Tips
Should Your Small Business Have an App?
Most small businesses do not need an app. A fast, mobile-friendly website covers it. An app earns its place when customers use you often, you need features a browser cannot do well, or the app itself is the product. If people deal with you once or twice a year, a website is plenty.
Start with how often people use you
An app costs more to build than a website, and it only pays off if people open it again and again. Before spending a dollar, ask whether your customers would use it every week, or whether they would open it once and forget it.
Where your business fits
An app makes sense when
- Customers interact with you often, weekly or more
- You need phone features like push notifications, offline use, or the camera
- The app itself is the product people come to you for
- Ordering, booking, or loyalty is core to how you operate
A website is probably enough when
- People visit you once or a few times a year
- You mainly need people to find you and get in touch
- Everything you would put in an app works fine in a browser
- Your budget is better spent making the website excellent
An app has to be kept up to date every time Apple and Google update their phones, whether anyone opens it or not. That upkeep costs money every month.
There is a middle ground
A modern website can already do a lot of what people assume needs an app, including installing to a home screen and sending notifications. Often that is a good first step: make the website excellent, see whether people come back, and build a full app later if they do. Our pricing page shows what each path costs.
Common questions
- How much does a small business app cost?
- More than a website, because there is more to build and maintain. Klutch builds apps on the same flat monthly model, starting around $1,600 a month during the build, then a smaller rate to keep it running after launch.
- Do I need an app or just a mobile-friendly website?
- Most businesses need a great mobile website first. Add an app only when people use you often enough that a home-screen icon and app-only features would get used. For a lot of businesses, that day never comes, and that is fine.
- What is an installable website or PWA?
- A website built so it can be added to a phone's home screen and send notifications, without going through the app stores. It covers much of what people think requires an app, for a lot less, and makes a good first step.