How Much Does Progressive Web App Development Cost?

“Does any Progressive web app development Company cost higher than any similar working firm? What affects the cost to hire dedicated web developers? Is the cost remains constant or varies? If it’s constant, then how is it possible? And if it varies, then what are the factors? Let’s find everything about the PWA.”

The concept of progressive web apps was originally proposed by Google in 2015. Over the years, it has garnered a lot of attention given its relative ease of development and ability to deliver the top-notch user experience. A progressive web app development Company banks on the latest technologies to deliver a unique blend of mobile and web apps. These websites are built on the skeleton of web technologies but still feels as hassle-free as using an application. The progressive web apps rely on the web ecosystem, community and plugins along with the relative ease of maintaining and deploying a website in the respective app stores.

Why Progressive Web Apps are Different from Other Technology?

Studies have revealed that 20% of users are lost on an average between the first time when the user comes in contact with the app and the time when the users start actually using the same. The main reason behind this is the multiple steps which are involved in this process ranging from searching for the app, downloading and installing it to the launching of the same. A progressive web app, on the other hand, allows users to start using it immediately. In this way, it eliminates all unnecessary installation and downloads which can consume your valuable time and system resources. Once the user returns to the app, they shall be prompted to install and upgrade it for enjoying a full-screen experience. A progressive web application banks on the inherent characteristics of a mobile app to improve its performance and user retention statistics without having to deal with the complications associated with maintaining a mobile application.

A progressive web app development Company helps in delivering solutions where the users are expected to return to on a frequent interval. Flipkart relies on a progressive web app – Flipkart Lite for its e-commerce platform. Before deciding on whether you require a progressive web app, native mobile application or website, businesses need to primarily analyse their target audience and their most important actions. In stark contrast to its peers, a progressive web app is compatible with all browsers. The ultimate experience delivered to users get enhanced whenever the user’s browser gets updated with brand new APIs and features.

Also Read: Top 10 Web App Development Agency

The concepts of progressive web apps can further enhance the functionality of your website if it already has an application-like interface. It can work on any device and even enhance the same progressively. This is done by taking advantage of the available features present in the browser and the user’s device. Being a website, the progressive web app can be easily found out through search engines. This comes in as a major advantage over native applications which do not have proper web searchability.

Pros and Cons of Progressive Web Apps

Advantages of Progressive Web Apps

• Progressive web apps serve as a unique blend of both web and native apps. They can be accessed online in a way similar to their native counterparts. It relies on data cached by the app on its last interaction with the internet. This makes progressive web apps accessible even in the face of limited or zero connectivity. Businesses which sale products or services via catalogues are particularly benefitted from the progressive web apps as in this case the user doesn’t need to load the page again for viewing the same. At the end of the day, this delivers a robust user experience and also helps in user retention.
• A dedicated web developer comes up with a progressive web app which can run on multiple platforms. This helps to bring down the developmental cost when compared to its native counterparts. It is pretty easy to come across JavaScript, CSS and HTML developers which helps in getting competitive rates in the market.
• While installing progressive web apps, users are not redirected towards the app store. They can be downloaded on mobile devices pretty quickly and this makes it a popular choice amongst users who do not feel comfortable working on time-taking native applications.
• Progressive web apps have a website like URLs making them both linkable and indexable. SEO techniques can also be applied to progressive web apps just like a website. This provides search engines with ready access to data concerning user behaviour. The same cannot be obtained for a native app making it difficult for developers to gain data for analysis.
  Data update process offered by its service workers makes the information available over progressive web apps extremely up-to-date.
• The progressive web apps are exposed over HTTPS protocol which prevents the connection from altering the contents or displaying confidential information. This also makes them secure from hacking attempts and viruses.
• Users can easily save the apps which they feel are beneficial along with its corresponding icon on the home screen without having to deal with all the complexities of installing an app from the app store.
• A progressive web app helps both the application and website of business follow consistent principles in terms of its content and marketing. Since both of them are developed by relying on similar coding platform, this also brings down their cost and helps with maintenance over the long run.
• Last but not the least, progressive web apps allow the sending of push notifications to your website which can benefit you exponentially.

Disadvantages of Progressive Web Apps

• Progressive web apps do not have the lengthy download process as that of the native ones. But this also causes them to miss out on a lions’ share of users who normally browse app stores in search of a potential application.
• When compared to native apps, the progressive ones are more battery consuming. They are written using high-level web code making it difficult for phones to interpret the same. Users who wish to prolong the battery life of their smartphones usually refrain from using these types of applications.
• A progressive web app is not always able to access every feature of a device making native apps the clear winner of this category. For example, the progressive web apps cannot access the near-field communication or NFC, proximity sensors, Bluetooth, advanced camera controls, ambient light, contacts, wake lock, geofencing etc.
• It is impossible to log into other applications like Instagram or Facebook using progressive web apps since the same is not supported by this technology.

Also Read: How to Hire the Best Web Developer in India?

Factors Affecting Cost Of Progressive Web Apps Development

Several factors contribute to the cost of a progressive web app. Every project is unique in terms of the complexity of its website. Variations also exist in terms of technologies used, approaches and domain knowledge of the progressive web app development Company. Irrespective of all these factors, the price of a progressive web app will hold a positive relationship with the amount of time taken in building the same. You can calculate the project cost once you have determined the key factors defining the cumulative spending on the creation of the progressive web application.

• Features and functionality of a progressive web app is a vital driver of its developmental cost. The complexity of an app is determined to a great extent by its UI/UX buttons, fields and amount of logic. Implementing certain features might seem complex whereas others are comparatively simple. Both developer’s effort and the ultimate development cost increases coupled with the requirement to use a third-party API code right from scratch.
• Next comes the requirement of customizing the visual design of the progressive web application. Everyone wants to deliver a unique web interface holding the potential of attracting more customers. However, this is a highly complex deed and can hike up your project cost. While standard elements seem like a cost-effective solution, the   GAge of graphics, icons, features and multiple screens can add up to the expense meter.
• Location of the development team can also significantly impact the cost of a progressive web application. A development team usually comprises of the Project manager, Business analyst, QA engineer, Mobile app engineer and UI/UX designer whose geographical location and experience might determine the rates. For example, the average hourly rate distribution of a senior front-end developer is lower in eastern European countries compared to North America.
• Lastly, you need to take note of the number of HTML web pages which require caching. You will have to shell out more money if your platform has a greater number of pages.

Take Away

Progressive web apps are being termed as the future of web given their profound reliability, rapid installation, fast loading, network independence and push notifications. All of these features help businesses in boosting up conversion rates by improving user engagement. Big names like Pinterest, Twitter, Flipboard and Lancôme are banking on this cutting-edge technology for delivering a high-end experience to their users. Companies wishing to deliver a fast, reliable and engaging mobile experience to end users also need to invest wholeheartedly in progressive web application development.

Hemendra Singh

My name is Hemendra Singh. I am Managing Director and co-founder of PuzzleInnovationz, a Mobile App Development Company. I am having a keen interest in the latest trends and technologies that are emerging in different domains. Being an entrepreneur in the field of IT sector, it becomes my responsibility to aid my audience with the knowledge of latest trends in the market.