Why It Matters
PWAs matter because they let businesses deliver a mobile app experience without the cost and complexity of building separate native apps for iOS and Android. There is no app store review process, no mandatory updates, and no requirement for users to download anything. For businesses whose customers or staff need quick, reliable access to a tool on mobile, a PWA can be a practical middle ground. It is faster and cheaper to build than native apps, and far more capable than a standard responsive mobile website. If you are weighing up whether custom software is the right fit, the PWA route is often worth considering.
Example
A field services company needs technicians to access job details on-site, often in areas with patchy mobile signal. Instead of building separate iPhone and Android apps, they build a PWA. Technicians add it to their home screen and it looks and feels like a regular app. Job details are cached locally, so they remain accessible even when the connection drops. When the technician completes a job and marks it done, the update syncs automatically once the connection returns. More definitions are in the glossary.
