We have all used mobile apps and some web apps. Most users will find it difficult to differentiate between a mobile app and a web app on a mobile device as they perform equally well in the eyes of a consumer. However, there is a significant difference between mobile apps and web apps from a technical perspective. Mobile apps are designed specifically for smaller devices and require installation. They do not work on desktops. Web apps, on the other hand, work on all devices but may have inconsistencies when it comes to user experience. A web app requires an internet connection, whereas a mobile app does not necessarily need one.

When you think of games like Candy Crush, Temple Run, or productivity apps like Schedulers and Notes, these are mobile apps. They don’t require an internet connection, save data on your device, and connect to the internet when available.

Now, think of Google Docs, Netflix, or social media apps like Pinterest, which require an internet connection and can be used on your browser without installation. These are typically web applications.

Web App Vs Mobile App, Which is better?

A web app is ideal when you want an app that works across many devices, requires minimal security, and does not need access to device features like the camera or GPS. A mobile app is a better option when you require device access and strong security.

So, what kind of app is growing and dominating the market right now?

General Market Statistics

Media Time: Mobile apps account for 70% of digital media time, compared to web apps, which take 30%. More media time translates to more revenue for app creators.
Revenue: The revenue generated from mobile apps is expected to reach approximately $935 billion in 2024. To put this in perspective, this revenue would exceed the GDP of the country ranked 18th in the world.
Internet Traffic: Web apps account for 13% of global internet traffic. While this is not a small number, web apps are still favored by many companies due to their benefits, such as ease of development and lower costs.
User Preference: 90% of mobile users prefer mobile apps over web apps. The customized user interface, the ability to use the app without an internet connection, and personalization features make mobile apps preferable to many consumers.
Business Strategy: 85% of businesses consider mobile apps an important part of their digital strategy. While not every company needs a mobile app, it is crucial in certain industries. Without one, you might lose prospects to competitors.
Growth Rate: Mobile apps grew by 15% in 2024, compared to web apps, which grew by 8%. The popularity of mobile apps is not just among consumers but also among creators. Companies understand the need for mobile apps and the differences between mobile and web apps.
Convenience: Convenience is a key factor for user retention. Mobile apps are faster and provide a superior experience compared to web apps. In fact, 57% of users find mobile apps more convenient and faster than web apps.
Banking Apps: If you’ve ever used a banking app, you may notice that you use it more frequently than the web version. 73% of banking app users access services through mobile apps rather than the web interface, indicating a clear preference.
Developer Focus: 67% of developers focus on mobile app development, while 33% work on web apps. Mobile app development is a lucrative industry that continues to grow, with mobile devices accessible in all corners of the world.
E-commerce Sales: 65% of e-commerce sales are driven through mobile apps, while 35% come from web apps. Although an internet connection is needed for online purchases, users prefer mobile devices due to their faster interface and response times. Mobile apps generally provide a superior user experience compared to web apps, particularly in e-commerce.

Performance & User Preferences

Performance and user experience drive mobile app usage and downloads. User preferences are very important when creating a mobile app. Aligning your apps with user preferences will increase engagement and reduce uninstalls. Let’s look at some stats on performance and user preferences when comparing web apps and mobile apps.

85% of mobile app users find a mobile app faster than a web app or a mobile website. Mobile apps have the interface on the device and do not require downloading assets like logos, design, and most of the visuals you see on the screen. Apart from the dynamic data, which is retrieved from the web, everything else is stored on the device, making mobile apps much faster. On the contrary, web apps require an internet connection to load assets and data, making them slower.
Even though mobile apps are fast, users are demanding. 47% of users expect a mobile app to load within 2 seconds. This is very reasonable when you look at online data. People expect a website to load in less than 3 seconds, and every second after that results in a significant loss of traffic because users tend to hit the back button or leave the website. A mobile app should load within 2 seconds and display the first screen in that time. If the app is slow, people will find no difference between a web app and a mobile app.
Statistics show that 67% of users are more likely to make a purchase through a mobile app than a web app. Features like security and user experience play a major role in this decision.
Progressive Web Apps (PWA) fall between a mobile app and a web app. 67% of users prefer PWAs when they do not require frequent interactions.
Mobile apps that don’t perform well or have performance issues have seen 75% more uninstalls compared to 40% uninstalls on web apps with poor performance or user experience. Web apps don’t take many resources, which is one reason for their lower uninstall rates.
Just like regular websites, load time is an important factor for web apps. An app that takes longer than 3 seconds to load is often abandoned. 53% of web app users report abandoning the app if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Push notifications are an important part of the user experience and a great way to get user attention. 88% of mobile app users have seen increased engagement due to push notifications, while only 30% of web users respond to push notifications. This is a significant figure for app promoters. Push notifications work better for mobile apps in general and have also increased app retention by 50% on mobile apps compared to 30% on web apps.
45% of mobile app revenue comes from in-app purchases, while for web apps, browser-based purchases account for 20%. More people are comfortable purchasing products through mobile apps because of their easy interface and straightforward method. Web apps often replicate the process of a webpage on a website, which may take more steps and pose security issues, especially when the same device is used by multiple people.
The use of gaming apps is very common on mobile devices. Native apps provide better access to in-device components like the camera and CPU, offering a better experience and speed. Gaming apps account for 32% of mobile app installs, while 5% of web apps are gaming apps.
60% of businesses plan to invest in mobile apps in 2024 and move away from web apps. This is due to the popularity of mobile apps and their enhanced functionality.

User Engagement & Retention

Personalization is an important part of apps today. More users respond to personalized content than to general content. Mobile apps provide a better user experience, and their content is more personalized than web apps. This results in 3 times more engagement on mobile apps compared to web apps when it comes to personalized content.
The average session length or time spent on a mobile app or web app varies depending on the type of app. Mobile apps see a 5-minute average session length, while web apps are limited to 2.5 minutes per session. 88% of mobile users spend more time on mobile apps than on web apps.
When comparing retention rates (the number of days an app remains installed on a device), mobile app retention is 32% compared to 20% for web apps over a 90-day period. This indicates lower uninstall rates for mobile apps over this period.
Once installed, most users will access the app immediately. But when will they access it again? 70% of mobile app users access their app within 48 hours of install, while 50% of web users return to the app within the same period. This also contributes to mobile apps’ higher retention rate of 35% after the first week. 21% of mobile app users return to the app within a week, while 52% of web app users abandon the app after the first session, compared to 25% of mobile app users who do the same.
Conversion rates are higher on mobile apps than on web apps. The conversion rate on mobile apps is approximately 80%.

Revenue & Monetization:

35% of total eCommerce sales were contributed from web apps, while 35% of eCommerce sales come from mobile apps on smaller devices. More people access eCommerce sites through a dedicated app, and the higher number of sales from mobile apps are directly influenced by these factors. People using Amazon apps are more inclined to purchase products from the app rather than from the browser.
If you have a subscription model business, you are 25% more likely to succeed with a mobile app than a web app. Research indicates that subscription models are 25% more effective with mobile apps than web apps.
While 65% of eCommerce sales are driven by mobile apps, the revenue generated by mobile apps contributed to 80% of eCommerce sales from mobile apps compared to 20% from web apps. People may browse from a web app, but when it comes to purchases, it usually occurs from a mobile app.
Freemium models of mobile apps, which provide a free version or limited-time free access, have shown 2 times more profitability than web apps of the same type. The same model is applied on several web apps and websites, but in comparison, mobile apps perform better than web apps.
Businesses believe that they expect mobile apps to account for the majority of their sales by 2025. 90% of businesses indicate that mobile apps will generate more revenue than other sources for their businesses by 2025.

Technology & Development Trends:

PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) are expected to grow at the rate of 10% by 2026. PWAs may slowly capture the web app market, making web app growth even slower over the next few years. There will be no significant changes in the mobile app market, though.
From the developers’ point of view, many developers feel that mobile app development is more profitable than web app development. 43% of developers feel that mobile apps are more profitable than web apps.
The use of cross-platform apps and tools like Flutter and React Native has increased the mobile app market by 15%. Making an app for two different platforms was difficult previously with one code base. With Flutter and React Native, it is now possible to create cross-platform apps that work on both iOS and Android, reducing development costs for businesses. More businesses are embracing mobile apps instead of web apps. Hybrid apps have seen a growth of 35% in 2024, with more businesses opting for an app that will run seamlessly on iOS and Android with a single code base.
60% of startups want to build a mobile app before they consider a web app in 2024. Web apps are not as popular as mobile apps and are considered more of a web interface on mobile devices by businesses. Also, the lack of features and slow speed does not encourage web app development by businesses.
With advanced technologies being incorporated daily, mobile apps have started using cloud-based development like Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS for mobile app development. A significant 70% of app developers use cloud-based tools for mobile app development in 2024. Cloud-based mobile apps are also seen to increase at a rate of 18% in 2024 compared to 8% for web apps.
In terms of security, there has been a 20% increase in spending on security for mobile apps compared to 10% for web apps. Web app security depends on the browser running the app, and security is often not as big of a concern as most apps do not have access to device components.

User Acquisition & Marketing:

Marketing is an integral part post-application development, and everything from the cost of acquiring a user to how your app store is optimized plays a major role in the profitability of the app and its effectiveness.

The average cost per install is nearly double for mobile apps compared to web apps. Web apps have a lower user acquisition cost due to several reasons, including the nature of the app itself.
When it comes to marketing your mobile app organically, SEO is less effective than app store optimization. App store optimization is seen to be 25% more effective than traditional SEO.
Web apps are easier to find with SEO strategies. With the right keywords and backlinks, you could rank a web app easily. For mobile apps, you will require app store optimization to rank better on the app store. 78% of mobile apps are discovered via the app store, while 50% of web apps are found through search engines. Be sure to optimize your app store to increase mobile app installs.
The organic user growth of web apps is relatively less than that of mobile apps. Mobile apps show a 50% increase in organic user growth rate compared to web apps.
Social media apps are the best way to increase app installs. Mobile apps promoted through social media ads have a 45% higher conversion rate than web apps promoted through social media.
Mobile app ad campaigns generate a better ROI of up to 35% compared to web apps. When advertising your mobile apps, consider campaigns on mobile apps.
85% of marketers and businesses plan to invest more in mobile app marketing and advertising in 2024.
Referral programs and affiliate programs are more effective for mobile apps than web apps. A 30% increase in mobile apps through referrals compared to web apps is noteworthy.
When it comes to advertising, expect at least a 20% increase in revenue from mobile app ads in 2024. In-app advertising is a source of income for many app developers.

Industry-Specific Statistics:

Every industry is different. Some industries fare far better with a mobile app compared to others. We compared healthcare, retail, travel, and education industries, among others.

Apps in the healthcare industry have 35% more engagement on mobile apps than on web apps. Mobile apps work better for the healthcare industry.
For the retail industry, as already explained, mobile apps do far better in terms of sales and user experience. The retail app industry consists of 70% mobile apps and 30% web apps. Mobile shopping apps are used by 75% of consumers compared to 25% web app users.
Compared to web apps, enterprise mobile apps show 15% more usage in workplaces. Various factors, including usability and user experience, play a major role in enterprise intranet web apps.
Travel apps have higher user engagement compared to travel web apps, with engagement up to 20% higher on mobile apps than on web apps.
The pandemic saw a significant boom in education apps worldwide, and mobile apps have seen a significant increase. A 40% increase in mobile app usage for educational apps was noted, while only 15% of web apps in the education sector were recorded in 2024.
Mobile banking saw 50% more transactions on mobile apps compared to web apps.
Food delivery apps saw 40% more orders through mobile apps compared to web apps.
60% of the gaming revenue came from mobile apps, while 25% of gaming app revenue was from web apps. Gaming, in general, has been more focused on mobile apps due to their higher resource usage.

Usage Growth by Region:

The US is considered the most technologically advanced country. China and India, the most populous countries, have a large user base. What do the trends and usage stats say by country/region?

55% of all mobile app downloads came from the Asia-Pacific region in 2024.
45% of all eCommerce sales came from North America through mobile apps.
The increase in mobile apps in Europe was 30%, compared to a 15% increase in web app usage in 2024.
Latin America saw a 20% growth in mobile app revenue and a 10% increase in web app revenue in 2024.
In Africa, mobile apps saw a 28% increase, while web apps increased their presence by 12%.
India had 35% of retail mobile app installs for eCommerce in 2024.
Global mobile app revenue generated by China was 35% of the total global mobile app revenue, with web apps trailing at 15%. China has a large share of the mobile app market.
Western Europe saw a 15% increase in mobile apps for enterprise tools in 2024.
Southeast Asia saw a 25% growth in mobile app usage, while web app usage increased by 10%.
Mobile payments in Africa increased by 40% through mobile apps, compared to 20% via web apps.

App Usage by Devices:

90% of smartphone usage time comes from mobile apps, and 10% from browsers on a smartphone.
Tablet users spend 75% of their time on mobile apps and only 25% on web apps.
Wearable device users saw a 20% increase in mobile app downloads, while web app download growth was marked at 5%.
Web apps are mostly used on Android devices. 55% of web apps come from Android devices, and 45% from desktops.
Smart TV app downloads saw a 40% increase, with 30% of the downloads being mobile apps and 10% web apps.
80% of smartphone users prefer a mobile app to a web app being installed on their devices.
When it comes to web apps, 65% of desktop users prefer web apps.

User Satisfaction & Experience:

When it comes to user satisfaction, mobile app users reported 90% satisfaction compared to 65% of satisfied web app users.
45% of users find mobile app navigation much easier than web app navigation.
Complaints regarding slow performance are 20% lower for mobile apps than for web apps.
Voice interaction is 25% more common on mobile apps than on web apps.
When it comes to personalization, mobile apps are 15% better than web apps.
45% of eCommerce and retail mobile app users experience better checkout processes.
Customer support interaction shows that 30% of mobile app users are more satisfied than web app users.
30% of mobile users feel that mobile apps provide more security than web apps.
The likelihood of people recommending a mobile app is 70%, while it is 50% for web apps.

Mobile App vs Web App Development: Stats in Terms of Usage