App, web app or website: which do you need?
You want something built, but you are not sure whether it should be an app, a web app or a website. The difference is in what your customers do with it. Here is what each can do, what it costs and how to choose.
Updated 6 November 2026
Short answer
- People need to find you and get in touch
- A website
- Customers log in and get things done
- A web app
- Customers use it often on their phone
- An app
- Not sure yet?
- Start with a design
What is the difference?
In short: a website tells, a web app does something, and an app lives on your phone.
- A website shows who you are and what you do. Visitors read, look and get in touch. Think of a hairdresser's or a lawyer's site.
- A web app is software in your browser. Users log in and get things done: booking, ordering, planning or keeping records. Think of a client portal or a planning tool. A web app works on every phone and computer, without the App Store.
- An app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. It sits on your home screen, can send notifications and can work without internet. Think of your bank's app or your gym's.
The lines are not sharp. A website can include a bit of web app, such as a booking form. And you can put a web app on your home screen too.
A web app on your home screen
On an iPhone or Android phone you can add a web app to your home screen. It then opens without an address bar, almost like an app. Such a web app is also called a PWA, a progressive web app.
Since iOS 16.4, such a web app can also send notifications on the iPhone, once it is on the home screen. But not everything works. Bluetooth and NFC don't work from the browser on the iPhone. And you are not in the App Store, so people won't find you there.
What to look at
These six questions usually decide it.
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How do people find you?
Through Google? Then you need a website, or a web app with public pages. People usually only download an app once they already know you.
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How often do they use it?
Sorting something out once suits a website or web app. Every week or every day? Then an app on the home screen is handy.
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What does the phone need to do?
Bluetooth, NFC, or using location while the app is closed? Only an app does that well, especially on the iPhone.
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Do people need to log in?
Just giving information works with a website. If customers or staff log in to get things done, you need a web app or an app.
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Do you sell inside the app?
If you sell digital things, like a subscription, through the App Store or Google Play, Apple and Google usually keep 15%. Services outside the app, like a haircut or a lesson, are paid as usual, for example with iDEAL. With a web app you pay Apple and Google nothing.
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What is your budget?
With us a website starts at €2,500, a web app at €7,500 and an app for iPhone and Android at €10,000. An app also needs an Apple account: 99 dollars a year.
How to choose
A website
- People need to find you through Google.
- You want to show what you do.
- Visitors get in touch or ask for a quote.
- Nobody needs to log in.
A web app
- Customers or staff log in.
- They book, order, plan or keep track of something.
- It has to work on phone and computer.
- You don't want to depend on the App Store.
An app
- Customers use it often, on their phone.
- You want to be on their home screen, without explaining how.
- You use Bluetooth, NFC or location in the background.
- You want to be found in the App Store and Google Play.
Still not sure?
Start with a clickable design. You see how it looks and works, and together we decide whether it becomes an app or a web app.
See it first, then decide.
You don't have to build a complete app straight away. Start with a design, and pay for the build per demo.
More about an app design Tap through an example Ask for an app design-
App design
Your app's main screens, clickable on your own phone. So you know exactly what you'll get before you decide. If you don't like the design after two rounds of changes, you get your money back. Test it with users or show it to investors. If we build the app within six months, we deduct the design from the price.
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Pay per demo
Apps, web apps and MVPs are paid per demo: after the demo of each part, you pay for that part. So you only pay for what you've seen. You may stop after any demo, and you take the code with you.
All prices exclude VAT.
Questions about app, web app or website
Question not listed? Email info@swivra.nl
What is the difference between an app and a website?
You view a website in your browser. It tells who you are and what you do, and people find it through Google. You download an app from the App Store or Google Play. It sits on your phone, can send notifications and can do more with your phone, like using Bluetooth and NFC.
What is a web app?
Software you use in your browser, without downloading anything. You log in and get something done, like booking, planning or keeping your records. A web app works on every phone and computer.
What is a PWA?
A PWA, or progressive web app, is a web app you can add to your home screen. It then opens like an app. Since iOS 16.4 it can also send notifications on the iPhone. A PWA is usually not in the App Store.
Can a web app become an app later?
Yes. If we build your web app with React, we can reuse the backend and part of the code for an app with React Native. So you don't start from scratch. There is extra work, though: the phone screens and publishing in the stores.
Which is cheaper: an app or a web app?
Usually a web app. With us a web app starts at €7,500 and an app for iPhone and Android at €10,000. An app also needs accounts with Apple and Google, and has to keep up with new versions of iOS and Android every year.
Sources
The prices are Swivra's. You can check the rest here. All viewed on 6 November 2026.
Still not sure what you need?
Tell us what your customers need to do. We will tell you what fits: a website, a web app or an app. You hear from us within 1 working day.