Website or app: which does your business need?

People often come to me asking for an app when what they need is a good website, and now and then the other way round. The choice decides most of the cost, so it’s worth five minutes.

Three options, not two

1. A website. Tells people who you are and gets them to call, book or buy. Found through Google and AI search. Nothing to install.
2. A web app. Runs in the browser like a website, but people sign in and do things: track something, manage something, see their own data. One build covers iPhone, Android and laptops.
3. A native app. Downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. It lives on the home screen and can use everything the phone offers.

You need a website if…

• People find you by searching (“landscaper in Meath”, “dentist near me”).
• What you want is enquiries, bookings or sales.
• Customers deal with you now and then, not every day.

That covers most local businesses and trades. An app wouldn’t help them: nobody installs an app to get a patio quote. A fast website that ranks and makes contact easy will.

You need a web app if…

• People need to sign in and keep their own information.
• They’ll use it on phones and laptops.
• You want to test an idea before paying for two native apps.

NuaIrish is a web app for this reason. People tracking their citizenship application use it on their phones and on their laptops, it needs no install, and Google can index its public pages.

You need a native app if…

• People will use it every day, or several times a day.
• It needs the phone itself: notifications that matter, the camera, background audio, widgets, or deep system features. Nana Says No locks other apps at bedtime, which only a native app can do.
• You want to charge a subscription in the App Store or Google Play.

Four questions that decide it

1. How often will people use it? Monthly means a website. Daily means an app.
2. How do people find you? Search means a website comes first, whatever else you build.
3. Does it need anything only an app can do? If not, a web app is cheaper and reaches everyone.
4. What’s the budget? A website takes about 2 weeks. A first version of an app takes about 4.

Most businesses end up with both

If you do build an app, you still need a website. It’s how people find the app, read about it, and get help. Every one of my apps has its own site for exactly that reason.

Not sure which one you need? Send me a paragraph about your business and I’ll tell you honestly, even if the answer is the cheaper one. More on website development and app development.