Doyak TechWebsite, web app or mobile app: which does your business need?
By Martin Vera Chang, CEO, CTO and Founder.
A website tells people what you do and gets them to contact or book you. A web application lets clients or staff log in and do something themselves, like book, pay or track, in any browser. A mobile app sits on their phone’s home screen, and is worth it when people use it every week. Most small businesses should start with a website.
A website, if…
- People can’t tell what you do, or how to reach you.
- You want calls, bookings and quote requests from Google searches.
- Your booking tool, or a form, is enough for clients to book.
From $1,500 setup + $149 a month. See websites.
A web application, if…
- Clients need to log in: to book, pay a deposit, upload documents or check a status.
- Your team runs the business from a spreadsheet and needs one screen instead.
- It has to work on any computer or phone, without an app store.
From $6,500 setup + $449 a month. See web applications.
A mobile app, if…
- Customers come back often, every week or every day.
- You need the phone itself: notifications, the camera, location, tap to pay.
- Being on their home screen is worth more than a bookmark.
From $12,500 setup + $649 a month, for iPhone and Android. That’s how we built MiVia, an AI trip planner.
The quick test
| If you mostly need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| people to find you and contact you | a website |
| clients to log in and do things themselves | a web application |
| customers to use it often, on the go | a mobile app |
| your team to stop retyping between tools | an automation |
Still unsure? That’s normal. Tell us the result you want in one sentence, and we’ll tell you what to build, or not to build. Prices for each are in what a website or app costs.