Difference between a progressive web app and a hybrid mobile app

Question

Can someone tell me the differences between a Hybrid Mobile App and a Progressive Web App and their advantages?

Answer 1

Hybrid App - It is a native app which also uses web technologies (html/js/css) for code reuse and ease of development. The app needs to downloaded from App store. Developer cannot push the change immediately as there is a 'cycle' for the app review by the appstore, etc.

Progressive Web App - Web application which uses the latest technologies in HTML5 and provides a rich user experience and capabilities. Supports offline mode (like regular apps). Code push is easy. Best part is, you don't need a separate development and deployment process for iOS, Android, and Desktop.

Answer 2

A hybrid mobile app usually refers to an application built using a combination of web and native technology that is distributed via a native app store. These apps go through Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc's app store review process.

A Progressive Web App is an application built using web technology that runs in the browser and may be added to the home screen. They do not need to be distributed via native app stores, but can be included in them. Microsoft includes PWAs in its Microsoft Store as of 2018 and Trusted Web Activities make it easier to submit PWAs to the Google Play Store.

Some hybrid mobile app platforms include PhoneGap (aka Cordova), Appcelerator Titanium, and Ionic. You don't need a platform to create a hybrid app, but they are helpful because they've already taken care of creating a bridge between native APIs and JavaScript APIs.

Progressive Web Apps simply run in the browser so they can be built with basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Answer 3

Web App Web App stored on a remote server and delivered over the internet through browser. Web apps are not real apps; they are really websites that, in many ways, look and feel like native applications. They are run by a browser and typically written in HTML5. Users first access them as they would access any web page: they navigate to a special URL and then have the option of “installing” them on their home screen by creating a bookmark to that page.

Hybrid Apps Hybrid Apps are like native apps, run on the device, and are written with web technologies (HTML5, CSS and JavaScript). Hybrid apps run inside a native container, and leverage the device’s browser engine (but not the browser) to render the HTML and process the JavaScript locally. A web-to-native abstraction layer enables access to device capabilities that are not accessible in Mobile Web applications, such as the accelerometer, camera and local storage. Often, companies build hybrid apps as wrappers for an existing web page; in that way, they hope to get a presence in the app store, without spending significant effort for developing a different app. Hybrid apps are also popular because they allow cross-platform development: that is, the same HTML code components can be reused on different mobile operating systems, reducing significantly the development costs. Tools such as Cordova/PhoneGap and Sencha Touch allow people to design and code across platforms, using the power of HTML

Answer 4

Hybrid Mobile Applications. Hybrid development combines the best (or worst) of both the native and HTML5 worlds. We define hybrid as a web app, primarily built using HTML5 and JavaScript, that is then wrapped inside a thin native container that provides access to native platform features.

Progressive Web Apps are experiences that combine the best of the web and the best of apps. They are useful to users from the very first visit in a browser tab, no install required. As the user progressively builds a relationship with the app over time, it becomes more and more powerful. It loads quickly, even on flaky networks, sends relevant push notifications, has an icon on the home screen, and loads as a top-level, full screen experience.

Some of the hybrid mobile app platforms are WaveMaker, Mendix and quickbase.

I personally like WaveMaker for building hybrid apps and web apps.

Answer 5

Progressive Web Apps: Until recently mobile web apps lacked a lot of the functionality of native mobile apps like the ability to send push notifications, work offline, and load on the homescreen, but there have been a few improvements to browsers and web apps that offer these features. Apps that take advantage of these features are called progressive web apps.

Are progressive web apps the way to go? It depends what your goal is. They only work on Google Chrome which is fairly limiting. If your goal is to cover an audience on Android and iOS, then progressive web apps are probably not for you. In that sense, they are not a substitute for a mobile app but they can be a way to quickly get a mobile-app-like web app into people’s hands. If you were considering converting your web app into a progressive web app, consider instead using a solution like Canvas to make your web app into a mobile app. It’s really easy!

Web app: web app “is an application that is accessed via a web browser over a network such as the Internet.” So how is this different than a web site?

The difference is subjective, but most would agree that a web site will generally just be informational and a web app provides functionality. For example, Wikipedia is a website; it provides information. Facebook is a web app.

Don’t let the word “app” confuse you though. Web apps don’t need to be downloaded like mobile apps do. Web apps load in browsers like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox and they don’t take up any memory or storage on the user’s device.

How are they built? The vast majority are built in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5. Unlike a mobile iOS or Android app, there is no software development kit (SDK) for a developer to work with. There are templates and frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.js you can use to get a quick start. As opposed to mobile apps, developing a web app can be simple and quick, however, their simplicity is also their downside. It’s often a good way to test out an idea before investing in a mobile app.

Hybrid App: If a native app and a web app got married and had a kid, it would be a hybrid app. You install it like a native app but it’s actually a web app on the inside. Hybrid apps, like web apps, are built with Javascript, HTML, and CSS and run in something called Webview, a simplified browser within your app.

Why should you consider hybrid? Say you have an idea for an app and you don’t know if people will like it or not. Your goal is to put something usable into their hands as quickly as possible. In the startup world, this is called an MVP, or minimum viable product. You’re short on resources so you need to create the a simple version of your product that still provides value. Building a web app might be the truly minimal option, but won’t really allow you to test whether people will download and use an app on their device.

Refrence: https://www.mobiloud.com/blog/native-web-or-hybrid-apps/

Answer 6

A progressive web app is more or less a website only which can be added to the home screen of our mobile and can be run like an app (with full screen view) and gives a native look and feel. So the user can have a mobile app like experience without using much memory.

A hybrid mobile app on the other hand is just another mobile app but with a different development technique. It is developed using a single code (like in react native using javascript or typescript) and then deployed to different env. like app store and play store. Unlike native apps which are developed individually on every platform we need to deploy on, hybrid apps are developed once and can be deployed on multiple env.