What are the differences between a web application and a website?

Many Internet users think only in terms of websites. When you browse the Internet and connect to a domain, you often think you are on a website. However, in recent years in particular and the advent of Web 2.0, more and more, websites have been disappearing to make way for web applications that are more dynamic and allow real interaction with users. So what is a web app? What are the differences between a web application and a website? Scroll tells you!

What is a web application?

A web application is an application hosted on a server, which is accessed by a browser and an internet connection. The difference between a web application and a mobile application is that the web app does not need to be installed: you use it directly online.

The web application can therefore be defined by its technology itself, by the way it is built.

The other approach that can be used is its practical aspect: a web app is used to be used and manipulated by Internet users. We don't just navigate through the different pages of an app: we ask it to perform certain specific actions. Think of your mobile applications: web apps are the equivalent of these applications, but they do not require software installation. You can access it directly online, using your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari or other).

In general, web applications rely on data sources. Thanks to its interface, they allow Internet users to assemble and format these data sources to obtain a certain result. To help you build your apps, there are App Builders No-Code : powerful tools that allow, via drag and drop, to build applications yourself, such as SaaS.

You know dozens of web applications, sometimes without knowing what they are, and you probably use them on a daily basis.

Perhaps the best known example is Google. Google is a web application: you connect to the site to start a search. Dynamically, the search engine will provide you with results that it considers to be relevant to answer your query. You can then navigate through these results and discover the sites and web apps that meet your needs.

Another example of a web application: Airbnb. The tourism giant allows you to enter information about your search (location, dates, number of people, budget...) and offers you accommodations according to your criteria. The application goes further: it allows you to get in touch with owners to rent their accommodation. It also allows you, if you are the owner yourself, to include your home in its listings, so that it appears when an Internet user launches a search that matches your characteristics.

What is a website?

Unlike a web application, a website generally allows few interactions.

Websites are content, hosted on a server and that can be accessed online by connecting to a certain address. For example, this article you are currently reading is hosted on Scroll's server and you can access it by connecting to its URL. You don't have the option to change it.

The website is therefore a set of contents that you can browse, consult and read. By itself, it does not offer interactions to the user: you can simply navigate between the various contents.

On the other hand, a website can contain one or more web applications. Let's take, once again, a concrete example to illustrate this: a classic e-commerce site. On an e-commerce site, you will find content that you don't have control over as an Internet user: product sheets, the homepage... But most e-retailers offer a filter system so that you can choose products that interest you particularly: the size or color for clothes, price ranges, brands... These filters often rely on web applications, inserted within a site.

The difference between a web application and a website

So there are several differences between web applications and websites.

The first is on their construction. Web applications, as we said, rely on databases and on a program, which will draw from these databases to display information to users. The website, on the other hand, will be built using static content.

The second difference between apps and sites is in terms of rendering. A website has a uniform rendering for all its visitors. All Internet users read the same content. On the other hand, in the case of a web application, this rendering will depend on the use made of it by the visitor. On Google, the results of your search will depend precisely on your search, but also on your geographical location, your previous searches and many other factors.

There are many other differences between websites and web apps, but they are of lesser importance. For example, web applications tend to be loaded on a single URL, while the website will serve its content on several pages. This can therefore have an impact on your SEO.

In addition, web applications are often an integral part of a website. They serve to make part of this site dynamic. The app is therefore “contained” within a site. This is not always the case, but it is the most common.

Scroll, your agency for creating web applications and websites

At Scroll, we create websites as well as web applications. To do this, we use technologies and no-code solutions. The objective? Allow us to create web applications more quickly, at a lower cost, while maintaining a very high level of quality.

For example, we use Webflow, Integromat or Airtable to develop these sites and apps.

Do you have a request? A site or app project? Do not hesitate to let us know: a consultant will contact you to answer your questions and help you make your project a reality.

‍

‍

‍