What exactly is a progressive web app?

It is an app built with normal website technology that feels close to a phone app. It can be added to the home screen, can work offline if built for it, and runs on Android, iPhone and computers from one codebase.

Is PWA frontend or backend?

A PWA is the front end, the part people see and use on their phone. It still needs a backend server for orders, accounts, stock and payments, just like a store app.

Is PWA still used today?

Yes. Browser makers still support and document PWAs, and Apple added web push for Home Screen web apps in iOS 16.4. Our own Kafe Kufe customer app is a PWA.

Progressive Web App: Can It Replace Your Store App?

You want customers to order, book or check prices from their phone. A developer quotes for two store apps, one for Android and one for iPhone, plus yearly store fees. Then someone tells you a "PWA" can do the same job for less, and you don't know whether to believe it.

A progressive web app is a website that can be installed on a phone and used like an app. For many businesses it is enough, but iPhones set limits for some. This guide shows you where the line is, in plain words.

Quick answer

A PWA (progressive web app) is a website people can add to their home screen. It opens like an app and can work partly offline.

It runs on Android, iPhone and computers from one codebase, and customers don't need to download anything from a store.

On iPhone, push notifications work only after the person adds the app to the Home Screen, and only on iOS 16.4 or later.

Choose a store app if your app needs phone features a PWA can't reach on iPhone, or if you must be found by search inside the App Store.

Ask your developer to test every feature you need on a real iPhone in Safari before you decide.

What is a PWA, in plain words?

A PWA is an app built with normal website technology that gives people an experience close to a phone app. Mozilla's developer documentation (MDN) says it can be installed, can work offline and in the background, and runs on many devices from a single codebase, much like a website.

So your customer opens a link or scans a QR code, and the app loads in the browser. If they like it, they add it to the home screen, and it opens with its own icon, without the browser bar.

What a PWA can do

Be installed on the home screen. On Android, Chrome shows an install prompt when the site meets Google's install rules.

Work with weak or no internet, if the developer builds it to save pages and data on the phone.

Send notifications and show a badge count on the icon, with limits on iPhone covered below.

Update for everyone the moment you publish, with no store update for customers to download.

What a PWA still needs

A PWA is the front end: the part people see and tap on their phone. Orders, stock, payments and customer accounts still live on a server, the same as with a store app. So the back office work costs the same either way.

PWA vs native app: what is the difference for your business?

A native app is one you download from the Play Store or App Store. The table below compares the two from a business owner's side, not a developer's.

Question	Progressive web app	Store app (native)
How customers get it	Open a link or QR code, then add to home screen	Search and download from a store
Store fees to publish	None, it is a website	Apple US$99 a year, Google Play US$25 once (as of Oct 2026)
One codebase for Android, iPhone and computer	Yes	Only with a cross-platform tool
How updates reach users	Live as soon as you publish	Through the store, users must update
Works offline	Yes, if built for it	Yes, if built for it
Push notifications on iPhone	Only after Add to Home Screen, iOS 16.4+	Yes
Listed in Google Play	Possible, wrapped as an Android app	Yes
Listed in Apple App Store	A plain repackaged website is likely to be rejected	Yes

The last two rows surprise most owners. You can put a PWA in Google Play, but Apple's rules are strict about apps that are only a website.

Can a progressive web app replace a Play Store or App Store app?

For ordering, booking, catalogues, loyalty and simple staff tools, a progressive web app can often replace a store app. It falls short when you need App Store search, or iPhone features that Safari does not give to websites. The iPhone is where most limits sit.

The iPhone limits you should know

Push notifications. Apple added web push for Home Screen web apps in iOS and iPadOS 16.4, announced in February 2023. A PWA open only in a Safari tab can't send them.
Adding to the Home Screen. In Safari, the customer taps Share, then "Add to Home Screen". You need to show them how.
Saved data. WebKit, the engine behind Safari, deletes a website's saved data after seven days of Safari use without the person visiting the site. Apps added to the Home Screen keep their own counter, so this matters less once installed.
The App Store. Apple's App Review Guidelines (section 4.2) say an app must offer more than a repackaged website, or it may not be accepted.

A small practical tip: put a short "Add to Home Screen" picture guide on the page your iPhone customers see first. Many people have never opened that option in the Share menu.

If you are weighing a PWA against Android and iPhone apps for your business, you can read about The Beyond Horizon's mobile app development service for Indian businesses.

Getting a PWA into Google Play

Google's Chrome team documents a way to wrap a PWA as an Android app, called a Trusted Web Activity. The site and the app must prove they come from the same owner, and the wrapped app can then be uploaded to the Play Store. Your customers get a Play Store listing, while your team keeps one web codebase.

How much does PWA development cost compared with a store app?

A PWA is usually one build that serves Android, iPhone and computers. Two store apps need either two builds or a cross-platform tool, plus store accounts and store releases. So a PWA quote can be lower, but the gap depends on your features.

What moves PWA development cost

Number of screens and user types, such as customer, staff and admin.

How much must work offline, and what happens when the phone comes back online.

Payments, invoices and GST bills.

Notifications, and whether they must also reach iPhone users.

The admin panel and links to your billing or stock software.

Costs you avoid with a PWA

You don't need an Apple Developer Program membership unless you also want an App Store app. It costs US$99 per year as of October 2026. You also skip Google Play's one-time US$25 fee, unless you wrap the PWA for Play.

Hosting (the rented server your app lives on) is still needed in both cases, so ask for its yearly cost in the quote.

A real example: the Kafe Kufe customer app

Kafe Kufe is our own restaurant platform. Its customer app is a PWA: guests need no download, and they get the full menu with images, a cart, offline support and a loyalty login. Guests scan a QR code on the table and order directly.

For a cafe this makes sense. A guest will scan a code and order, but few will download a store app just to order one coffee.

How do you decide between a PWA and a store app?

Work through these steps with your developer before anyone writes code.

List what your customers or staff must do in the app, in plain sentences.
Mark which items need phone features, such as notifications, camera, location or Bluetooth.
Ask the developer to confirm each one works on a real iPhone in Safari, as well as on Android.
Decide if you need App Store search, or if customers will reach you by link, QR code or WhatsApp.
If most answers favour the web, start with a PWA. You can add a store app later using the same server.

Don't skip step 3. Most surprises with a PWA show up on the iPhone, after launch.

A short note before you decide

The Beyond Horizon has delivered 40+ projects, including the Kafe Kufe PWA and the Kerbcop mobile app. A PWA is often the cheaper first step, but only if your must-have features work on iPhone.

If you want to check whether a PWA is enough for your business, call or WhatsApp The Beyond Horizon on +91 75973 92744.