A progressive web app is a website that behaves more like an installed app: it can be added to a home screen, work offline and send notifications. Whether that is worth building depends almost entirely on how often people return.
A progressive web app is a website with additional capabilities: installable to a home screen, able to work offline through caching, and able to send push notifications on supported platforms. It is worth building when people use your site repeatedly, and rarely worth it for a brochure site people visit once.
What makes a site a PWA
- A service worker, which caches assets and allows offline behaviour.
- A web app manifest, which defines the name, icon and how it launches when installed.
- Served over https, which is required.
- Responsive and fast, since an installed app that feels slow is worse than a bookmark.
PWA, website or native app
| Website | PWA | Native app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build cost | Lowest | Moderate | Highest |
| Works offline | No | Yes | Yes |
| Home screen install | No | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications | No | Yes, with platform limits | Yes |
| App store presence | No | Limited | Yes |
| Device features | Limited | More, still limited | Full |
| Update process | Instant | Instant | Store review |
The middle column is the appeal: much of what an app offers, without a store submission or a separate codebase.
When it is worth it
- People return frequently. Home screen installation only helps if there is a reason to come back.
- Connectivity is unreliable for your users, making offline access genuinely useful.
- Notifications would be welcome rather than annoying.
- A native app is not justified but you want some of its behaviour.
- Speed on repeat visits matters, since cached assets load very fast.
When it is not
A brochure site that people visit once before calling you gains nothing from a service worker. Nobody installs a plumber's website to their home screen.
Service workers also add a genuine failure mode: an aggressively cached site can serve stale content after an update, and diagnosing that is unpleasant. Do not take on that complexity without a reason.
Platform limitations
Support has improved considerably and is not uniform. Notification support and install behaviour differ between platforms, and iOS has historically been more restrictive than Android.
Check current support for the specific capabilities you are relying on before committing, since planning around a feature your audience's devices do not support is an expensive discovery.
Frequently asked questions
What is a progressive web app?
A website with app-like capabilities: installable to a home screen, able to work offline through caching, and able to send push notifications on supported platforms. It runs in the browser rather than being installed from an app store.
Is a PWA better than a native app?
Cheaper and faster to build and update, with no store review. A native app has fuller access to device features and a stronger store presence. For many businesses a PWA covers what they actually need at a fraction of the cost.
Do I need a PWA for my business website?
Probably not, if people visit once and then contact you. PWAs pay off when users return frequently. A brochure site gains almost nothing from offline caching and takes on real complexity.
Do PWAs work on iPhone?
Yes, with more restrictions than on Android. Support has improved but notification and install behaviour differ between platforms. Check current support for the specific features you plan to depend on.
Does a PWA help SEO?
Not directly. PWAs are usually fast, and speed is part of page experience. The service worker itself is not a ranking factor, and a poorly configured one that serves stale content can cause problems.