Desktop First Development vs Progressive Web Apps

Developers should use Desktop First Development when targeting audiences that primarily access applications on desktops, such as in enterprise software, complex data visualization tools, or creative suites where screen real estate and processing power are critical meets developers should learn pwas to build fast, reliable, and engaging web applications that work across all devices and platforms, without the need for app store distribution. Here's our take.

Desktop First Development

Nice Pick

Developers should use Desktop First Development when targeting audiences that primarily access applications on desktops, such as in enterprise software, complex data visualization tools, or creative suites where screen real estate and processing power are critical

Pros

• It's suitable for projects where mobile usage is secondary or when legacy systems require desktop-centric designs, allowing for more sophisticated UI elements and interactions from the outset
• Related to: responsive-web-design, css-media-queries

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Progressive Web Apps

Developers should learn PWAs to build fast, reliable, and engaging web applications that work across all devices and platforms, without the need for app store distribution

Pros

• They are ideal for businesses seeking to reach users with a single codebase, improve performance on slow networks, and enhance user retention through offline functionality and push notifications
• Related to: service-workers, web-app-manifest

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Desktop First Development is a methodology while Progressive Web Apps is a concept. We picked Desktop First Development based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Desktop First Development wins

Based on overall popularity. Desktop First Development is more widely used, but Progressive Web Apps excels in its own space.