In 2025, many tech-friendly decision-makers – in Geneva and elsewhere – are questioning whether Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are still relevant in their digital projects. These progressive web applications, a blend between a website and a mobile application, have generated a lot of enthusiasm in recent years. Are they outdated, or on the contrary, evolving rapidly ? For whom and in which use cases do they remain a preferred option ? Let’s take stock of the future of PWAs, in a simple and direct tone, to enlighten entrepreneurs looking for the best development solutions in Geneva and beyond.

Are PWAs still relevant in 2025 ?

A quick observation: the initial popularity of PWAs has somewhat waned in recent years, as suggested by the graph above. The adoption rate is no longer increasing as quickly and has even seen a slight decline since its peak around 2022. But this does not mean that PWAs are obsolete; quite the opposite. In reality, this technology has stabilized and established itself as a mature standard of modern web, finding its place in very specific use cases. PWAs continue to offer valuable advantages: great speed, offline functionality, and a nearly native user experience, which make them very attractive in 2025. Furthermore, they allow users to install a website as an app, avoiding the need to go through traditional application stores.

Moreover, major players in the web have not abandoned PWAs – on the contrary. Google, a pioneer of the concept, continues to actively support them. Microsoft has even converted services like Outlook.com into PWAs to unify the experience on desktop and web. Major brands have seen tangible gains thanks to PWAs: for example, adopting a PWA boosted Flipkart's conversion rate by 70%, and Twitter Lite (the PWA version of Twitter) reduced its bounce rate by 20% while increasing user engagement. These results illustrate how a well-designed PWA can enhance engagement and reduce user abandonment, benefits that are now well documented.

Finally, a sign that PWAs are not " has-beens ": the global market for progressive web applications continues to grow. The demand for smooth, cross-platform web experiences is consistently increasing, fueling the adoption of PWAs worldwide. It is even estimated that PWAs could become the standard for web application development in the future, thanks to the continuous improvement of browsers and the reduced costs they entail. In summary, PWAs remain relevant – their initial hype has given way to a reliable value and lasting benefit for many web projects.

For whom and in which cases should one opt for a PWA ?

PWAs are not a universal miracle solution, but they excel in certain situations. In general, a PWA is recommended when:

• You want to be present on all platforms immediately. A PWA works on mobile, tablet, and desktop via the browser, without the need for separate native development for each OS. This is ideal for reaching a wide audience quickly, for example, when launching a new web service.

• Your application requires frequent updates. Thanks to their web architecture, PWAs update instantly for all users. There is no need to go through the App Store or Play Store for every new version: updates are deployed in real-time, which is valuable during intense product development phases.

• Your use case is relatively simple or standard. For an e-commerce site, a blog, an online media outlet, or even an internal dashboard, a PWA can provide a smooth and engaging experience at a lower cost. It offers essential features (push notifications, offline mode, home screen shortcut) that enhance a website without requiring a complex native application.

However, it is important to remain pragmatic: a native application retains advantages in certain nuanced scenarios. If your project requires advanced functions that heavily leverage the hardware of the phone (intensive image processing, use of augmented reality, 3D video games, etc.), PWAs will show their limitations. For example, iOS still limits Safari PWA’s access to certain APIs such as Bluetooth or advanced geolocation. Similarly, for ultra-high-performance applications that depend on hardware, native code remains the best optimized. Therefore, the right approach is to assess the nature of your project : for common and cross-platform needs, the PWA shines for its simplicity and efficiency ; for ultra-specific or resource-intensive needs, native development would be more appropriate.