Progressive Web Apps have been the 'future of mobile' for a decade. And yet, the App Store and Google Play generated combined revenue of $170 billion in 2025. Native isn't dead — but PWAs have carved out a legitimate and growing niche.
What PWAs Can Do in 2026 That They Couldn't in 2020
- →Web Push Notifications on iOS (finally, since Safari 16.4)
- →Install to home screen with native app-like experience
- →Offline functionality via Service Workers
- →Access to camera, microphone, geolocation, and some sensors
- →Background sync for offline-first data
- →Web Bluetooth and Web NFC (Chromium browsers)
Where PWAs Still Can't Compete
- →App Store discoverability — apps get significant organic discovery through search and recommendations
- →Deep hardware access — no CoreMotion, HealthKit, ARKit, or advanced BLE on iOS
- →Performance for heavy graphics — no 60fps canvas or GPU access on iOS Safari
- →In-App Purchases — Apple won't allow PWA-based subscription monetisation through the App Store
- →Enterprise MDM — mobile device management solutions don't manage PWAs like native apps
The Honest Recommendation
Build a PWA when: your app is primarily content consumption, your users are unlikely to find you through the App Store, you need rapid cross-platform deployment at minimal cost, or your app doesn't require deep hardware access. Build native (Flutter) when: you need hardware access, App Store discoverability matters, performance is critical, or your users expect a premium native experience.
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Jordan Blake
Senior Full-Stack Engineer at Novacronix
Engineering insights from the Novacronix team — built from real production experience, not documentation.