The two paths
- Web development builds software that runs in a browser. Frontend (React, Vue, TypeScript, HTML, CSS) and backend (Node, Python, Go, databases, APIs).
- App development builds software that runs natively on a phone. Native (Swift, Kotlin) or cross-platform (React Native, Flutter).
They share concepts — components, state, networking, deployment — and differ in constraints, tooling and distribution.
What each day looks like
Web development
- Iteration is fast. Refresh the browser and see the result.
- Tooling is vast and evolves quickly.
- Deployment is a push. Users see the change immediately.
App development
- Iteration involves simulators, real devices, and store review cycles.
- The platform imposes rules: navigation patterns, permissions, background execution.
- A new version reaches users only when they update.
Choosing between them
A useful lens is not "which is better" but "which fits the problems you want to solve":
- Building a marketing site, dashboard, SaaS product or content platform → web.
- Building anything that needs the camera, GPS, offline behaviour, background sync or push notifications with tight integration → native or cross-platform mobile.
- Both → learn web first, then add mobile through a cross-platform framework.
Skills that transfer
- Version control (Git)
- Component thinking and state management
- HTTP and APIs
- Databases
- Testing and debugging
- Product judgement
Skills that differ
- Web: CSS, browser compatibility, SEO, accessibility, performance in the browser
- Mobile: platform guidelines, app store submission, memory constraints, offline design