Progressive Web Apps: Why 2025 Is the Year to Consider One

The Mobile App Dilemma

Every founder building a digital product faces the same question: do we need a mobile app?

The honest answer for most startups? No. What you need is a great mobile experience. And in 2025, Progressive Web Apps deliver that without the overhead of native development.

What PWAs Actually Are

A Progressive Web App is a website that behaves like an app. Users can:

• Install it on their home screen
• Use it offline
• Receive push notifications
• Access device features like camera and location

But here's the key difference: there's no App Store approval, no separate codebase, and no 30% platform fee on in-app purchases.

Why PWAs Are Winning

Development Efficiency

Building native apps for iOS and Android means maintaining two separate codebases (or using cross-platform frameworks with their own tradeoffs). A PWA is one codebase that works everywhere.

For startups with limited resources, this isn't just convenient-it's transformative. You can iterate twice as fast.

Instant Updates

Native apps require users to download updates. PWAs update automatically-your users always have the latest version.

Lower Friction

No App Store download means users can try your product immediately. The path from discovery to usage is as short as possible.

What PWAs Can't Do (Yet)

Be realistic about the limitations:

• iOS restrictions: Apple limits some PWA capabilities (though this is slowly improving)
• Complex native features: Bluetooth, NFC, and some hardware APIs aren't available
• App Store discovery: If people search for your category in app stores, they won't find you
• Background processing: Limited compared to native apps

When Native Still Makes Sense

Consider native development if:

• Your core feature requires deep hardware integration
• App Store presence is essential for your market
• You need complex offline-first functionality
• Gaming or high-performance graphics are central

Implementation Basics

Building a PWA with modern frameworks is straightforward. With Next.js, you need:

1. A manifest file: Defines app name, icons, colors
2. A service worker: Handles caching and offline functionality
3. HTTPS: Required for PWA features (standard practice anyway)

Most of this can be configured in an afternoon with tools like next-pwa.

Real-World Performance

PWAs are effectively replacing native mobile apps due to faster load times, offline capabilities, and seamless user experiences. Companies like Twitter, Pinterest, and Starbucks have seen significant improvements in engagement after launching PWAs.

The web platform has matured. For most applications, the gap between PWA and native is smaller than the gap between "launched" and "still in development."

The Practical Recommendation

If you're building an MVP or early-stage product, start with a PWA. You can always add native apps later once you've validated the concept and have resources to maintain multiple platforms.

The goal is getting to users quickly and learning from their behavior. PWAs let you do that faster, cheaper, and with less maintenance overhead.