Simply put, web applications are accessed on the web via your web browser. They do a lot of the things mobile apps do without utilizing some of the specific features of a mobile device.
Mobile apps are applications you access via a mobile platform. While you can load a web application on a Safari or Chrome browser on your phone, mobile applications must be accessed via an app you download through the Apple or Google Play store, depending on whether you have an Apple or Android device.
One of the benefits of web applications is that you can make changes to the app and deploy it quickly, and it will be reflected immediately on the web.
With a mobile app, if there’s a bug or a new enhancement, feature or upgrade, it has to go through a lengthy approval process by Apple and Google before a user can download the latest version of the app to get the update. To help clients save time and money, while getting the best possible solution, we try to exhaust all web application possibilities before considering a mobile option, unless there’s a requirement for a mobile app, like on-demand location or phone movement that uses the phone sensors, such as Gyroscope And Accelerometer.
At Brain Box, we work strategically with our clients to determine what type of application they need to build. We typically lean towards web applications first unless a mobile application is required.