)
)
Some bloke called Mick Jagger once sang something quite prophetic. Not about app development, but the sentiment holds:
"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need."
As an agency known for mobile app development, we get a lot of enquiries from organisations who've already made up their minds: they need an app. Full stop. Done deal.
Except... it's not always that simple.
Of the last few Discover and Define (D&D) processes we've run, one resulted in an online form, one in a communications model, and only one in a full mobile app. That's not a bug in our process - that's the process working exactly as it should.
Because we'd never build an app for the sake of it.
Life's too short. Time's too valuable. And your budget definitely is.
So if you're wondering whether a mobile app is actually the right move for your organisation, you're in the right place. Let's work through it together.
First things first: what are we actually talking about?
Before we can answer whether you need an app, it helps to be clear about what kind of 'app' we mean - because 'app' gets used to describe a few very different things.
Before we can answer whether you need an app, it helps to be clear about what kind of 'app' we mean - because 'app' gets used to describe a few very different things.
📱 Native Mobile App
Lives on your phone, built specifically for iOS or Android (or both)
Can work offline, access device hardware, and send proper push notifications
Think: the Red Cross Emergency app, BBC Sounds, your banking app
Higher upfront cost, requires ongoing App Store maintenance
🌐 Responsive Website
A website that works well on mobile ; accessed through a browser
Great for search engine visibility and reaching new audiences
Lower cost, simpler to maintain
Can't send push notifications or access device hardware
🕸 Web App
Sits in a browser but behaves more like an application — logins, dashboards, interactivity
Think: Google Docs, Trello, or most online tools you log into
Good middle ground — more capable than a website, cheaper than a native app
Limited offline capability and device hardware access
Note: 'Web app' here means browser-based applications - not to be confused with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which are a more advanced hybrid format.
When a mobile app IS the right answer
A native app earns its place when the features it unlocks genuinely can't be replicated by a website or web app. Here's when it typically makes sense:
🔁 Your users need it regularly
Apps are built for repeat engagement. If someone's going to open your product daily or weekly, an app creates a dedicated space for that habit, and a shortcut on their home screen is a powerful thing.
📡 You need to reach people offline
Disaster response, remote fieldwork, rural health - if internet access is patchy, native apps can store data locally and sync when a connection returns. Websites simply can't do this.
🔔 Push notifications are central to your model
Proper push notifications drive action in a way browser pop-ups never can. If timely alerts are part of your product's value, you need native.
📷 You need device hardware
Camera, GPS, biometrics, accelerometer - if your product relies on any of these, you need native access. A website won't cut it.
✅ Your audience expects it
In some sectors, the absence of an app is a genuine credibility gap. If your users are mobile-first and your competitors have apps, the bar has already been set.
When a mobile app is NOT the right answer
This is the section most app development agencies won't write. We will, because we'd rather tell you the truth upfront than build you something that collects digital dust.
🏆 You want to 'have an app' as a status symbol
An app that nobody opens is an expensive lesson. If there's no clear user need driving the decision, there's no case for building one.
🔍 Your audience mainly finds you through search
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can be a website's superpower. Apps don't rank too well on Google, so if organic discovery is one of your essential growth pillars, I'd lead with a website.
🔄 You're replacing a website that's working fine
Adding 'app' to a perfectly functional website journey rarely improves it. Often it just splits your budget and confuses users about where to go.
🔧 You can't commit to maintaining it
Apps need ongoing updates - operating system changes, security patches, App Store compliance. If you can't resource that, you'll end up with a broken app doing quiet reputational damage.
⚡ You need something fast and cheap
Apps take time and money to build properly. If speed to market is critical and budget is tight, a web app or website is almost always the smarter starting point.
A real example: when the obvious answer wasn't the right one
Take our Discover and Define session with Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust (RBCH NHS). An app seemed like the obvious solution to their internal communication problems. It really did.
After spending the day with different teams around the hospital, it became clear that what they actually needed was an internal model - a way of providing staff with clear information on the best channels to contact different teams.
Not an app. Not even close. But exactly the right answer.
“They didn’t come into the project with any preconceptions, and actually listened to our needs and asked about the structures we already have. They looked at the challenges and are willing to tailor a solution to us.”
— Head of Communications, Royal Bournemouth Hospital
This is why we never skip the discovery phase - and why we'd never recommend building something before we truly understand what you're trying to solve.
The quick decision guide
Not sure where your project sits? Run it through this:
🔁 Users need to access it regularly → Native mobile app
🔔 Push notifications are core to your product → Native mobile app
📷 You need camera, GPS, or biometrics → Native mobile app
🔍 Search visibility is your main growth channel → Website
📣 You need to reach and inform new audiences → Website
🔐 Users log in to a tool but don't need it offline → Web app
⚡ You need the fastest possible time to market → Web app or website
🌍 You want maximum reach across all platforms at launch → Web app or website first, then app
Still not sure? That's okay! It's exactly why our Discover and Define process exists. It's not a tick-box exercise as such, it's where we figure out what you actually need, together.
The most important step: leave your ego at the door
This is the bit that gets skipped most often, and it's the most important.
You may think you know what your users need. You might be right! But the only way to know for certain is to check. And the only way to check properly is to involve them - genuinely, early, and with an open mind.
You've probably seen the image shared in every product design talk: the swing built from a series of Chinese whispers between stakeholders. Everyone interpreted the brief differently. Nobody built what was actually needed.
)
It kills us every time. Because it's entirely avoidable.
At 3 Sided Cube, our Discover and Define (D&D) process is built around one question: what do people actually need? Not what you think they need. Not what looks good in a pitch deck. What they actually need.
Some D&Ds result in apps. Some result in something completely different. All of them result in clarity - which, trust us, is worth more than you'd think.
Signs you're ready to build an app
Before you give us a holla, run through this checklist:
☑ I can clearly describe the problem my users have — and why they'd open an app to solve it.
☑ I have a defined audience who would use this regularly.
☑ I've considered (and ruled out) a website or web app as an alternative.
☑ I have budget not just to build, but to launch, market, and maintain.
☑ My organisation has the appetite to be properly involved in the process.
☑ I'm open to the answer being different to what I expect.
Ticking most of those? You're in a good position to start a conversation. Not quite there yet? That's fine too - we're just as happy to help you get there.
So... is a mobile app right for you?
Maybe. Possibly. Depends. (Helpful, right?)
The real answer is: it depends on your users, your goals, your budget, and whether the problem you're solving genuinely requires one. And the best way to find out isn't to guess - it's to go through a proper discovery process with people who'll tell you the truth, even if the truth is 'actually, you need a form.'
We've been building digital products for over 15 years. We've seen what works, what doesn't, and what wastes budget spectacularly. And we'll always tell you which one you're heading towards.
No hard sell. No jazz hands. Just an honest conversation about what you're trying to achieve.
Published on 12 December 2017, last updated on 23 March 2026