Does Your Business Need a Mobile App or Just a Website?
Apps are powerful but expensive. Before you invest, learn when a mobile app makes sense and when a great website is the better choice.
The short answer
Most small and medium businesses don't need a mobile app. A fast, well-built website does the job for 90% of use cases, at a fraction of the cost. But there are genuine cases where an app is the right call — and it's worth knowing which is which before you spend.
When a website is the better choice
If your customers need to find you, learn about you, contact you, or book with you — a website does all of that, and it works on every device without an install. It's discoverable through Google. It's shareable via a link. For a garage, a gallery, a pub, a counsellor — a website is almost always the right answer.
When an app genuinely earns its place
Apps shine when you need features the web can't do well: push notifications, offline access, deep hardware integration (camera, GPS, Bluetooth), or a frequently-used daily tool. If your customers open something every single day — a workout tracker, a field data tool, a delivery workflow — an app can be worth it.
The cost reality
A good business website might cost £2,000–£5,000. A native mobile app, done properly for iOS and Android, typically starts at £10,000 and goes up from there. You're also paying for ongoing app store fees, updates, and maintenance. It's a serious investment, so the use case needs to justify it.
The middle ground: a PWA
A Progressive Web App is a website that can be 'installed' on a phone, works offline to a degree, and can send some notifications. For many businesses, it gives app-like feel without the app price tag. We can build this into your website if the use case fits.
Our honest advice
If you're not sure, start with a great website. If, six months in, you have a clear, repeated need that the website can't meet — then talk to us about an app. We'd rather you spend £3,000 on a site that works than £15,000 on an app nobody opens.