Questions to Ask When Choosing the Best Progressive Web App Builder For You

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by Lilly Thuma | Last Updated: Jun 12, 2020

Think about how many apps you use on a daily basis? For me, it is at least 10, most days probably more. You can do basically anything from an app from shopping, reading the news, sharing on social media etc. So, if your business doesn’t have an app yet, you’re already behind. But I do have some good news, building an app does not have to be as hard as you might think it is! I know it sounds like a daunting task, and a million questions may be running through your head like what coding experience do I need? How much is it going to cost? How do I decide between an iOS app and an Android app? Well, lucky for you there is a solution that will put all of these questions to rest. Build a Progressive Web App (PWA)! There are tons of PWA builders out there they will help you through the entire process and your PWA will be up and running in no time. Here are some basic questions to ask yourself when deciding what the best Progressive Web App builder for you is: What is a Progressive Web App (PWA)?  Let’s start with the basics and talk about what a Progressive Web App (PWA) is.  PWAs were officially introduced in 2015 by Google, but the idea for this concept had been circulating long before then. Basically, a PWA is an app that looks and functions like a native mobile app (AKA an app you would download from the app store), but is hosted through the web. There are many PWA benefits like not having to deal with the hassle of the app store, taking up less storage,  faster load times, and so much more. Another key feature of PWAs is they work across both iOS and Android. Meaning you can say goodbye to developing separate apps for both operating systems. So, if that sounds like something you are interested in (I don’t know why you wouldn’t be) keep reading to get answers to any questions you might have about building a PWA. What Framework Do You Want? After deciding you want to go forward with a PWA, the next question to ask yourself is what framework do you want to use? Choosing a PWA framework is critical because it lays the groundwork for the app. Some of the most popular frameworks include Ionic, Angular, React, Vue, and more. There are pros and cons to all of these frameworks and differences regarding cost, code, and ownership. What Code Are You Comfortable With? You also have to consider what coding experience you have, and how comfortable you are with it. If you are well versed in coding and want to build a PWA on your own- go for it! There are tools on Google or  Microsoft developer sites. However, if you don’t have a lot of coding experience (or you’re like me and have none) then you will benefit from finding a PWA builder. Different PWA builders offer varying levels of required code. If you have no experience coding, you will want to choose a platform that offers no code PWAs. What Tools Do You Want Access To? When deciding what PWA builder to go with, it is important to think about what tools you want access to. Some of the tools that you might consider looking at are the templates that are available or if there are tutorials to walk you through the set-up and building processes. In addition to the basic tools available to build the PWA, there are also tools to design your PWA. These are different components that you can add in such as the color theme, button options, and app layout. When choosing a PWA builder you want to make sure you are prioritizing what PWA tools are most important to you, and choose a PWA builder that checks the most boxes. What is Your Price Range?  Finally let’s talk about something a little less fun, price. While the price might not be as exciting as talking about all of the fun tech you will get to try out when building a PWA, it is still very important to consider. The price of a PWA builder can vary greatly depending on what features you have access to, how quickly you want it built, and how hands-on you will be in the process. Before choosing a PWA builder you should really think about how much you want to spend and then start by looking at PWA builders in that price range. Lumavate’s PWA platform is a no-code platform that gives marketers the power to quickly build their own PWA. There are Starter Kits available that serve as templates to build PWAs, and many different components and page elements available in the Lumavate Library. If you are interested in Lumavate as your PWA builder, create a free account!

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