---
title: "Progressive web apps – the future of the web?"
url: "https://www.evermade.fi/insights/progressive-web-apps-future-web/"
description: "The Progressive Web App (PWA) is one of the hottest concepts in the web & app industry right now. But what is it, exactly?"
language: "en"
published: 2018-02-15
modified: 2026-02-02
---

# Progressive web apps – the future of the web?

[Insights](https://www.evermade.fi/insights/)

- [Technology](https://www.evermade.fi/insights/?f-expertise=technology)
- [Web Development](https://www.evermade.fi/insights/?f-topic=web-development)
- [Article](https://www.evermade.fi/insights/?f-content-type=article)

![White tablet and smartphone on a white marble surface, both screens displaying a purple-blue abstract network of connected nodes and lines.](https://www.evermade.fi/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PWA-thumbnail.png)

Written by

Jaakko Alajoki

Details

February 15, 2018

1–2 minutes

This article may contain outdated information as it was published 9 years ago.

The Progressive Web App (PWA) is one of the hottest concepts in the web & app industry. Google is aggressively pushing it, and we are getting requests to build them. But what exactly is a PWA?

![Progressive web app](https://www.evermade.fi/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PWA-thumbnail.png)

Google defines PWAs as *user experiences that have the reach of the web, are reliable, fast, and engaging*. All that sounds fancy, but doesn’t really tell what the technology is all about. Let’s clarify.

Basically, a progressive web app is a traditional website with a couple of added functionalities that make it behave more like a native app. It’s a combination of modern web browser technologies and best practices for creating mobile-friendly websites.

Google has announced a [checklist for PWA developers](https://developers.google.com/web/progressive-web-apps/checklist). We compared the basic requirement list to a well-built responsive website, to point out the main differences that these solutions may have.

| **Requirement** | **Responsive site** | **PWA** |
|---|---|---|
| Site is served over HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
| Pages are responsive on tablets & mobile devices | Yes | Yes |
| All app URLs load while offline | No | Yes |
| Metadata provided for Add to Home screen | Possibly | Yes |
| First load fast even on 3G | Yes | Yes |
| Site works cross-browser | Yes | Yes |
| Page transitions don’t feel like they block on the network | Possibly | Yes |
| Each page has a URL | Yes | Yes |

If you look at the comparison, you notice that **a progressive web app does not differ much from a modern responsive website**. Even if you dive deeper and continue the comparison to [exemplary features](https://developers.google.com/web/progressive-web-apps/checklist#exemplary), PWA is still quite close to a responsive website.

The main difference is that a PWA supports offline usage. Traditionally, websites require a working and uninterrupted internet connection. Modern browsers can however cache content for offline use, which means websites can be re-opened with a poor connection, or even without any internet connection at all.

This is not to call the buzz around progressive web apps an overhype, but it’s good to understand, that **it’s essentially a website that mimics the behavior of a native app.** We think that in this sense PWAs show a direction where the web, in general, could be headed.