"We need an app." It's one of the most common sentences in any first meeting, usually because a competitor has one. A gym in Riyadh, a restaurant in Nasr City, a tutor in Alexandria: each one imagines their icon on the customer's home screen.
Sometimes that's exactly right. Often it's an expensive way to build something customers download once and delete a week later, because they only needed to check a menu or book a slot.
The good news is that you're no longer choosing between two options. Modern websites can install to the home screen, work offline and send notifications. Here's how to decide honestly, with the details that usually get left out, especially on iPhone.
Start with how often people use you
The most useful question isn't "app or website?" It's "how often will a customer open this?"
| How customers use you | Usually the right fit |
|---|---|
| Find you once, call or visit (clinic, law firm, real estate) | Website |
| Browse and order occasionally (restaurant, store) | Website, optionally a PWA |
| Use you several times a week (gym bookings, student platform) | PWA, or native app later |
| Use you daily with device features (delivery tracking, scanning, fitness sensors) | Native app plus a website |
People will visit a website for almost anything. They'll only give up space on their phone for something that earns it.
What a website does better
- Reach. Anyone with a link can use it immediately. No store, no download, no storage warning.
- Search. Google indexes websites, not the inside of apps. If people search for "physics teacher in Mansoura" or "dentist in Jeddah", a website is how you appear.
- Sharing. A link in WhatsApp opens straight to the right page.
- One codebase, instant updates. Fix something and everyone has the fix. No review queue, no waiting for users to update.
- Cost. One product for every device instead of two apps plus a website.
What a native app does better
- Heavy daily use. Faster to open, feels at home on the phone, and keeps people logged in.
- Deep device features. Bluetooth devices, NFC, advanced camera use, background location, health sensors.
- Reliable background work. Syncing and tasks that run when the app is closed.
- Store presence. Some customers trust "it's on the App Store" more than a link.
- Stronger screen protection. On Android, an app can block screenshots and screen recording of sensitive screens. iOS lets an app detect screen recording rather than block it outright. For course videos, see protecting course videos for what's realistic.
The middle option: a PWA
A progressive web app (PWA) is a website built to behave like an app. It adds a manifest file, which gives it a name, an icon and a full-screen mode, and a service worker, a script that can cache pages and handle notifications.
What a PWA can do
- Install to the home screen with its own icon, and open without the browser bar.
- Work offline or on a weak connection, by showing cached pages, a saved timetable or the last loaded content.
- Send push notifications, with the caveats below.
- Stay one codebase with your website, updated instantly.
Android vs iPhone: the honest differences
| Feature | Android (Chrome) | iPhone (iOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Install to home screen | Yes, and the browser can offer an install prompt | Yes, manually via Share, then Add to Home Screen. No automatic prompt |
| Offline pages | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications | Yes | iOS 16.4 or later, and only after the site is added to the Home Screen |
| Background sync | Supported | Not supported |
| Bluetooth, NFC | Supported in Chrome | Not available to websites |
| Listing in the app store | Possible in Google Play by packaging the PWA | Not really. Apple may reject apps that are just a wrapped website |
Two more details. On iPhone, the site can only ask for notification permission after the user taps something, like a "turn on reminders" button. And from iOS 26, any site added to the Home Screen opens as a web app by default, which makes the experience smoother but doesn't add new capabilities.
Cost: what each path really costs
Indicative Egyptian-market ranges, depending on scope:
| Project | Indicative range (EGP) |
|---|---|
| Company website (5–10 pages, custom) | 15,000 – 60,000 |
| Custom e-learning platform | 38,000 – 150,000+ |
| Custom platform, dashboard or booking system | 40,000 – 250,000+ |
| Mobile app (Android + iOS) | 80,000 – 400,000+ |
| Monthly maintenance | 1,000 – 8,000 / month |
Making a website installable as a PWA is usually a modest addition to the site, not a second project. A native app is a second product: two store listings, an Apple Developer Program membership (99 USD a year at the time of writing) and a one-time Google Play registration (25 USD), plus updates whenever iOS and Android change. The full breakdown is in mobile app development in Egypt: cost and stages.
If you run an education platform
Students mostly study on their phones, so this question comes up constantly. For most teachers, a responsive platform that installs as a PWA covers lessons, exams, timetables and reminders on Android, and works well on iPhone once students add it to the Home Screen.
A native app starts to make sense when you have enough daily active students to justify it, or when you need the stronger screen-recording protection that only native Android offers. Our complete guide to your own e-learning platform covers the rest.
Quick decision checklist
- Customers use us several times a week or more
- We need Bluetooth, NFC, background location or heavy camera use
- Notifications must reach every iPhone user reliably
- Being listed in the app stores matters to our customers
- We have budget for two apps plus ongoing updates
None ticked: a website. One or two: a website with PWA features. Three or more: plan a native app, with the website still in place for search and sharing.
Common mistakes
- Building an app before the website, then wondering why nobody finds it on Google.
- Submitting a website wrapped in an app shell and getting rejected by the App Store.
- Forgetting that apps need updates every year as iOS and Android change.
- Selling digital content, like courses, inside an app without checking the stores' in-app payment rules, which vary by region and change over time.
- Assuming a PWA behaves identically on iPhone and Android.
Questions people ask
What exactly is a PWA?
A website with a manifest and a service worker. It can be installed to the home screen, open full screen, work offline and send notifications, while staying one codebase with your site.
Do PWAs work on iPhone?
Yes, with limits. Users install them from the Share menu, push notifications need iOS 16.4 or later and a Home Screen install, and some features like background sync and Bluetooth aren't available.
Can a PWA be in Google Play?
Yes, a PWA can be packaged and published in Google Play. The Apple App Store is much stricter about apps that are mostly a website.
Will a website be enough for my customers?
For businesses customers visit occasionally, yes. Clinics, law firms, real estate and most restaurants are usually better served by a fast website than an app.
Can I start with a website and add an app later?
Yes, and it's often the smartest order. If the backend is built as an API from the start, the app reuses it instead of rebuilding everything.
Decide by behaviour, not by fashion
Look at how your customers actually use you today, not at what the competitor launched. Most businesses should start with a fast, bilingual website, add PWA features when repeat use grows, and build a native app when daily use and device features justify the cost.
If you'd like a second opinion on which path fits your business, you can book a meeting with us.