Native App vs Web App
A native app is installed from an app store and built specifically for a device, giving it full access to hardware like the camera or precise timing. A web app runs in a browser with no install, making it instantly reachable on any device. Native trades reach for capability; web trades capability for reach.
Why does native vs web matter when hiring a studio?
The choice affects cost, timeline, and what the product can even do. Native apps can use device hardware and work offline but require app-store review and per-platform work. Web apps reach anyone with a browser instantly but have less direct hardware access. Picking wrong is expensive to reverse.
At Nabee, native mobile apps start from $25,000 and web builds from $4,500, with one fixed number set after scoping. Because we build both in-house, the recommendation is based on your product's needs rather than on which one a vendor happens to specialize in.
A concrete example
Metro X is native on iOS and Android because a metronome needs precise timing and tight hardware access — its "Visual Rhythm + SYNC" depends on it. Toree, a booking platform, is a web product because instant, install-free access on any device is exactly what a booking flow wants. The same studio built both, each in the form that fit the job rather than the other way around.
What about a hybrid or progressive web app?
There are middle options. A responsive web app can be made installable and can work partly offline, giving some of a native app's convenience without the app stores. Hybrid frameworks aim to share one codebase across platforms. These can be sensible when reach matters more than squeezing out maximum device performance, but they involve real trade-offs in speed and hardware access. The right answer comes from the product's actual demands — which is exactly what a scoping pass is for, so you commit to a direction with clear eyes rather than switching approaches expensively later.
Related terms
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, a native app or a web app?
- Web builds start from $4,500 and native apps from $25,000 at Nabee, so web is generally less expensive — but the right choice depends on what the product must do.
- Can a web app work on phones?
- Yes. A responsive web app works well on phones through the browser; it just is not installed from an app store like a native app.
- When do I actually need a native app?
- When the product needs precise hardware access, offline use, or app-store presence — as with Metro X's timing-critical features. Otherwise web often serves better.