What’s the difference between a web app and a website?

In FAQ by Juan PortilloLeave a Comment

This is a question that we get asked often when we are talking to people about what we do. 


A website is used primarily for delivering content for a user to digest. We often call these “static websites” because they have limited and usually very simple interactive features that don’t allow the user to modify content on the site. www.goowee.io is a good example of a static website. Its primary purpose is for people to learn about gooWee and it has very limited functionality. It has a blog and a contact form but no real way for a user to add or save content. It is for all intents and purposes a marketing brochure on the web.

Web Apps:

A web app is a more complex version of a website that is heavily focused on user interactivity and includes more complex features that usually require a database for saving information entered by users (e.g. user logins, user data storage, user preferences, interactive maps or calendars, etc.). It is a website with software inside.

A good example of a web app is a project that gooWee created called SynappStorm. SynappStorm is a platform for brainstorming and saving your ideas. You can create a brainstorming session, which allows you to add your thoughts to a “digital white board”. It also allows you to add, edit, and delete ideas, and assign tags to those ideas.

Another good example of a web app, created by goowee, is CoordinateIt. CoordinateIt is a team management and dispatching app built for the construction industry. When a dispatcher gets a call from a client to schedule a job, the dispatcher can quickly find the team closest to the client’s location on a map on a given day/time and assign that team to that client. It also serves as a client management system, storing all the necessary information for the company’s clients. 

If you still have questions or would like to learn more, please contact us, we’re always happy to chat!


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