaper to build than an app store app?

A web app is usually cheaper because one version runs everywhere, while an app store app often needs testing and releasing on both iOS and Android. There are also no store fees or review delays. The gap narrows when an app store app is built with a cross platform toolkit that shares most of its code.

Can I turn my website into an app?

You can wrap a website in an app, but Apple may reject it if it adds nothing beyond the website. A better route is often to make the website an installable progressive web app, which customers can add to their home screen without a store. If you need to be in the stores, plan features that only make sense in an app.

Will customers find a web app?

Customers find a web app the same way they find a website, through search, links, social media and email. That is often easier than getting someone to search an app store and download something. A web app can also be shared with a single link.

Can I start with a web app and build an app later?

Starting with a web app and adding an app store app later is a common and sensible path. If the web app is built on a proper back end, the later app can reuse the same data, accounts and business logic. You pay for the second front end, not for the whole system twice.