App vs web app for your MVP: decide by behaviour

What is the short answer?

Build where your users already live, not where you wish they lived. If acquisition runs on links, search and sharing, ship a web app first. If the job needs camera, location, notifications or daily habit loops, go native mobile. The surface follows the behaviour, never the ambition.

When is a web app enough?

When the proof is a workflow, not a habit. Dashboards, marketplaces, booking flows and internal tools prove themselves in the browser faster and cheaper — one codebase, instant updates, no store review. Most B2B and commerce MVPs never need to leave the web to prove value.

When does mobile win?

When the phone's powers are the product. Daily rituals, on-the-ground jobs, offline-first field work, rich media capture — if removing the app removes the reason to come back, build the app. But build one platform first; the second platform is a scaling decision, not a launch decision.

What is the most expensive mistake?

Building both surfaces before either proves itself. Two codebases, two review cycles, twice the bugs — all before knowing if anyone wants the thing. Prove on one surface, then the second surface is a confident investment instead of a doubled gamble.