Start from the customer, not from the tool
The useful question is not «which costs less» but «how does the customer reach me and what must they do». If the customer finds you on Google and wants to know what you do, how much it costs and how to contact you, you need a website. If they must use a feature every day (book, collect points, follow an order), you may need an app.
When a website is enough
- People find you by searching on Google: a website can be indexed, while an app inside a store is much harder to find.
- The content is to be read and consulted: services, prices, who you are, where you are, how to contact you.
- Use is occasional: visitors come once or a few times, not every week.
- You want to work everywhere, on every phone and computer, with nothing to install.
- You have little time and a measured budget: a website starts at €1,350 and can be ready in 1-2 weeks.
When an app makes sense
- Use is frequent and recurring: bookings, loyalty cards, subscriptions, repeat orders.
- You need phone features: push notifications, camera, location, offline mode.
- There is an ongoing relationship with user accounts and personal data, like a members' area used often.
- You want to be on the customer's phone screen, one tap away, and reach them with notifications.
- The service does not live on Google searches: customers already come to you, and the app is there to retain them.
The most common mistakes
- Building an app because it «looks modern»: if nobody has a reason to install it, it will stay without users.
- Thinking the app replaces the website: people who do not know you do not download an app, they search on Google. A website, even a small one, is almost always needed.
- Duplicating the website inside an app: same content, no extra feature. It is cost without benefit.
- Forgetting the ongoing costs: an app must be updated with the operating systems, and store accounts have costs and deadlines (see publishing costs).
- Choosing too early: many businesses start with a website and add the app once recurring use is proven.
The costs compared
With our packages the starting costs are these (prices are public and fixed):
- Website: from €1,350 to €7,200, depending on whether you need 5 pages, a blog with content management or an online shop. See fixed-price website.
- iPhone app: from €4,500 to €19,500. See fixed-price iOS app.
- Android app: from €4,200 to €18,600. See fixed-price Android app.
- Having the app on both systems means two apps (or a single codebase, with the pros and cons explained in native or cross-platform).
Four examples (made up)
- Physiotherapy practice: patients find it on Google, read about the treatments and phone. A website, even a small one, is what it needs.
- Gym with bookable classes: members book several times a week and want a reminder. An app makes sense, with a showcase website to find new members.
- Handmade ceramics shop: it wants to sell to customers who do not know it. It needs a website with a cart; the app only if customers come back often.
- Home delivery service: repeat orders, real-time status, saved payment. It is the typical app case, backed by a website to be found.
A path that often works
For many businesses the most sensible sequence is: a website that explains well what you do and gets found, a few months of data on what customers search for and ask, and only then, if recurring use emerges, an app that simplifies it. That way the app is born from a proven need, not from a guess.
If you want an order of magnitude for your case, the quote calculator gives you the recommended tier, price and timeline in two minutes, without leaving your email.