Mobile application
Mobile application is a software program built to run on smartphones and tablets, installed from an app store or accessed through a browser. It can be native (platform-specific), cross-platform (one codebase for iOS and Android), or a Progressive Web App delivered over the web without installation.
Native, cross-platform or PWA: the three approaches
A mobile application can be built three ways, and the choice shapes cost, performance and access to device features.
- Native: written specifically for one operating system, in Swift or Objective-C for iOS and in Kotlin or Java for Android. It offers the best performance and the most complete access to hardware (camera, sensors, Bluetooth, biometrics) but requires maintaining two separate codebases.
- Cross-platform: a single codebase compiled or rendered for both iOS and Android, using frameworks such as React Native or Flutter. It reduces duplicated development and speeds up parity between platforms, with near-native performance for most business use cases.
- Progressive Web App (PWA): a web application that runs in the browser but behaves like an installed app. It supports offline use through service workers, a home-screen icon and push notifications, with no app-store submission required. Device API access is more limited than native.
How to choose the right approach
The decision depends on performance needs, the device features you must reach, distribution constraints and the budget for long-term maintenance. The table below summarises the trade-offs.
| Criterion | Native | Cross-platform | PWA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codebases | One per OS | Single shared | Single shared |
| Performance | Highest | High | Good (browser-bound) |
| Device API access | Full | Broad | Limited |
| Distribution | App stores | App stores | URL / install prompt |
| Offline support | Yes | Yes | Yes (service workers) |
| Typical cost | Highest | Moderate | Lowest |
As a guideline: choose native when you need maximum performance or deep hardware integration (AR, intensive graphics, low-latency sensors); choose cross-platform when you want both stores covered from one team with strong feature parity; choose a PWA when fast reach, low friction and no installation matter more than full device access.
Questions fréquentes
A mobile website is a responsive site loaded in a browser, while a mobile application is software designed for the device itself. Native and cross-platform apps are installed from an app store, whereas a PWA bridges the two by running in the browser yet supporting offline use and a home-screen icon. Apps generally offer deeper device integration than a standard mobile website.
For most business applications, cross-platform frameworks like React Native and Flutter deliver performance close to native while sharing one codebase across iOS and Android. Native still has the edge for graphics-heavy, real-time or hardware-intensive use cases. The right choice depends on the specific feature requirements and the maintenance budget rather than a single universal answer.
No. A PWA is accessed through a URL and can be added to the home screen directly from the browser, avoiding the App Store and Google Play submission and review process. This lowers distribution friction and speeds up updates, but it also means a PWA has more limited access to certain device features compared with installed native or cross-platform apps.
With a native approach you maintain two distinct codebases, one for iOS and one for Android. Cross-platform development lets a single shared codebase target both operating systems, reducing duplicated work and helping keep features in parity. A PWA serves both platforms at once from one web codebase, with no platform-specific build required.
Have a mobile app project? We help you choose the right technical approach and build it.
See our mobile app expertiseDéfinitions liées