Web app or native app? When each one makes sense.

A web app runs in the browser, on desktop or mobile, with nothing to install. It has user accounts, roles, payments and dashboards — it's full software that lives at a web address. A native app is downloaded from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) and built for each operating system.

In between sits the PWA (progressive web app): a web app people can "install" on their home screen, which opens full-screen like an app and can keep working on a weak connection. According to Mozilla's documentation, to be installable it needs a manifest file (name, 192 px and 512 px icons, start URL and display mode) and must be served over https.

Every platform I have live today is a web app — for example Instituto Bíblico del Sur, where students apply, pay and study from their phones, and Habit Scaling, my own subscription app. None of them went through an app store.

This is what changes the math most, and it rarely comes up in a quote. As of October 2026:

• Apple charges $99 per membership year for its Developer Program. On paid apps and in-app purchases the standard commission is 30%; for subscriptions it drops to 15% after a subscriber's first year, and the App Store Small Business Program sets it at 15% for developers earning up to $1 million a year.
• Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration fee. Its service fee in most markets is 15% on the first $1 million of yearly earnings and 30% above that; in the US, UK and some other markets Google is rolling out a new structure that combines a service fee with a separate billing fee. Check the current table before you project margins.

One important nuance: Apple's guideline 3.1.3(e) says that if your app sells physical goods or services consumed outside the app — a property tour, a dental appointment, an in-person event — you must take payment by other means such as Apple Pay or card entry, not in-app purchase. The store commission doesn't apply there.

A web app or PWA is built once and works on every device. A native app needs two versions (or a cross-platform framework that still needs per-platform work), publishing and upkeep in two stores, and a review every time you ship a change. Apple's guideline 4.2 also asks that apps include features and content that elevate them "beyond a repackaged website" — wrapping your site in an app shell isn't enough.

For reference, a custom web platform at Sistema 24 typically runs $8,000 – $25,000, depending on modules and integrations. An equivalent native app usually costs considerably more once you add the second platform, store publishing and ongoing store maintenance. Full breakdown on the pricing page.

Not everything belongs on the web, and I'd rather say so before you spend money in the wrong place. Go native when:

• The product is the app and people open it several times a day (a game, a social app, a fitness app using sensors).
• You need deep phone features: Bluetooth devices, background tracking, widgets, heavy offline processing.
• Your audience actively searches the stores and being listed there is part of your credibility.
• You've already validated the business with a web version and can afford to maintain two platforms.

A path that works well: start with a web app or PWA, prove people use it and pay for it, then invest in native only if the data justifies it.

For schools, training programs, real estate, events, clinics and service businesses, a well-built web app covers everything they need — sign-ups, payments, roles, notifications and reporting — in one version that updates instantly and can rank on Google. These projects were built for clients in Chile: Summer Ink, where exhibitors register and pay online, and Benji, a platform for school special-education teams. I work with US businesses remotely in exactly the same way.

If you're scoping a project, see how I approach custom web app development, or read how to choose a web developer before you sign anything.