Being mobile has become as much of a necessity as being online was a few years ago. With the number of people using their smartphones as their primary means of searching for information, making purchases, and using services growing year after year, having a mobile-friendly approach is a must. Currently, there are two paths businesses can take – native apps or web apps. While going native has many advantages, like the more extended use of security APIs and a deeper integration with the operating system, web apps also have their strong points that make them an alternative to consider in many cases.
Cross-platform
One of the most important advantages of browser-based apps is their cross-platform compatibility. Given the fact that they do not rely on the operating system at all, they can run on virtually any device – desktop, mobile, or otherwise – with a web browser. And if you argue that web apps can never be as secure as a native app, think again. The Euro Palace mobile routinely handles real money transactions for its players. The designers behind the Euro Palace opted for the mobile browser-based approach for lack of a better alternative but they managed to create an application worthy of attention. It doesn’t just include the more than 150 games in the Euro Palace library but it also handles deposits and withdrawals and takes care of the personal information of its users – all this while running in a web browser window.
Cost-effective development
While the front end of a browser-based mobile app has to undergo extensive testing for compatibility, the back end – where all the action happens – has to be built only once. There is no need to test the app on various operating system versions and hardware configurations. With all the processes being taken care of on the server-side, updating and troubleshooting a web app is far easier. Besides, updates don’t have to be pushed out either (they can be annoying for the user). Instead, all fixes and upgrades are rolled out in one place, which can cut the costs seriously.
Installation
Installation becomes far easier when using a web-based application approach. Users will simply need to navigate to the web address that hosts the service, log on with their credentials, and start using the service right away. Deploying updates also becomes far easier with web apps – they need to be applied once to the server, and there is no risk of some users refusing updates or turning them off completely, thus raising their risk of being breached.
Easier to scale
Once a back end is built, adding new functions becomes far easier than in the case of a native app. Besides, if the new functions require more processing power, it’s the server alone that needs to be upgraded. As workload increases, the number of servers can be increased pretty quickly, and at a relatively low cost for the provider.
