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Comment by Zak | Hacker News Reader

I once read that app users are seven times more profitable than web users. That easily answers the author's question about why a company would bother make an app when a web page is the natural fit for the use case.

I don't remember the source or methodology for that number, but I have no trouble believing it. An app gives the developer a foothold on the user's device. It can more easily send notifications, track the user's location, resist customization like ad blocking, and remain present on the user's device even when closed. It's easier to funnel users into profitable behavior with an app.

Companies wouldn't do this if a large fraction of users refused the app, but most users don't.

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And in fact, a significant subset of users will pester you to make an app, even if your website can and does do everything an app could do.

There are actually apps which will "appify" webpages/websites for Android, or were the last time I needed one. They've been aroubd a long time. I assume they still exist.

The functionality is literally built into both Android and iOS. For example, I've got some of my self-hosted services linked on my home screen. On Firefox for Android you just browse to the site, click the 3 dots, and then under more its "Add to Home screen", Chrome works similarly.

Ah no, I meant there are apps which will create an APK file. I think they use node.js or something.

That's so opposite to my preferences that I'd be really interested in the results of someone studying that group of users.

I do like local native software, preferably using the native UI toolkit, filesystem and features of the device hardware not necessarily available to the browser. That doesn't describe most commercial mobile apps in 2026.

Apps bypass ad and tracking blockers too. They do have OS permissions as a potential roadblock, but most users just click "OK" on those prompts the first time when they install or open the app.

I mean, I don't know if that's a generation thing or what but as much as I'm comfortable using my phone, and ordering things in my phone's apps, when it's a website and I'm on mobile I always feel an urge to go to my desktop or laptop to check and do it there, I don't "trust" mobile websites as they always seem to give a limited set of information. Or at least that's the vibe I'm getting.

What generation are you?

Mid 80s, grew up watching dad playing around with his atari st and was lucky enough to be able to toy around on his 386 and then 486, feeling like a god because I managed to get those config.sys and co to start games he couldn't. For me mobile website was something "tacked on" the real website and I have never been able to shake that feeling away somehow.

Yes, you are part of the generation that 'buys things' on an actual computer. Get much older or much younger and they'll use apps instead.

Am I the only person who buys things on mobile websites? I feel like most apps are just websites rendered in webviews with a bunch of background tracking added, and websites create a bit of a firewall between my OS/filesystem and the application.

On this forum? You are probably one of the few. I hate the way mobile browsers handle tabs with no control over forcing a reload and losing state. I prefer the desktop. I prefer my treestyle tabs. I am hardly on the phone as a result.

I hate installing apps, sitting tracking my data in the background, and then there are often silly restrictions such as copy/paste being disabled, for what is basically just a web app.

On well implemented mobile websites, Google password manager pops up as does Google pay, can even authenticate with my fingerprint, zero friction. Theres zero need for an app.

And that's coming from a millennial who used to buy big ticket items on the PC.

I purchase almost exclusively from mobile websites and the Amazon app. I'm likely to abandon a purchase if it doesn't work smoothly on mobile - there's really no excuse in this day and age. Also a mid-80's kid. I hate having to pull out my laptop for anything. Different strokes for different folks as they say.

hmm, im the same age and feel no qualms about mobile web - it almost always literally just different CSS on the same desktop site. That's the benefit of the web vs native.

Interesting. I'm 29 and hate downloading apps on phone or pc, if I can use a website I'll choose that every time. Unless performance matters like a game or media editor.

On PC I'm definitely there with you, it's on phone where I have this issue

the mobile website is just the PC website with css responsiveness, you can just enable "show desktop version" on mobile if that helps reduce your paranoia

Many years ago, there was a trend to show a different website, sometimes on a different domain and often with more differences than just a mobile version of the stylesheet. Sometimes the mobile version was not updated enough, or there was a reduction in functionality, hence the paranoia.

The other common reason I use "show desktop version" is when the mobile "version" displays nothing but "use our app", while the desktop version actually provides the content.

I've had to use this a few times when on my phone to be able to actually access the webpage.

Users of all ages abandon transactions if it requires installing an app.

I'm fine using my mobile browser for things. What I'm not fine on is using the, um, internet intent thing that comes up when you click on a link in slack or email or something and isn't actually you're browser and if you switch applications it might go away forever?

You need to click the 3 dot menu and select "open in <browser of choice>", then you can switch apps normally as you'd expect and it'll be a tab in your browser like usual.

I have seen this or similar metrics cited as a reason for forcing customers into apps, but imo it is misguided in a measure-becomes-the target way.

> I once read that app users are seven times more profitable than web users

Drug sales are often profitable.

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