Should you build an app or a website first?

Start with the customer journey

If people need to discover you quickly, a website can be the better first step. If they return frequently for a task, an app may become more valuable.

Think about frequency

A one-time task and a daily workflow have different product needs. Repeat usage can justify mobile notifications, saved preferences and app-specific experiences.

Consider the business model

Commerce, memberships, internal tools, content, booking and SaaS products can all have different reasons to choose web, mobile or both.

Do not build both by default

Building for every platform immediately can increase scope before the product has proven what matters.

Let the product grow

A focused web product can later expand into mobile. A successful app can need a web experience for administration, onboarding or marketing.