PWA vs Native App in 2025

Introduction

The mobile app world in 2025 is at a interesting stage. For years, native apps performed as  top smartphone's app choice for speed, reliability, and deep device integration.New competitor has been steadily rising: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Partnership of the web with native features, PWAs are no longer just an test its transforming how businesses build, grow, and deliver digital experiences, setting the stage for a new generation of mobile app development.

Market Adoption Statistics

The PWA ecosystem is experiencing exponential growth across all sectors. In 2025, the PWA market is estimated at $2.74 billion, representing a substantial increase from $2.2 billion in 2024. Market research indicates even more aggressive adoption, the market may reach $5.23 billion in 2025 and if it will surpass $21.44 billion by 2033 then it will not surprise.

By watching growing support for PWA initiatives from big tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple, North America is on top for PWA adoption in the world, with estimates reaching $24.17 billion by 2037.

Native App Market Dominance

Native apps maintain their strong presence in mobile app market. The global mobile application market reached $330.61 billion in 2025 and continues expanding at a 21.55% CAGR

• 300+ billion app downloads projected in 2025
• Google Play Store accounts for 102.4 billion downloads while iOS App Store recorded 35.4 billion
• Global consumer spending reached $40 billion in Q2 2025

Platform Distribution Patterns

The framework landscape shows notable trends. React Native has found as the #1 non-native framework on the App Store and #2 on Google Play, with market share growing from 4.73% in 2022 to 6.75% in 2024. Flutter maintains its top position with 11.07% market share in 2024.

At Plusinfolab, we've observed these trends firsthand, helping businesses navigate the complex decision between PWA and native development based on their specific requirements and growth objectives.

Performance & User Experience

PWAs demonstrate significant performance benefits in the initial loading case. Research from TechMetric Labs in the start of 2025 shows PWAs recorded a 23% faster time-to-first-byte (TTFB) compared to native coordinates across identical product pages.

However, native apps retain excellence in below specific areas:

• GPU-accelerated interactions and animations
• High-definition and AR-driven applications
• Complex computational tasks

The performance gap is narrowing rapidly. Chrome's support for WebGPU in Q4 2024 enables PWAs to achieve near-native visual fidelity, while WebAssembly integration allows PWAs to run code at near-native speed

User Engagement Metrics

PWAs are delivering impressive engagement improvements:

• AliExpress achieved 104% more new users across all browsers
• 82% increase in iOS conversion rate
• 2X more pages visited per session
• 74% increase in time spent per session

Rakuten 24 experienced remarkable results with their PWA implementation:

• 450% increase in visitor retention rate
• 200% boost in conversion rates
• 150% increase in sales per customer

PWAs performance in offline functionality by Service Workers and advanced caching mechanisms. So Modern PWAs can:

• Store substantial data offline using IndexedDB
• Provide seamless offline-to-online synchronization
• Maintain functionality during network interruptions

Native apps offered superior offline capabilities, but the gap is closing as PWAs increased HTTP/3 adoption for reduced latency and enhanced WebRTC and WebSockets for real-time collaboration.

Cost of Development & Maintenance

PWAs offer substantial cost advantages, typically costing 30-75% less than native app development when accounting for both development and three-year maintenance costs. 

Real-world cost savings are even more dramatic. A retail client at Plusinfolab saved ~45% cost of development by choosing PWA over dual native app development, while achieving faster deployment and broader device compatibility.

PWAs provide significant ongoing cost advantages:

• Annual maintenance: ~20% of initial cost vs 25-30% for native apps
• Instant updates without app store approval
• Single codebase maintenance vs multiple platform codebases

Adoption Trends by Industry

E-commerce represents the most active PWA adoption sector, driven by instant ROI potential and user experience improvements. Mobile commerce revenue is projected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2025, with PWAs benefits increasing market share.

Notable e-commerce PWA success stories:

George.com achieved remarkable results:

• 3.8x faster average page load time
• 31% increase in conversion rate
• 2x lower bounce rate
• 20% more page views per visit

Alibaba's PWA implementation delivered:

• 76% increase in conversions across all browsers
• Improved performance on low-end devices
• Enhanced accessibility in developing markets

Media and Entertainment

Media companies utilize PWAs for content distribution and user engagement. YouTube and Flipboard have successfully implemented PWA strategies, achieving:

• Offline content access capabilities
• Seamless cross-device experiences
• Reduced bandwidth requirements

Our development team at Plusinfolab has helped numerous clients across these industries implement successful PWA strategies, consistently achieving 20-40% improvements in user engagement metrics.

Security & Privacy in 2025

PWA security has increased significantly in 2025, addressing past concerns about web-based application vulnerabilities. PWAs now mandate HTTPS protocols, ensuring encrypted data transmission and meeting enterprise security standards.

Key security improvement include:

• WebAuthn support for biometric authentication
• Token-based authorization systems
• Multi-factor authentication integration
• Content Security Policy (CSP) implementation

Common Security Vulnerabilities

PWA-specific security concerns require attention:

• Service Worker exploitation risks
• Manifest file misconfiguration
• Push notification vulnerabilities
• Client-side storage insecurity
• CORS and XSS attack vectors

Native App Security Advantages

• Deeper OS-level security integration
• Advanced encryption capabilities
• Stricter app store vetting processes
• Enhanced data protection features

Mobile app security statistics reveal concerning trends:

• 46% of organizations experienced mobile app-related breaches in the past year
• Cyberattacks on mobile applications surged by 80% in 2024
• App attacks increased to 83% in January 2025

Compliance and Regulatory Considerations

Both PWAs and native apps must address stringent 2025 compliance requirements:

• GDPR and CCPA privacy regulations
• HIPAA compliance for healthcare applications
• PCI-DSS standards for payment processing
• SOX requirements for financial services

Case Studies

Starbucks: PWA Transformation Success

Starbucks' PWA implementation demonstrates the technology's potential. The coffee giant achieved:

• 99.84% reduction in app size (from traditional app to 0.2MB PWA)
• 2x increase in daily active users
• Seamless offline ordering capabilities
• Improved performance on low-end devices

Flipkart: E-commerce PWA Pioneer

India's leading e-commerce platform Flipkart experienced significant improvements:

• 70% increase in conversions using AI-driven product recommendations
• Enhanced performance on 2G networks
• Broader market reach in emerging economies

Jumia: African Market Leadership

Jumia's PWA strategy addressed unique African market challenges:

• 33% higher conversion rate
• 50% lower bounce rate
• 12X more users versus native apps
• 5X less data usage

Enterprise Implementation: Rakuten 24

Rakuten 24's enterprise PWA deployment showcased business benefits:

• 450% increase in visitor retention
• 200% boost in conversion rates over one month
• Significant cost savings compared to dual native development

These case studies demonstrate that successful PWA implementations require strategic planning, proper technical execution, and ongoing maintenance areas where Plusinfolab's expertise proves invaluable for businesses considering PWA adoption.

Future Outlook

PWA Evolution Trajectory

The PWA landscape will continue expanding through 2027, with several key developments shaping the future:

Enhanced Device Integration: PWAs will gain access to more sophisticated APIs, including biometrics, Bluetooth, and augmented reality capabilities. Apple's gradual iOS improvements signal growing PWA support across all platforms.

AI-Powered Personalization: AI integration will become standard in PWAs by 2026, enabling:

• Predictive content recommendations
• Intelligent user interface adaptation
• Advanced natural language processing
• Real-time personalization engines

Native App Evolution

Native apps will focus on specialized capabilities that boost platform-specific advantages:

• Advanced AR/VR integration
• Deep learning and AI processing
• Complex device hardware utilization
• Platform-specific user interface optimizations

5G technology adoption will enhance both PWA and native app performance, with global 5G connections expected to exceed 4.3 billion by 2026.

Hybrid Approach Emergence

Forward-thinking businesses are adopting hybrid strategies, boost:

• PWAs for broad market reach and accessibility
• Native apps for feature-rich, engagement-driven experiences
• Cross-platform development frameworks for cost optimization

Market Predictions for 2026-2027

Industry experts predict significant shifts:

• PWA market penetration will exceed 15% of total app usage by 2027
• App store policies will become more PWA-friendly
• Cross-platform development will dominate 60% of new projects
• AI-assisted development will reduce creation timelines by 40-60%

Voice search optimization and headless architecture adoption will bring PWA evolution, while quantum computing preparations will influence security implementations across both platforms.

At Plusinfolab, we're already preparing our clients for these technological shifts, ensuring their digital strategies remain competitive and future-ready.

Conclusion

Choosing the best architecture for your unique business goals, user expectations, and technical needs is more important than choose a winner in the 2025 race of  PWA vs. Native App.