Web app vs Cloud app:  What are the Differences and Benefits of Each

web application development

From individuals to large scale businesses and multinational organizations, we are unlikely to come across anyone not using apps. This incredibly powerful and useful tool have made life productive and easier for both individual customers as well as businesses. As far as online customers are concerned, they can do almost anything under the sun with the help of an app. And for businesses, data shows that well-designed apps help a business grow sales, augment customer engagement, help in collection of vital data, and optimizes business processes. 

Coming to web apps and cloud apps, the line between the two remains blurry as ever. Some people use them interchangeably, though there’s very distinct differences between them.  Data shows that over 95% of businesses have developed and deployed web apps. On the other hand, Forbes states that over 80% of the organizations have a multi-cloud strategy already laid out. It is estimated that by 2025, more than 85% workload will shift to the cloud. 

It is therefore important for businesses to hire the services of a good web app development company that can develop web apps for increasing sales and brand reach. 

Despite many similarities, there are noteworthy differences between a cloud app and a web app. To better understand the differences and benefits of each, let’s have a closer look at both a cloud and a web app.

What are Web Apps?

A web app is designed entirely for a web browser. To put it in simple terms, a web app requires a web browser and a net connection to perform the intended tasks over the internet. Web apps are developed using a server-side script like PHP, and a client-side script like HTML. 

The Benefits of Web Apps

There are many important benefits of using web apps. Some of the more significant are mentioned as following:

•    Web apps can be accessed from anywhere with the help of a web browser. 

•    Web apps developed by a good web application development company possess cross-platform compatibility. It means they can run on multiple platforms irrespective of the operating system or the device being used. 

•    Web apps are easier to develop and maintain. They do not need much support from the developer’s end, nor do they require much maintenance from the end user’s computer. 

•    Web apps need not be downloaded. It means they can be used without the need for downloading the app. Also, it means they will not take up hard disk space. 

•    Web apps can be updated and maintained without the need for reinstalling them every time they are updated.  

What are Cloud Apps?

There are many experts who claim that cloud apps are nothing but evolved version of web apps. There’s an element of truth in it as cloud apps like web apps can be accessed over the internet, but unlike web apps they are not exclusively dependent on web browsers to function. 

Read More: Why Is Gojek Clone App Development Beneficial For Your Business?

Defining characteristics of cloud apps are as following:

•    Data is stored remotely in a cloud or cloud-like infrastructure.

•    Data is cached locally to support full-offline mode

•    Cloud apps can support different user requirements such as data backup, data compression, security, etc through customization.

•    They offer a wider range of services such as backup, on-demand computing, storage, etc, to cater to user’s needs. 

The Benefits of Cloud Apps

Cloud aps can be used without the need for installation on the hard drive. 

It’s a cost-effective option for businesses as they need to pay only for the services used. They need not buy the software, but only pay for the consumed resources. 

Cloud apps provide computing capabilities in both online as well as offline mode.

The usage of resources can be tracked, monitored and controlled. It results in higher level of transparency both for the end users as well as service providers. 

One of the best features of cloud computing is scalability. Businesses can easily get additional bandwidth, memory, processing power and storage to name a few to cope up with higher demand. 

A good provider of cloud development services can help your business streamline work processes and enhance profitability by designing and developing for you a customized cloud app that can help you offer customized services to your clients. 

Conclusion

To sum it up, there’s a subtle difference between cloud apps and web apps. All cloud apps are web apps in the sense that they can be used through web browsers; however, not all web apps are cloud apps. It is often seen that unscrupulous web app development companies often sell web apps as cloud apps for the simple reason that cloud is currently one of the biggest buzz-word technology. However, it is important to understand that web apps fall short of cloud apps when it comes to r functionality and customization.