[2025] Explaining the Benefits and Drawbacks of Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Web app developers are constantly updating the latest web development technologies day by day to meet the ever-rising expectations of today's users. One web development technology that has transformed the web development landscape in recent years is called Progressive Web Apps (PWA).

Last time we introduced "What Is PWA? A Beginner's Guide to Progressive Web Apps."

In this article, let's look at the pros and cons of PWA from a business perspective. Everyone knows that Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) improve performance, but what else do they offer? We'll also cover the drawbacks. We hope this article helps you check whether PWA is a good fit for the application you want to build.

1. What Is a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

The term "Progressive Web Apps" was coined by Google Chrome engineer Alex Russell. He used the term to describe a new generation of web applications that load just like regular websites while taking advantage of features supported by modern browsers, such as Service Workers and the Web App Manifest. They offer user-facing capabilities such as offline use, push notifications, and other features traditionally associated only with native applications.

As a result, PWAs effectively bridge the gap between mobile apps and websites, delivering the best of both worlds. PWAs emerged at a time when users demand a polished mobile experience yet are overwhelmed by the number of apps on their devices and reluctant to install new ones.

Many major companies have already jumped on the PWA trend and released their own web applications with native-like capabilities. For example, AliExpress saw a 104% increase in conversion rate among new users. Twitter, meanwhile, saw a 65% increase in pages per session, a 75% increase in Tweets sent, and a 20% decrease in bounce rate.

The simplicity and accessibility of Progressive Web Apps (PWA) make them an excellent option for organizations considering digital transformation (DX).

2. PWA - Benefits of Progressive Web Apps

Most of the key benefits and drawbacks of PWA stem from the fact that PWA merges the convenience and reach of the web with the capabilities of native mobile apps.

2.1. Benefit of PWA #1: Offline mode

PWAs are cached by the web browser and can be used offline. This is great news for companies with a product catalog, since it lets customers browse products even without an internet connection, which can boost user engagement rates and lead to increased revenue.

2.2. Benefit of PWA #2: Improved performance

Google recommends the following: "If loading takes more than 3 seconds, 53% of users will abandon the site! And once loaded, users can view content quickly, with no janky scrolling or sluggish interface."

Because PWAs make use of what's known as a service worker (a JavaScript file that runs separately from the main browser thread and proactively controls asset caching), they can deliver far better performance than traditional web apps, with faster display speeds.

2.3. Benefit of PWA #3: No manual installation or updates needed

To use Twitter's Progressive Web App, there's no need to visit the Play Store or App Store to install anything. Users simply go to mobile.twitter.com and log in. When Twitter updates its PWA, users don't need to install anything manually — every new feature and bug fix becomes available without any manual action.

Of course, users aren't the only ones who benefit from seamless updates. Companies that release and maintain a PWA can expect fewer customer support requests from users still on an outdated version of the app, and can release updates as often as needed without frustrating users.

Benefits of PWA

2.4. Benefit of PWA #4: Platform-specific features

One important point among PWA's benefits is that it can take advantage of many platform-specific features. For example, PWAs can live on the user's home screen and deliver web push notifications that look just like regular push notifications. They can also run full-screen, change display orientation, launch with a custom splash screen, and access location data.

2.5. Benefit of PWA #5: Reduced data usage

In emerging markets such as India, Colombia, Pakistan, and South Africa, mobile data is far more expensive than in developed countries. Because PWAs are much smaller than mobile apps and make more effective use of caching, they require significantly less bandwidth than traditional web apps.

2.6. Benefit of PWA #6: No app store submission needed

Because PWAs don't depend on app stores, this is great news for small businesses and independent app developers who don't want to pay Apple's 99-dollar annual fee or Google's one-time 25-dollar fee just to publish an app. Of course, not depending on an app store also means developers are free to build whatever app they want, without being bound by Google's or Apple's app store policies and restrictions.

3. PWA - Drawbacks of Progressive Web Apps

3.1. Drawback of PWA #1: Limited iOS compatibility

Since iOS 11.3, PWAs can run on Apple devices, but compatibility with older devices isn't supported. In addition, Apple does not allow PWAs to access many important features, including Touch ID, Face ID, ARKit, Bluetooth, serial, beacon, and barometric sensors, as well as battery information.

3.2. Drawback of PWA #2: Legacy device issues

Because PWA has only been around for a few years, older mobile devices running outdated web browsers sometimes don't fully support PWAs. This issue will inevitably be resolved over time, but for some companies it can be a source of customer complaints in the meantime.

3.3. Drawback of PWA #3: Not a cure-all

While PWAs offer excellent capabilities compared to traditional web apps, they can't do everything a mobile app can. Because they're written in JavaScript, they aren't as battery-efficient as apps written in native languages such as Kotlin or Swift.

Their performance isn't as good as that of native apps, largely because JavaScript is a single-threaded programming language. At present, PWAs still can't access certain important device features, such as Bluetooth, proximity sensors, ambient light, and advanced camera controls.

Drawbacks of PWA

4. Summary

If we list out the main benefits and drawbacks of Progressive Web Apps (PWA), it's clear that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

PWA has only been around for a relatively short time (even by web technology standards), but it has already succeeded in establishing a new philosophy for building websites, and companies that want to stay relevant in the mobile era simply can't afford to ignore PWA.

Next time, we'll introduce "PWA vs. Native App: A Comparison and How to Choose."
Thank you.

Source: BrainHub (Progressive Web Apps: Advantages and Disadvantages)