How to Turn Your Website into a Mobile App: PWA, Wrapper or React Native?

You can turn a website into a mobile app in three main ways. A progressive web app (PWA) upgrades your existing site so it can be installed to the home screen and work partly offline. A wrapper app puts your website inside a thin app shell and submits it to the stores. A purpose-built app, for example one made with React Native, reuses your website's content and systems but presents them as a genuine mobile app. PWAs are the cheapest, wrappers are quick but risk rejection by Apple and disappoint users, and purpose-built apps cost more but give customers a real reason to install them.

This guide compares the three honestly so you can choose the right one for your business.

Start with the reason for the app

Before choosing a technique, write down what customers should be able to do in the app that is awkward on your website today. Typical answers include:

• rebook a regular service in a couple of taps;
• receive a reminder or an "order ready" notification;
• carry a loyalty card or membership pass;
• check the status of a job, such as a car repair or a dog's grooming session;
• order again from a saved basket.

If you cannot name anything, you may not need an app yet. If you can, those tasks will decide which option fits.

Option 1: Progressive web app (PWA)

What it is

A PWA is your website enhanced with a web app manifest and a service worker. The manifest tells the browser your app's name, icon and colours; the service worker can cache pages and assets so parts of the site load offline. Visitors can add it to their home screen, where it opens without the browser's address bar. MDN and web.dev both document the technology in detail.

Strengths

• Builds on your existing website, so cost is relatively low.
• No app store review and no store fees.
• Updates are instant, like any website.
• One codebase for all devices.

Limitations

• Customers do not find it in the App Store or Google Play unless you package it separately.
• Installation is less obvious to users than tapping "Get" in a store, especially on iPhone.
• Support for features such as push notifications, background tasks and some device capabilities varies between browsers and operating systems, and has changed over time. Check current browser documentation for each feature you need.
• It still looks and behaves like your website unless you redesign it for mobile use.

Best for

Businesses that want faster repeat access and some offline content, without the commitment of a store app.

Option 2: Wrapper app (web view)

What it is

A wrapper app is a small native app whose main screen is a web view: a built-in browser window that loads your website. Many online services offer to do this for a low fee.

Strengths

• Quick to produce.
• Gets an icon into the stores, if approved.
• Changes to your website appear in the app automatically.

Limitations

• App Store review risk. Apple's App Review Guidelines, section 4.2 (Minimum Functionality), say an app should include features, content and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website. Apps that are not particularly useful, unique or "app-like" may be rejected. Google Play has its own policies on minimum functionality and on apps that provide a poor or broken experience.
• Customer experience. Navigation, forms and loading behave like a website on a small screen, often slower than the browser the customer already has.
• Little added value. Without native features, customers have no reason to keep it installed.
• Maintenance still applies. The shell must be updated as iOS and Android change, and store listings must be maintained.

Best for

Very limited cases, for example an internal tool for staff, or as a temporary step while a proper app is being built. We do not recommend it as a customer-facing app for most small businesses.

Option 3: Purpose-built app with React Native (or fully native)

What it is

A purpose-built app is designed for mobile from the start. It reuses your website's content, branding and the systems behind it, but presents them through native screens: tab bars, lists, sheets, forms and gestures that iPhone and Android users expect.

React Native is an open-source framework for building iOS and Android apps from one codebase. It renders real native interface components rather than a web page. Expo adds tooling for building, testing, publishing and updating React Native apps. Apptavio builds production apps with React Native, Expo and TypeScript, adding native modules where a feature needs them.

Fully native development (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android) is the other version of this option. It gives maximum control but usually means two codebases and higher costs. Our comparison of native and React Native goes into more detail.

Strengths

• Feels like a proper app, which gives customers a reason to install and keep it.
• Full access to push notifications, camera, location, wallet passes, biometrics and offline storage, with the right permissions.
• Lower review risk because the app has genuine app functionality. Approval is still Apple's and Google's decision.
• Can connect directly to your booking, shop or CRM system through APIs.

Limitations

• Costs more than a PWA or wrapper.
• Content shown in the app needs a data source the app can read, such as an API from your existing platform or a lightweight content backend.
• New versions go through store review, although some content and code updates can be delivered within store rules using over-the-air update services such as EAS Update.
• Needs ongoing maintenance as operating systems and libraries change.

Best for

Businesses with repeat customers who book, order, collect rewards or follow progress, and who want a presence in both stores.

Side-by-side comparison

How a purpose-built app reuses your website

A common worry is that building an app means starting again. In practice, your website already contains most of what the app needs:

• Content: services, menus, products, prices, opening hours, team members and FAQs.
• Branding: logo, colours, typography and photography.
• Systems: the booking software, e-commerce platform or CRM behind the site. If they offer APIs, the app can use the same data, so a booking made in the app appears in the same diary as one made on the website.

Where a system has no API or access requires a higher plan, we discuss alternatives openly: a lightweight backend that syncs data, a simpler feature for version one, or deep links that hand a specific step over to your existing web page.

A practical route for small businesses

1. List the repeat tasks customers do, and pick the two or three the app must make easier.
2. Check your systems: which booking, shop or CRM tools you use, and whether they offer an API on your plan.
3. See a concept: a clickable preview built from your website makes the scope concrete.
4. Agree a focused first version and a quote.
5. Build, test with real users via TestFlight and Google Play testing tracks, then submit for review.
6. Promote it to existing customers and improve it based on how it is used.

See your website as an app first

Apptavio's free preview is built for exactly this decision. We analyse your public website, including services, products, opening hours, branding and imagery, and create a personalised interactive app concept you can open in a browser on your phone. A person reviews every concept before it is sent. It is a concept rather than a finished app, so bookings and payments are simulated, but it shows what a purpose-built app for your business could look like before you spend anything.

If you decide to proceed, apps start from £1,499 (indicative starting price); the final price depends on screens, features, integrations, backend work, accounts, payments, notifications and maintenance.

Summary

Turning a website into an app is not one technique but three. A PWA is a sensible upgrade when you only need home-screen access and some offline content. A wrapper is quick but risks rejection under Apple's minimum functionality guideline and rarely satisfies customers. A purpose-built React Native app costs more but reuses your website's content and systems, feels native and gives customers a reason to keep it on their phone.