The app-vs-web question never really went away. It simply changed shape as browsers improved, stores matured and product teams started balancing distribution, retention, search visibility and maintenance cost.
Questions worth asking
- When does the mobile web outperform a native app in discoverability and content reach?
- When do app capabilities or retention loops justify a heavier native investment?
- How do Progressive Web Apps change the old app-vs-web framing?
- What are the SEO, UX and maintenance implications of each route?
Suggested reading
- Mobile Web vs. Native Apps. Revisited
- The mobile highway in 2010
- Is the iPad a mobile device?
- Native applications
- HTML5 apps
This page is a thematic guide built on top of preserved legacy material and newer editorial framing.