# Web app vs mobile app

Concept · [Technical basics](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical)

Also called: web app, mobile app, native app, app, iOS app, Android app, app store

A web app runs in a [browser](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/web-browser) at a [web address](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/domain), on any device. A mobile app, also called a native app, is installed on a phone from an app store. Many products start as a web app because one version works everywhere.

**For example:** Customers open your booking tool by visiting a link on their phone. That is a web app. If they must download it from an app store first, it is a mobile app.

## Connects to (20)

- [Front end](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/front-end): The part of an app or website that people see and tap, running in their browser or on their phone.
- [Tech stack](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/tech-stack): The set of programming languages and tools a product is built with.
- [Deployment](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/deployment): Putting the latest version of your app onto the live servers where real users can reach it.
- [HTML5](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/html5): The current version of HTML.
- [WebAssembly](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/webassembly): A format that lets code written in languages like C, C++ or Rust run in a web browser at close to full speed.
- [Picture-in-picture](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/picture-in-picture): A feature that keeps a video playing in a small floating window while the person uses other apps or pages.
- [Human Interface Guidelines](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/human-interface-guidelines): Apple's official design guidance for apps on its platforms.
- [Mobile-first design](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/mobile-first-design): Designing for small phone screens first, then expanding the design for larger screens.
- [Haptic feedback](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/haptic-feedback): Small vibrations a device makes to confirm an action, such as a tap when a switch flips.
- [Code signing](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/code-signing): Attaching a digital signature to software so computers and app stores can confirm who made it and that it was not altered.
- [Web browser](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/web-browser): The app people use to open websites and web apps, such as Chrome or Safari.
- [Operating system](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/operating-system): The base software that runs a computer or phone, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS or Android.
- [YouVersion](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/youversion): The maker of the Bible App, a free app for reading and listening to the Bible, along with tools for churches and developers.
- [Google AI Edge Gallery](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/google-ai-edge-gallery): A free Google app for phones that downloads open AI models and runs them on the device, with no internet connection needed after download.
- [React Native](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/react-native): A framework from Meta for building iPhone and Android apps with React and JavaScript, sharing most of the code between the two.
- [Expo](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/expo): A set of tools and services for building, testing and publishing React Native apps, including cloud builds and app store submission.
- [Capacitor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/capacitor): An open-source tool that wraps a web app so it can be published as an iPhone or Android app with access to phone features.
- [Xcode](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/xcode): Apple's free app for building software for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
- [Android Studio](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/android-studio): Google's free app for building Android apps, with a code editor, phone emulators and tools for publishing.
- [Clevyr](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/clevyr): A custom software company in Oklahoma City that has worked since 2009.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/web-app-mobile-app