Website, web app, PWA or native mobile app? The answer depends on the product's purpose, offline need, device function, budget and frequency of use. This quiz will help you make the right decision - with specific cost estimates.
This is one of the most frequently asked questions by startup founders and business owners planning a digital product. "I need an app". - we hear it regularly. But half the time, after a few questions, it turns out that a properly built website or web application (PWA) will do just fine - and is 3-5 times cheaper than a native mobile app.
A wrong decision at this stage costs companies tens of thousands and months of delay. This quiz analyzes your business goal, need for offline operation, required device features and budget - and identifies the optimal technology path.
There are four main approaches to digital product in the market. Each has a different application, cost and lead time:
Product type | Cost of implementation | Lead time | Offline | App Store | Push notifications | Ideal for |
Website | 5-50k PLN | 2-8 weeks | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Company presentation, blog, landing page |
Web application (SPA) | 20-150k PLN | 2-5 months. | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Dashboards, B2B tools, customer panels |
PWA (Progressive Web App). | 25-120k PLN | 2-5 months. | Partial | Optional | ✓ (Android) | Stores, tools with mobile UX |
iOS/Android native application | 80-500k PLN | 4-12 months. | ✓ Full | ✓ | ✓ | Daily interaction, mobile sales |
Cross-platform (React Native / Flutter). | 50-300k PLN | 3-9 months. | ✓ Full | ✓ | ✓ | Startups with limited budgets for two platforms |
- The main purpose is to present the company, products or services
- Don't plan features that require user accounts, payments or real-time data
- Budget less than PLN 30,000
- You want to be visible on Google - SEO is your main channel for customer acquisition
- Content is at the center, and user interaction is limited
- Users log in, have their accounts and private details
- You need a dashboard, admin panel or online tool
- You don't need access to the phone's hardware (GPS, camera, NFC, sensors)
- PWA instead of native app - if you care about mobile UX without publishing to the App Store
- Your users use your product every day - a mobile app increases engagement
- Need access to device features: GPS, camera, Bluetooth, NFC, accelerometer
- Application must run offline or in low connectivity mode
- Your industry requires an App Store presence (trust, visibility, reviews)
- React Native or Flutter - when you need iOS and Android apps on one budget
The primary purpose determines which technology will serve you best.
Need help with technology selection? Schedule a free consultation with our team.
Your needs are well served by a professional website. Instead of investing in building an app, focus your budget on quality design, good information architecture and SEO. A website built with Next.js + Headless CMS will be scalable if your needs grow in the future.
You need a product with business logic, but you don't need to go into the App Store. A web app is often the best compromise - accessible from the browser (zero installation), can be added to the phone's home screen and works on all operating systems. The cost is 2-4x less than a native mobile app.
Your product requires deep device integration or daily user engagement. Consider React Native or Flutter - you can build a single app that runs on iOS and Android, reducing cost and lead time by ~40% compared to building two separate native apps.
A website is primarily content: text, graphics, videos - you read and browse. A web application is an interactive product: you log in, create data, manage processes. The boundary is sometimes fluid - an online store, for example, is a little bit website, a little bit application.
A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a website that behaves like a mobile app: it works offline, can be installed on the home screen, and sends push notifications. A PWA costs 50-70% less than a native app and does not require publication in the App Store. Limitations: no access to all iOS features (Apple intentionally limits PWA capabilities).
A simple MVP of a cross-platform mobile app (React Native) costs in the range of PLN 50,000-150,000. A full-fledged native app for iOS and Android - PLN 200,000-500,000+. In addition to the cost of implementation, plan 15-25% of this amount per year for maintenance, updates and support.
It's almost always better to start with a minimal version - an MVP. For most startups launching an idea, we recommend first a landing page or a simple web app (even with limited functionality), collecting the first users and data, and only then building a full mobile app based on real feedback.
React Native - if your team is familiar with JavaScript/TypeScript or you want to share code with a web app built in React. Flutter (Dart) - if you want the highest UI performance and consistent design on iOS and Android. Both solutions are mature and used by large companies.
Yes - if it is publicly available (does not require a login to view). Applications that require login (SaaS, customer panels) are not indexed by Google, which is desirable in most cases for security reasons. Landing page and app marketing should be optimized for SEO.
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