Progressive Web Apps in Cross-Platform Development: A Comparative Analysis and Evaluation

The evolution of app development methodologies has been significant, yet the discussion around cross-platform development remains pertinent. Apps must seamlessly function on both Android and iOS devices, accommodating diverse hardware configurations and platform versions. The proliferation of device categories beyond smartphones and tablets adds further complexity to achieving multi-platform compatibility. Despite the presence of multi-platform frameworks supported by both practical application and research, the challenge of efficiently developing apps for various targets persists. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) potentially offer a solution to this ongoing quest for unifying technology. This paper aims to evaluate the role of PWAs in multi-platform development, exploring their foundational aspects and assessing the current landscape of possibilities. The evaluation includes a comparative analysis conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the different application development paradigms are analyzed with their advantages and disadvantages. In the second phase, the PWAs are compared to native and cross-hybrid apps based on launch time, installation size, and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), with PWAs outperforming in all three metrics. By examining these aspects, the paper seeks to provide a complete understanding of PWAs’ potential in cross-platform development.