I want to explain what I think ‘web app’, a term I keep hearing, means:
Different from a native app downloaded from a curated ‘app store’, this term is used to describe an application that is accessed via the browser on your phone or desktop.
So what’s the difference between a web app and a website? THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. THEY CAN BE USED INTERCHANGEABLY. There’s no real difference.
People often try to differentiate the two, even developers, but unfortunately the definitions just don’t work.
The best one that could maybe work is this:
Websites: Websites are sites that are primarily informational. So whitehouse.gov and sizzler.com would be classified as a website because you go there to get information.
Web applications: These allow the user to perform actions, more like a tool. So hotmail.com is a tool, you go to send/receive email. it’s an app. So is amazon.com, where you go to buy things. If it’s a tool in some way then it’s classified as an app.
There are many problems with this differentiation: What if sizzler.com adds a tool and allows you to perform actions? Say a funny-video contest or they allow you to order online? What if whitehouse.gov allows you to register to vote? Seems like hotmail allows you to access information without sending/receiving mail when you go to look up old contacts or addresses. Is amazon an app when you buy something but a site if you’re only looking up product dimensions?
This is the best classification I could find and as you can see it doesn’t hold up.
Other groupings exist(like the usage of server-side languages vs static files), but there are huge holes to be shot through any of these as well.
The term is very useful in meetings to sound fancy but ultimately:
WEB APP == WEBSITE. *(fixed hyperbolic example, would not actually run.)
(NOTE: The terms website / web app are not terms exclusive to mobile; these terms similarly describe desktop websites / web apps.)
*UPDATE: Every developer who I’ve shown this to so far feels strongly that while it’s an extremely gray area there is indeed a difference between an app and a site. Maybe we are looking at it the wrong way; rather than grouping them, we should be placing them on a scale, from site to app, defining them based on their complexity. At some point as a website becomes more complex it becomes an app. Viewed this way, there’s no such thing as a simple web app(it’s just a website with basic functionality) and no such thing as a complex website(it’s a web application with complex functionality).
This is my larger point: if devs are arguing nuance, why are marketers attempting to distinguish between the two?
One can argue that this is just semantics, but it seems as though (non-technical)marketers’ attempts to define the technologies have overtaken the actual technology. This leads to mixed expectations in terms of budget, timing, and effectiveness. If we could simplify/clarify buzz words and focus on using technology to solve a problem, we will be able to communicate to our clients and (non-technical)team members much more effectively.