Many business owners ask for a “website” when they actually need a web app, or the other way around. Knowing the difference saves you money and gets you the right tool for the job.
What is a website?
A website mainly shares information: who you are, what you offer, your work and how to contact you. Visitors read, browse and get in touch. Think of a company site, a portfolio or a landing page. Its main jobs are to rank on Google and turn visitors into enquiries.
What is a web app?
A web app lets people do things: log in, book, pay, manage data or collaborate. It runs in the browser, but behaves like software. Booking systems, client portals, dashboards and SaaS products are all web apps.
Quick comparison
- Purpose: a website informs and generates leads; a web app gets work done.
- Users: website visitors are anonymous; web app users usually have accounts.
- Data: a website shows content; a web app stores and changes data.
- Cost: our websites start from R3 500; web apps start from R30 000.
- Timeline: websites take weeks; web apps usually take a few months.
Which one do you need?
If your goal is to be found online and get more enquiries, you need a website. If you are spending hours on bookings, invoices or spreadsheets, or you want to sell software as a product, you need a web app. Many businesses start with a website and add a web app later as they grow.
Real example
YourPeopleOffice, one of our projects, combines both: a marketing website that brings in photographers, and a web app where they manage bookings, deposits and invoices.