Web App, PWA or Native App for Your MVP?
Most MVPs can start on the web. Some need the app stores from day one. Here is what a progressive web app can and cannot do on iPhone and Android today, what the stores charge, how long review takes, and what each route costs to build.
Start with a web app if users find you through search, links or sales, work on a laptop, or you expect to change the product every week. Make it a progressive web app (PWA) when phone users need a home-screen icon and notifications: iPhones have supported web push for Home Screen web apps since iOS 16.4. Build native apps when the product depends on Bluetooth or NFC hardware, on being found in the App Store and Google Play, or on notifications reaching iPhone users who will never add a website to their Home Screen.
At minidev.pro a web MVP is $5,000, delivered in 30 days or less. Adding iOS and Android apps is +$6,000 and +15 build days, so $11,000 in total. The stores add $99 a year (Apple) and $25 once (Google Play).
The Three Options in Plain Words
- Web app. Runs in the browser at a web address, on laptops and phones. One codebase, nothing to install, and every change is live as soon as it is deployed.
- Progressive web app (PWA). A web app that people can add to their phone's home screen, where it opens in its own window like an app. A small file called a manifest gives it a name and icon, and a script called a service worker lets it receive notifications and cope with a poor connection. There is no store listing.
- Native app. An app installed from the App Store or Google Play. Ours are built with React Native, which produces both from one codebase; how that compares with Flutter is in React Native vs Flutter for an MVP.
Web App vs PWA vs Native App: Side-by-Side
| Factor | Web app | PWA | Native app (iOS and Android) |
|---|---|---|---|
| How people get it | Open a link | Open a link, then add it to the home screen | Install from the App Store or Google Play |
| Build price at minidev.pro | $5,000, 30 days or less | Not a separate line on our price list; ask on a call | +$6,000 and +15 build days: $11,000 with the web app |
| Store fees | None | None | Apple $99 a year; Google Play $25 once |
| Cut of digital sales | Card fees only (Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ per US card charge) | Card fees only | Apple 15% to 30%; Google Play 15% on subscriptions |
| Releasing a change | Live on deploy | Live on deploy | Store review; some fixes over the air |
| Notifications on iPhone | No | Yes, iOS 16.4 or later, after the user adds it to the Home Screen | Yes |
| Bluetooth and NFC hardware | Plan on native: WebKit, Safari's engine, opposes both web APIs | Same as a web app | Yes |
| How people find it | Search engines, links, ads | Same as a web app | App store search, plus your website |
Fees and platform facts checked November 2026. See Sources.
What a PWA Can and Cannot Do on iPhone
iPhone is where web apps have the most limits, so check it first.
What works today:
- Adding it to the Home Screen. Since iOS 26, "every website added to the Home Screen opens as a web app" by default, and Safari now has "zero requirements" for installability: no manifest is needed. Users can switch this off when they add a site.
- Push notifications. Since iOS and iPadOS 16.4, a web app added to the Home Screen can ask permission to send push notifications. The request has to come "in response to direct user interaction," such as tapping a button.
- Badges. Home Screen web apps can show a count on their icon through the Badging API, also since iOS 16.4.
- Keeping data. Safari's tracking prevention deletes a website's script-written storage, offline caches included, after 7 days without user interaction. The domain of a Home Screen web app is exempt from that 7-day cap.
What does not:
- Your own install prompt. The browser event web apps use to show an Install button is "non-standard and currently only implemented in Chromium-based browsers." On iPhone, users must find Add to Home Screen themselves, so your app has to show them how. Until they do, there are no notifications.
- Bluetooth and NFC. WebKit, the engine behind Safari, has taken the position "oppose" on Web Bluetooth, saying the low-level API "is insecure, has a massive privacy risk." On Web NFC, an Apple engineer wrote on WebKit's developer mailing list in 2020: "We oppose this feature and will not implement it."
- An App Store listing for a wrapped website. Apple's guideline 4.2 asks for apps that go "beyond a repackaged website," so putting the web app in a thin native shell risks rejection.
What a PWA Can Do on Android
Android is friendlier to web apps:
- Install prompts. Chromium-based browsers fire the install event, so your app can show its own Install button, and Chrome for Android also offers installation from its menu.
- Push notifications. Chrome has supported web push since version 42, with no Home Screen step.
- A Google Play listing. A Trusted Web Activity opens your web app from an Android app, and the Bubblewrap tool in Chrome's developer docs builds that app around your PWA. The app and the site must come from the same developer, which is verified with Digital Asset Links.
So a PWA can serve Android users well. iPhone users are usually the deciding factor.
App Store Fees and Commission
| Apple App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Account fee | $99 a year (Apple Developer Program) | $25, one time |
| Company accounts | D-U-N-S number required | D-U-N-S number required |
| Subscriptions sold in the app | You receive 70% in a subscriber's first year and 85% after a year of paid service | 15%. In the US, EEA and UK since June 30, 2026: a 10% service fee plus a 5% billing fee |
| Small developers | Small Business Program: 15% commission for developers with up to $1 million in proceeds the prior year, and 85% to you on subscriptions from day one | Outside the markets with the 2026 changes: 15% on the first $1 million earned each year, 30% above that |
Apple figures exclude applicable taxes. Google's 2026 structure also applies in Australia and Japan from September 30, 2026. Under it, other in-app purchases from new installs pay 20% plus the 5% billing fee.
When you must use the store's payment system. Apple's guideline 3.1.1 says that to sell features or content inside the app, such as subscriptions or premium content, "you must use in-app purchase." Three exceptions matter for MVPs:
- Physical goods and real-world services (3.1.3(e)). If people buy "physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app," you must use other payment methods, such as card entry. Marketplaces, bookings and deliveries take card payments as usual.
- Software sold to organizations (3.1.3(c)). If the app "is only sold directly by you to organizations or groups for their employees or students," those users can access what was bought elsewhere. "Consumer, single user, or family sales must use in-app purchase."
- The US storefront (3.1.1(a)). Apps on the United States storefront may include "buttons, external links, or other calls to action" that send people to buy elsewhere, such as your website.
Review Times and Updates
- Web app or PWA: a change is live when you deploy it. No review.
- Apple: "typically reviewing at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours." You can request an expedited review to fix a critical bug.
- Google Play: from "a few hours" up to seven days, "or longer in exceptional cases," and Google recommends planning "a buffer period of at least a week." New personal developer accounts must first run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days.
Native apps can take small fixes over the air (JavaScript, styling and images on React Native with Expo), but new features go through review. Users also update at their own pace, so after each release, older app versions keep talking to your backend for a while.
Discovery: How Users Find You
An app store is a distribution channel, not a marketing plan. Ask where your first 100 users will come from.
- Search, links and sales favor the web. Every page has an address you can share, put in an email and have indexed by search engines. A marketplace listing or a booking page can rank on its own. Business buyers usually arrive from a call or a link and sign up on a laptop.
- Store browsing favors native. If your users are consumers who look for apps in the App Store and Google Play, a listing there is part of the product, and ratings there build trust.
- Native still needs the web. A native-first product needs a website for ads, links and the people who will not install anything on the first visit.
Payments: Who Takes a Cut
Take a $20 monthly subscription and 100 paying subscribers in the US, before taxes:
| Where it is sold | You receive per $20 charge | 100 subscribers a month |
|---|---|---|
| Your web app, with Stripe | $20 − ($20 × 2.9% + $0.30) = $20 − $0.88 = $19.12 | $1,912 |
| iPhone app, Apple's first-year rate | $20 × 70% = $14.00 | $1,400 |
| iPhone app, Small Business Program or after a year | $20 × 85% = $17.00 | $1,700 |
| Android app, Google Play subscription | $20 × 85% = $17.00 | $1,700 |
Stripe's standard US rate for domestic cards; international cards add 1.5%. The store's cut replaces the card fee, because the store processes the payment.
At Apple's first-year rate the gap is $1,912 − $1,400 = $512 a month for 100 subscribers. That gap is one reason to sell on the web first where your product allows it. If you sell to businesses, or the product is a service delivered in the real world, the store cut may not apply at all.
Worked Example: One MVP, Two Builds
The same product both ways: sign-up and login, one core workflow, a database, Stripe checkout, a basic admin view, a landing page and production deployment. Prices from our published price list.
| Web app | Web app plus iOS and Android apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Build price | $5,000 | $5,000 + $6,000 = $11,000 |
| Build days (working days) | 20 | 20 + 15 = 35 |
| Delivery | 30 days or less | 35 ÷ 5 = 7 working weeks, then store review |
| Payment | $2,500 upfront, $2,500 on delivery | $5,500 upfront, $5,500 on delivery |
| Store fees, year one | $0 | $99 + $25 = $124 |
| Releasing a change | Deploy | Store review, or an over-the-air update for small fixes |
| In the calculator | Open the web build | Open the web plus mobile build |
The calculator shows each build as a range with a calendar timeline.
The difference is $11,000 − $5,000 = $6,000 and 15 build days, plus $124 in store fees in the first year. Our calculator puts it plainly: native apps mean "two app stores, two review processes and device testing," and "a responsive web app is usually enough to validate." For many products the sensible order is web first, then native apps once people show they want it on their phones. Native apps are priced as an add-on to the web MVP; if you add them after launch, ask for a fixed quote.
Decision Table by Product Type
| Product type | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS, dashboards, admin tools | Web app | Buyers sign up on laptops and pay on the web; see our SaaS MVP guide |
| Internal tool for one team | Web app, added to phones as a PWA | No store listing needed |
| Two-sided marketplace | Web app, PWA for phone users | Listings can rank in search; goods and services used outside the app are paid by card |
| Booking, ordering or local services | Web app or PWA | Customers arrive from links; real-world services do not use in-app purchase |
| Consumer subscription (content, coaching, tools) | Web first; native when daily phone use matters | Store cut of 15% to 30% on in-app subscriptions; US storefront apps may link to web checkout |
| Habit, social or messaging app driven by notifications | Native, after a PWA test if you like | iPhone web push needs Add to Home Screen first |
| App that talks to Bluetooth or NFC hardware | Native | WebKit opposes Web Bluetooth and Web NFC |
If your product does not fit a row, answer four questions:
- Where will your first 100 users come from? Search, links, ads or sales: web. Store browsing: native.
- Which device do they use for this job? A laptop at work: web. A phone, several times a day: PWA or native.
- Do you need something the iPhone browser cannot do? Bluetooth, NFC, or notifications for users who will not add your site to their Home Screen: native.
- How will you get paid? Cards for services, or invoices to businesses: web. Digital subscriptions bought inside an iPhone app: in-app purchase and its cut.
When We Are Not the Right Choice
If you are still testing whether anyone wants the product, you may not need a developer yet: a landing page with a waitlist, or a no-code tool, can answer that for less (see no-code vs custom MVP). We are also a poor fit for consumer mobile games, for projects that need 50 or more engineers, and if you want apps written in Swift and Kotlin or in Flutter: our mobile app MVP development is React Native, added to a web MVP.
We fit when you want a working product at a fixed price: a web MVP from $5,000 in 30 days or less, iOS and Android apps when the product needs them, and a full refund plus $2,000 if we miss the agreed timeline for reasons other than scope changes you ask for (see our terms).
Web, PWA or Native? Ask Before You Pay
On a free call we will look at where your users come from and tell you whether you need apps now. You leave with a fixed price either way.
Book a Free Call →Frequently Asked Questions
Should my MVP be a web app or a mobile app?
Start with a web app unless the product depends on something only a native app can do. A web app costs less to build, needs no store review and can change the same day. Go native when users must find you in the app stores, the app talks to Bluetooth or NFC hardware, or notifications drive the product and your iPhone users will not add a website to their Home Screen.
Can a PWA send push notifications on iPhone?
Yes, since iOS and iPadOS 16.4, but only after the user adds the web app to their Home Screen, and the permission request must come from a direct user action such as tapping a button. A website open in Safari cannot receive web push on iPhone. On Android, Chrome has supported web push since version 42, with no Home Screen step.
How much does it cost to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play?
Apple's Developer Program costs $99 a year and Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration fee. If you sell digital subscriptions inside the app, Apple keeps 30% in a subscriber's first year and 15% after that, or 15% from the start in its Small Business Program, and Google Play keeps 15%. Building the apps is the bigger cost: +$6,000 on our price list.
How long does app store review take?
Apple says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. Google says review takes from a few hours up to seven days, longer in exceptional cases, and recommends planning a buffer of at least a week. New personal Google Play accounts must also run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days first.
Can I turn my web app into a mobile app later?
Yes. On Android, a PWA can be published to Google Play by wrapping it in a Trusted Web Activity. On iPhone, Apple's guideline 4.2 asks for apps that go beyond a repackaged website, so a thin wrapper risks rejection and a real native app is the safer route. At minidev.pro, iOS and Android apps built with React Native are a +$6,000 add-on to the web MVP.
Sources
All pages checked November 2026. Store fees and rules change, sometimes by region; check the official pages before you budget.
- WebKit, Web Push for Web Apps on iOS and iPadOS (February 16, 2023: iOS 16.4, Home Screen web apps, user interaction, Badging API): webkit.org/blog/13878/web-push-for-web-apps-on-ios-and-ipados
- WebKit, WebKit Features in Safari 26.0 (September 15, 2025: every site added to the Home Screen opens as a web app, zero installability requirements): webkit.org/blog/17333/webkit-features-in-safari-26-0
- WebKit, Tracking Prevention in WebKit (7-day cap on script-writable storage, Home Screen web app exemption): webkit.org/tracking-prevention
- WebKit standards positions, Web Bluetooth (position: oppose): github.com/WebKit/standards-positions/issues/570
- webkit-dev mailing list, WebKit position on Web NFC (January 6, 2020): lists.webkit.org/pipermail/webkit-dev/2020-January/031007.html
- MDN, Installing and uninstalling web apps (Add to Home Screen on Safari for iOS, install from the menu in Chrome for Android): developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/Guides/Installing
- MDN, Trigger installation from your PWA (beforeinstallprompt is non-standard and Chromium-only): developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/How_to/Trigger_install_prompt
- web.dev, Push notifications are now supported cross-browser (Chrome 42; Safari on iOS only for Home Screen apps): web.dev/blog/push-notifications-in-all-modern-browsers
- Chrome for Developers, Trusted Web Activity overview (Digital Asset Links) and What's new for Web In Play (Bubblewrap): developer.chrome.com/docs/android/trusted-web-activity and developer.chrome.com/docs/android/trusted-web-activity/whats-new
- Apple, App Review Guidelines (3.1.1, 3.1.1(a) United States storefront, 3.1.3(c), 3.1.3(e), 4.2): developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines
- Apple, App Review (review times, expedited review): developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review
- Apple, Enrollment (99 USD annual fee, D-U-N-S number): developer.apple.com/support/enrollment
- Apple, App Store Small Business Program (15% commission, 1 million USD threshold): developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program
- Apple, Auto-renewable subscriptions (70% in the first year, 85% after a year of paid service): developer.apple.com/app-store/subscriptions
- Play Console Help, Get started with Play Console (US$25 one-time registration fee): support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435
- Play Console Help, Service fees (15% tier, subscriptions, 2026 structure for the US, EEA, UK, Australia and Japan): support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/112622
- Play Console Help, Choose a developer account type (D-U-N-S number for organizations): support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/13634885
- Play Console Help, Control when app changes are reviewed and published (a few hours to seven days, one-week buffer): support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859654
- Play Console Help, App testing requirements for new personal developer accounts (12 testers, 14 days): support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14151465
- Expo docs, EAS Update introduction (over-the-air updates for JavaScript, styling and images): docs.expo.dev/eas-update/introduction
- Stripe, Pricing (2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, +1.5% for international cards): stripe.com/pricing
- minidev.pro, MVP cost calculator price list: minidev.pro/mvp-cost-calculator
- minidev.pro, Terms of service (delivery guarantee, payment terms): minidev.pro/terms