PWA vs native app: app store distribution
App store presence is the clearest structural difference between a PWA and a native app: one lives in a curated marketplace, the other installs straight from the open web.
| Factor | PWA | Native app |
|---|---|---|
| Discoverable in App Store / Play | No (unless wrapped) | Yes |
| Install path | Add to Home Screen / browser prompt | Store download |
| Review required | No | Yes, every release |
| Requires developer account | No | Yes ($99/yr Apple, $25 one-time Google) |
How native apps are distributed
Native apps are submitted to the App Store or Google Play, reviewed against each platform’s guidelines, and once approved become discoverable through store search, categories and charts — a distribution channel a PWA does not get.
How a PWA is installed
A PWA is installed directly from the browser: on iOS via Safari’s "Add to Home Screen" share-sheet action, and on Android/desktop Chromium via the browser’s install prompt, driven by the site’s Web App Manifest, as documented by MDN.
Store review as a gate and a cost
Both Apple and Google require Developer Program membership ($99/year and $25 one-time respectively, per their official pages) plus review of every submitted binary. A PWA has no review gate: publishing is a normal web deploy.
Bridging the gap with a wrapper
It is possible to wrap a PWA in a native shell (e.g. with PWABuilder or Capacitor) so it can still appear in app stores, but that reintroduces developer accounts, review and versioned binaries — the two approaches converge at that point rather than staying distinct.
FAQ
Can I list a PWA on the App Store without changes?
No. Apple requires a submitted binary. To appear in the App Store, a PWA needs to be wrapped (for example with PWABuilder) into an installable package and then goes through normal App Store review.
Does Google Play accept PWAs directly?
Google Play also requires a packaged submission (a Trusted Web Activity wrapper is a common approach), not a raw web URL, and it still goes through Play’s review and the standard developer registration.
How do users find a PWA if it is not in a store?
Through your website, search engines, social links or QR codes — the same channels that drive traffic to your site — since installation happens directly from the browser rather than a store listing.