Difference between web development and app development

Difference between web development and app development

Difference between web development and app development

The word “Digitalization” has stormed the world in the last two decades. It has opened new ways of doing business. Businesses traditionally use cards, banners, and registers to maintain/advertise their products and services.  In the last decade, the need for websites and mobile applications has achieved significant importance in the business world.

Everything is going online, so why don’t you? Get your professional website and highly customization mobile application designed by Systaff just according to your business needs. In this blog, we’ll discuss the major differences between web development and app development.

The main objective will be to bring light to what makes these development fields much more demanding as compared to others. Sit back and see where you fall in terms of knowledge regarding the aforementioned development fields.

Are They Same?

One of the biggest misconceptions about web and development is that people think they’re the same. Thanks to Google Chrome that has made it easy for us to access the web version from our phone. It should be noted that they’re different.

The app development results in a mobile app that can be used by installing it on your smartphone. Whereas the web development results in a proper website that can be accessed from anywhere using a web browser such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, etc.

Besides this, both applications are designed and deployed differently. The websites are developed fluidly and they’re normally categorized into static and responsive websites.

Static websites are rarely updated while responsive websites adapt quickly to changing screen layouts. On the other hand, there are also different versions of mobile apps for Android and iOS users.

Web Development vs App Development:

Web development and app development both have a different purpose and are used for different purposes. This means, they’re different and have their own grounds to streamline business processes.  Here are the major differences between Web and app development:

·        Cost:

In a recent survey, it’s highlighted that web development is less expensive as compared to mobile app development including iOS and Android. Mobile development is just specific to a single platform either iOS/Android or maybe both depending on the client’s requirement. In the website development field, you just need to pay for domain and hosting services.

 On the other hand, there are more complexities in web development as you’ve to deal with both front and back end development everything from design to deployment. Therefore, you need different resources for different inter-related tasks. In mobile app development, you need to pay for the developer license fee in the app store.

·        Skills:

Web developers are considered for web development projects and app development, you may need to ask an android or iOS developer for assistance. For app development, you need to learn Java and XML for Android while Swipe, Kotlin, and Objective for iOS development.

 Notably, the web developer needs to master several languages to develop a highly customizable website. Different languages such as JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, etc are used for backend and frontend development.

·        Database Connectivity:

Data storing mechanism is different in both development platforms. In web development, you need to connect your project with MySQL database or any other database such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Postgre SQL, IBM DB2, MongoDB, etc. You need to write a proper programming code or integrate an API to store data.

In app­-development, there is a built-in database that allows you to store a limited amount of data entered by the users. However, there is always an option of connecting your app development project with an external database such as Firebase, Realm, SQLite, Mongo DB, Amazon DynamoDB, etc.

·        Audience Difference:

The dimensions and interests of both audiences are quite different. Web development has a great audience because web applications are easily accessible to people on the internet. They just need to type in the URL of the website to visit it. There is no restriction on device compatibility.

Whereas in app development, you can only target an audience having smartphones or tablets. The end-users need to download mobile applications from the App stores either free or by paying a download fee. They’ll then have to install it on their phone.

Languages used in Website Development:

Developers use programming languages depending on their comfort and understanding. If you want to be an experienced web developer, learn any of the following languages:

·        HTML:

HTML plays a vital role in front-end development. Developers use this language to design the layout and structure of a particular website. Start with HTML if you want to learn web development.

·        CSS:

This programming language is used to style websites. Developers use this language to focus on website presentation, color, background, font size, sidebars, and others. You can use this language with HTML to complete front-end tasks.

·        Javascript:

Javascript is used to add interactive elements during the website development process.  The elements can help in increasing visitor engagement.

·        Python:

Python is easy to use and understand programming language for creating a customizable framework for any website. The simple syntax and templates just make the life of developers easy. Pinterest and Instagram are currently utilizing this language.

·        SQL:

For computing a large amount of data, developers need to master SQL databases. Developers use this database query language with other programming languages to extract user data from the website.

·        PHP:

PHP is used when customers need websites that perform multiple complex tasks at the same time. Several website development platforms such as WordPress and Joomla use this language to maintain their data.

·        .Net:

It is a platform that can be used to develop cross-platform applications using built-in programming guidelines.  Developers use this framework with C++, VB.NET, and C# to make use of a huge collection of predefined class libraries.

·        Angular:

It’s a type-script-based open-source front-end development platform having built-in templates, tools, and guidelines for easy website development.  Developers use this to develop applications to be used on different platforms.

Languages used in App Development:

For becoming a top-rated mobile application developer, you need to master the following programming languages:

·        React Native (Javascript):

Most app developers use React Native to develop highly customized and beautiful mobile applications. Previously, developers have to use different platforms and devices to create an application for Android and iOS. This framework helps you to develop applications that can operate on both platforms at the same time.

·        Kotlin:

Kotlin is used with Java to develop high-performing and efficient apps. The framework helps you to write code and develop the syntax of a project. Kotlin is versatile and an easy version of Java.

·        Objective-C:

Objective-C is only used to develop apps for iOS users. Apple recommends the use of this language for developing scalable apps. It’s an object-oriented and general-purpose programming language that offers a small talk-style feature.

·        Swift:

Just like Objective-C, swift is used to develop apps for Apple products. The built-in features in this language make it easy for you to write code. This language is used for Apple products such as its Latest APIs, Cocoa Touch, and Cocoa.

Positive & Negative Points About Web Development:

Here in this section, you’ll find the pros and cons of web development. It’ll help you to elaborate on why you should choose and why you shouldn’t choose web development over app development.


  • The web development community is quite cooperative as web developers solve the problem of other fellow programmers every day. You might see millions of developers sharing their experience on a well-known online open-source platform “Stack Overflow.”
  • This field offers countless opportunities to developers and it’s expanding rapidly.
  • IT professionals learn basic programming languages such as HTML and CSS to develop customizable web apps.
  • People can’t download or install web apps from app stores such as Apple App Store and Google Play Store. There is a free download link available online to install web applications on a PC or laptop.


  • Knowledge is key to success. You need to stay updated with the latest trends.
  • It’s quite difficult for web developers to deal with clients who don’t know about websites. The reason is that the responsibilities of front-end and back-end developers are quite different. And most clients want front-end developers to perform back-end development.

Positive & Negative Point About App Development:

The app development field is, no doubt, vast and is expanding day by day. Every year, countless graduates choose this field over other development fields because of certain reasons. In this section, we’ll elaborate on reasons for choosing app development over web development:


  • Customers believe app development is a budget-friendly option to choose from for their businesses.
  • This field offers more technical resources, thus, you’ll require the right expertise to utilize all resources effectively and efficiently.
  • App development platforms have built-in features that can perform your hours-long task in a few minutes. Therefore, it’s time savior development field.
  • Like web development, Stack Overflow also solves the queries of countless app developers every day.


  • As customers or users need to install an app directly on their phone, there is always the danger of data privacy breaches.
  • In web development, you can develop applications of your choice with customizable configuration while limited features in app development won’t give you enough rights to control every dimension of the development process.
  • For a minor change, you need to open the entire project in a particular platform and read through all files to make changes according.


App development and web development are emerging IT fields that post more opportunities to young graduates. Here in this blog, we’ve highlighted the major difference between an app and web development along with Pros and Cons at the end.

Following this, Systaff will always feel pleasure in offering you its great app and web development services. Besides this, we also offer complete digital marketing services to businesses for registering more sales and revenue. For now, it’s over; stay tuned for more informational blogs.