A Progressive Web App (PWA) is a web app that uses progressive enhancement to provide users with a more reliable experience, uses new capabilities to provide a more integrated experience, and can be installed. And, because it’s a web app, it can reach anyone, anywhere, on any device, all with a single codebase. https://web.dev/learn/pwa/progressive-web-apps/
If you think about platform apps and web apps in terms of capabilities and reach, platform apps represent the best of capabilities, whereas web apps represent the best of reach. Progressive Web Apps sit at the intersection of the capabilities of platform apps and the reach of web apps. A Progressive Web App includes features from both worlds.
Web:
- Linkability
- Accessible by default
- Ubiquitous
- Easy to Deploy
- Easy to Update
- Everyone can publish
Platform apps:
- Offline-capable
- High performance
- Device Integration
- Standalone experience
- Installed Icon
- Rich and reliable https://web.dev/learn/pwa/progressive-web-apps/#bringing-the-best-of-both-worlds
Progressive web app can be listed in the platform-specific stores as well. For that you need to follow rules and requirements of all stores.
Challenges
- Cross-browser compatibility. Some browsers miss some features, bugs or limitations. Testing in different browsers is mandatory. When the feature is not available on some browsers, alternative should be provided.
- Awareness of PWAs. Business may have misconception about what PWA is, and users may not know that the website that they are currently visit is installable.