Difference between mobile application and web application is obvious. Web apps are accessed by browsers either on desktop computers or mobile phone, while mobile applications are accessed only by mobile phones.

For a better understanding let’s suppose you picked up your laptop, opened a browser let’s say Mozilla Firefox, you typed a query “admissions in Howard University” the link appeared, and you opened it this interface is a web application. Web apps are platform independent any device can access them. The most important aspect for a web developer is making it compatible with smaller screens i.e. mobile phone screens. Responsive web design has become the new standard for websites that are not only mobile-friendly, but that can scale to any sized device - from desktops to tablets and handy smartphones.

Mobile apps run only on mobile phones. Mobile apps need to be downloaded from a platform prior to use. Mobile apps are platform dependent, so they are developed for a particular OS. Most famous OS are Android. Google’s Android has “Play Store” while iOS has “App Store” where mobile apps are published and available to download. User should an active internet connection to download the apps, after it some apps need an internet connection to run and some don’t, it depends on the nature of the app.

Web Apps use the system information that is allowed to the browser while on the other hand, mobile apps use most of the system information like location, camera, and photos. 

Speed of the mobile app is corresponding with the speed of the device’s processor. Where the speed of a web app depends on the speed of internet connection and its design structure.

Development Difference: Both types of apps have distinguished development process. Each mobile operating system requires the unique app development process, and for each mobile OS, apps are developed in different programming languages. However, web applications are OS independent, you can develop any web app using your preferred programming language such as HTML5, PHP or python. The web app will run on any operating system.

Updating:  Mobile apps require to keep downloading updates to improve the features. User receives the updates in his phone, if he allows, app gets updated. It costs user internet data.  A Web app updates itself without user involvement because it loads from the web every time. 

Mobile Apps and Responsive Web apps: Now a day responsive web apps share several similarities with mobile apps such as social sharing, calling and e-commerce. However, mobile apps take phone space and need to be downloaded while a responsive web app can be accessed any time through typing the address in the browser. A user doesn’t need to keep the web app on his phone all the time. 

App performance is the key to its success and it can only be achieved through proper application testing. There are mobile devices of different hardware, software version, sizes, and shapes. You should test a mobile app on enough devices that make sure most of the users will be happy. People can travel, so locations and networks change this is another major aspect that needs to keep in mind.  For Web Application testing the app for potential errors before it goes live. Perform a usability testing, test the cookies and sessions, ensure the best readability, perform performance tests and finally conduct security testing.

In order to test web and mobile applications you need to have a lot of experience, it’s better to contact a testing company, such as DeviQA, which has been a leader in software testing for the past several years.