Progressive Web Apps are the cost-effective mediums and better alternatives than the native apps. Read this blog to know what are progressive web apps and what are the major progressive web app tools to give users an enhanced customer experience.
The usage of mobile phones is increasing rapidly as many people are limiting the use of PCs. In the last five years, there has been a lot of upsurge in mobile internet use, which increased upto the rate of 63 percent last year. This increased usage is the need of users to surf a website that loads much faster and is free of any hassles and frictions.
The mobile apps are, therefore the ultimate solution for the ecommerce brands to raise their brand value. But what about the other businesses who also want to grow and exaggerate their rankings. The answer to this problem is the emergence of Progressive Web Applications.
Progressive web apps are a perfect fit for users who want a faster and more efficient app experience. And PWA meets all these needs and requirements of the users, which needs no installation and is equally great for the website owners.
WHAT ARE PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS :
The progressive web apps are similar to native-apps but the difference lies here is that these apps have more enhanced features.
The users can install the websites as apps to their devices’ home screen. These apps have unlimited potentialities such as faster loading, offline access, even in the flickering connectivity issues, background updates, and viable access to the device camera.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF PWA:
- Drive more conversions: The PWAs give the users an engaging experience that leads to higher engagement value and conversion rates. Due to the engaging UI and app-like experience, users feel more comfortable and convenient with these apps.
- Choice of leading companies: Many leading companies such as Instagram, Twitter, MS office, Uber, and Pinterest are using PWAs for providing a smoother experience to the users. They use PWAs for a variety of platforms.
- Technical profits: PWAs encompasses all the benefits of an appealing mobile and desktop user experience. They are lightweight; users can load them quickly and easily update them through Google Play Store.
- Less time consuming: PWAs are less time-consuming in terms of their development. A developer can easily create them by using a simple JAVASCRIPT code. They can easily
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS :
As we have discussed the pros of progressive web apps, they have their cons too.
The major drawback is that Apple is not permitting PWAs on iPhones even though they give competent MACOS support. Then how come these apps are meant to be limited.
See the below reasons :
1.No notification support in safari : When we talk about IOS, web apps are usually based on SAFARI. But SAFARI cannot support every bit of the functionalities that PWAs offer.
There is no notification or media support for PWAs in the background mode. Also,
SAFARI only has the limited capacity to store upto 50 MB in the device memory.
Therefore, PWA is not a good fit for media streaming IOS apps which are dependent on
the offline storage.
- PWAs could be riskier :PWA could be riskier as the app store’s guidelines usually recommend the safari’s dynamic apps rather than publishing them to the app store. In such a scenario, you cannot remove the non-compliant apps and put up with PWA.
- Permission dismissal : IOS does not permit you to install the native apps that are not present in the app store. Also, many iPhone users do not even notice that installing PWAs from the browser, and users who install the app do not put a lot of effort into establishing the apps.
WHAT ARE THE TOP PROGRESSIVE WEB APP TOOLS :
You can build Progressive Web Apps or convert any app into PWA by adding certain extra layers. Simultaneously, multiple Javascript frameworks and instruments are used to create a progressive web app with different capacities and capabilities.
The process of developing PWA consists of popularity, backing, performance, and other specifics. Also, a well- accommodated framework is required to accelerate the development of progressive web apps.
Below are some of the important frameworks of the Progressive Web Application tools :
1.React PWA library : React is one of the prominent JAVASCRIPT libraries for front-end web development. It can be used to create both Single page and multipage apps. In other words, the content loads dynamically and changes with a single page.
You can use additional JAVASCRIPT libraries such as NextJS and Gatsby JS, allowing the generation of API interactions and routing.
React is known to provide an integrated multi-device and cross-platform user experience in progressive web apps. They have great backing, and many big brands are under its veneers such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter Lite.
- Angular PWA framework: Google created this one of the oldest JAVASCRIPT frameworks. It is one of the compact and concise frameworks. Angular 5 is the very first version that supports PWA along with an angular service worker script. This script helps in developing a PWA through JSON configuration. Therefore there is no need to build PWA from a scratch point.
Note: Angular is known for its capability to retain more complex dynamic applications, but developers correct the latest versions. Therefore the apps created with the angular PWA framework are more consistent and not that much inferior.
- Ionic PWA framework: It is a framework for both the mobile apps and apps you create with HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It began in 2013, and it is still connected to the angular components. Earlier it was only suitable for the basic apps, but the scenario changes with the Iconic 4. It has a flexible tech stack to create and develop various applications.
PWA tool provides a library of over 250 built-in plugins to add native device functionality. It has two editions, one for the independent app developers and the other for developing corporate apps. The enterprise edition carries a lot more support services in terms of training and maintenance.
- Svelte framework: It is a truly reactive tool and framework specifically created to heal the shortcomings of the REACT. The stable version of SVELTE was released in 2019 and earned a lot of acclaim and reputation. This version provides a faster loading with a smaller bundle size. You can use plain CSS and CSS frameworks. It has its drawbacks, too the documentation of Svelte is less developed. Also, there is a lack of typescript support.
- Lighthouse PWA analytical tool: It is a great source tool for auditing various web applications and PWAs. This tool analyzes performance, accessibility, and Search engine optimization levels, making it easier for both the developers and specialists. The device passes an audit check for all the parameters individually.
WHY IS CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOOL IS IMPORTANT :
There are a lot of frameworks and tools available in the market for advanced web applications. But the main twist lies in selecting the framework for the PWA project, and there are many guidelines you need to consider while making the right and optimal choice.
Every tool and framework has its capabilities; every factor plays a vital role in choosing the right framework, whether it is size, interactive elements, and scalability. Also, the development team has a role and power. Their skills are also required to upgrade the app whenever possible.
The conclusion is to build a PWA mindfully and not just depend on getting a good website experience relying on dynamic network-dependent content or access to the address bar.