All insights
[ Strategy ]4 February 2025·5 min read
When an SMB actually needs a mobile app (and when it doesn’t)
Mobile apps cost more, take longer, and add ongoing overhead. Here’s a simple test we use with clients before recommending one.
Most weeks we get a call that starts with “We need an app.” Sometimes it’s true. More often, a mobile-friendly website would do the same job for a tenth of the cost.
The three-question test
Before scoping any app project, we ask three questions. If you can’t answer “yes” to at least one of them, a responsive website is almost always the better choice.
- Do users need to work offline, or in flaky network conditions?
- Do you need hardware features — camera, GPS, Bluetooth, push notifications, biometrics?
- Will users return more than once a week, frequently enough to justify a home-screen icon?
The hidden costs
Apps come with Apple and Google store fees, review delays, OS-update treadmills, and the need to maintain two stores indefinitely. A website doesn’t.
None of that means apps are bad — we build a lot of them. It means the decision should be made on outcomes, not enthusiasm.
Written by Axia Design Studio. Have a project where this might apply? Get in touch.
[ More insights ]
[ SEO ]
Core Web Vitals without the magic plugin
Why most “speed up your site” plugins are theatre, and what we actually do to move LCP, INP and CLS for clients.
Read[ Engineering ]The cost of a database mistake (and how to avoid making one)
Schemas are decisions you have to live with for years. A few hours of modelling up front saves months of rework later.
Read[ Engineering ]Modernising legacy systems without a big-bang rewrite
How we incrementally retire VB.NET, Classic ASP and MS Access platforms — while keeping the business running.
Read[ Let's build something ]
Bring us a brief, a sketch, or a vague idea on a napkin.
A free 30-minute call with a senior designer or engineer — no sales script, just useful answers.