App Should Have Been a Website (and Probably Your Game Too)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Native mobile apps are often smoother, more powerful, and better integrated with device features, but many argue that a large share of today’s “apps” could and should just be websites or progressive web apps (PWAs). Commenters weigh trade-offs between performance, offline support, OS APIs, and tooling on one side, and cross‑platform reach, easier distribution, lower maintenance costs, and user control (e.g. ad blocking, avoiding app‑store lock‑in) on the other. Web technologies like WebGL, WebGPU, and PWAs are seen as increasingly viable—especially for simpler apps and casual games—but limitations on iOS, monetization challenges, and weaker discovery keep native apps dominant in many cases.

Native vs Web: Performance & Capabilities

  • Some argue a well-implemented native app is always superior: better performance, lower resource use, smoother UI, more direct access to OS features (Bluetooth, background GPS, contacts, sensors, richer notifications, AR, etc.).
  • Others counter that for many use cases the web is “fast enough,” and the ability to run anywhere outweighs a 2x performance gain on a single platform.
  • Web limitations discussed: incomplete access to iOS APIs, weak background/location support, patchy WebBluetooth/WebUSB/WebGPU/WebCodecs, service-worker complexity, keyboard/viewport quirks on mobile, and stricter storage/caching limits on iOS.

Distribution, Discovery & User Behavior

  • Strong consensus that distribution/discovery is often more important than tech: app stores are powerful channels.
  • Many non-technical users expect “apps” to be in app stores and do not think in terms of URLs or browsers; some barely use Safari/Chrome.
  • Homescreen icons and app presence increase retention and “stickiness” versus a bookmark or tab.
  • Some developers are pressured into native apps purely for visibility, despite thin UX justification.

PWAs and Platform Politics

  • PWAs can: work offline (service workers), send push notifications, be added to home screens, and often feel app-like.
  • Android and desktop browsers offer install prompts and store listing for PWAs; on iOS, installation is possible but hidden behind a multi-step “Add to Home Screen” flow.
  • iOS limitations (WebKit-only engines, constrained APIs, notification rules, past moves to disable EU PWAs) are widely viewed as deliberate friction to keep developers in the native/app-store funnel.

Games: Web vs Native

  • Skeptics say WebGL/WebGPU are far from native for complex/AAA games: tight memory/asset budgets, weaker tooling, single-queue WebGPU, missing features, and browser overhead.
  • Others note modern web tech plus WASM can handle casual/2D and some 3D games well; distribution is trivial and multi-platform by default.
  • Studios report web ports as marginal revenue with worse metrics than mobile; entrenched mobile UA/analytics stacks and Unity’s ecosystem reinforce native dominance.
  • Monetization on web is challenging (ad-driven, “lootbox” criticism) compared to app-store IAP/ads.

Efficiency & Developer Experience

  • Many complain about bloated web apps (Electron/SPAs) that are slow, RAM-hungry, and battery-intensive versus lean native UIs (Qt/QML, SwiftUI, Compose).
  • Others emphasize that poorly designed native apps exist too; quality of engineering and design matters more than platform.
  • Native toolkits are praised for strong dev experience in some ecosystems; others find the web simpler to iterate and deploy.

Privacy, Control & Longevity

  • Apps are seen as better for tracking and advertising: richer data, harder-to-block ads, in-app browsers that can inject tracking JS.
  • Web lets users block ads, customize, and sometimes archive or self-host; but sites can change or vanish without recourse.
  • Native binaries can often be sideloaded or preserved and run for years, but they still depend on backends and evolving OSes.

Business & Cost Considerations

  • App stores charge 15–30% and annual fees but handle VAT, refunds, and distribution.
  • Web apps incur hosting, database, and bot-hardening costs; some devs report total cost exceeding their older native-only setups.
  • Solo devs and small teams often prefer a single responsive web app over parallel iOS/Android codebases, citing maintenance burden and slower feature delivery when supporting three frontends.