What Is a Progressive Web App?

A PWA is a website that behaves like a mobile app. Users visit your URL, add it to their home screen, and the experience is app-like: offline support, push notifications, full-screen mode, fast loading.

PWAs don't require App Store approval. They update instantly when you deploy. They work on iOS (limited) and Android (full support). And they're significantly cheaper to build — if you already have a WeWeb web app, enabling PWA is a configuration change, not a rebuild.

PWA Advantages

**No App Store gatekeeping**: Deploy instantly, update without review. Critical for MVPs where you're iterating fast.

**One codebase**: Your web app is your mobile app. WeWeb supports PWA out of the box — enable it in project settings and configure a manifest.json.

**Lower distribution friction**: Users don't have to find you on the App Store, install, and grant permissions before they see value. They click a link, use the app, and add to home screen if they like it.

**Lower cost**: If you already have a WeWeb app, PWA support costs nothing extra to develop.

PWA Limitations

**iOS restrictions**: Safari on iOS has limited PWA support. Push notifications only work on iOS 16.4+ after the user explicitly adds to home screen. Biometric auth (Face ID, Touch ID) isn't available in PWAs on iOS.

**Performance ceiling**: PWAs run in a browser engine. For complex animations, video processing, or hardware-intensive features, native apps are faster.

**No App Store presence**: You can't appear in App Store search results or run App Store Ads. If your growth strategy depends on organic App Store discovery, you need a native app.

**Limited hardware access**: Camera (basic), GPS (basic). Bluetooth, NFC, ARKit, background processing — not available in PWAs.

When to Choose Native (FlutterFlow)

Build a native app when:

1. **Your audience expects an App Store app**: Consumer apps, apps for less tech-savvy users, or apps in categories (health, fitness, finance) where App Store presence builds trust.
2. **You need hardware features**: Bluetooth, NFC, offline maps, background sync, push notifications that reliably work on iOS.
3. **Performance is a product differentiator**: Real-time features, camera-heavy apps, social feeds with complex animations.
4. **App Store SEO is a channel**: Many successful apps get 30–60% of users from organic App Store search. PWAs can't participate in this channel.

Our Recommended Approach for MVPs

Start with a WeWeb web app + PWA mode enabled. This gets you:
- A functioning product in 3–4 weeks
- Mobile-friendly experience
- Shareable URL (key for early user testing)
- No App Store review friction

If after 3 months you have 500+ active users and the #1 request is "native app," build the FlutterFlow version. You'll do it with real user feedback, real data about how people use the product, and the resources that come from having a validated product.

Shipping a native app before validation is one of the most common expensive mistakes we see early-stage founders make.