Website vs web app in plain English: a website mostly shows information, a web app lets signed-in people do work and save data. One We.Inc website and one web app side by side, a comparison table and a checklist to decide which you need.
<p class="lead text-xl text-[#3a3a3a] mb-8"> A website is mostly for reading: visitors arrive, learn about something and take one action, such as calling or sending a form. A web app is for doing: people sign in, enter information, and the app saves it and shows it back to them. Many products are a bit of both, but the question to ask is simple: do visitors need an account and their own saved data? </p>
<h2>The same idea, side by side</h2> <p>Below are two things made on We.Inc. The first is an example website design for a plumbing business. The second is the We.Inc dashboard itself, which is a web app.</p>
<figure> <img src="/img/showcase/plumbers-1600.webp" alt="An example plumber website design made with We.Inc, with a headline, a Book Now button and service sections" loading="lazy" width="1600" height="1000" /> <figcaption>A website (example design): the same page for every visitor. Its job is to explain services and get a booking request.</figcaption> </figure>
<figure> <img src="/images/app/dashboard-1200.webp" alt="The We.Inc dashboard, a web app where signed-in users see and manage their own projects" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="750" /> <figcaption>A web app: each person signs in and sees their own projects, and what they change is saved to their account.</figcaption> </figure>
<h2>Website vs web app at a glance</h2> <table> <thead><tr><th></th><th>Website</th><th>Web app</th></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr><td>Main job</td><td>Inform and persuade</td><td>Let people get a task done</td></tr> <tr><td>Sign-in</td><td>Usually none</td><td>Usually required</td></tr> <tr><td>Content</td><td>The same for everyone</td><td>Different for each user</td></tr> <tr><td>Data</td><td>Mostly fixed text and pictures, plus form submissions</td><td>Stored in a database and edited by users</td></tr> <tr><td>Examples</td><td>Business site, portfolio, wedding site, blog</td><td>Booking system, client portal, dashboard, inventory tracker</td></tr> <tr><td>Search engines</td><td>Built to be found in search</td><td>Pages behind a sign-in are not indexed</td></tr> <tr><td>Effort to build</td><td>Lower</td><td>Higher: accounts, data and permissions</td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<h2>Where the line blurs</h2> <p>A website with a contact form is still a website: the form sends a message, but visitors do not get an account. An online store sits in the middle: shoppers browse like a website and pay through a checkout. Once people sign in to see their own orders, bookings or records, you are building a web app.</p>
<h2>Which do you need? A quick checklist</h2> <ul> <li>Do visitors only need to learn about you and get in touch? <strong>Website.</strong></li> <li>Do you want to be found on Google for your services? <strong>Website</strong> (an app can have one in front of it).</li> <li>Do people need to sign in and see their own information? <strong>Web app.</strong></li> <li>Do several people edit the same data, such as jobs, stock or clients? <strong>Web app.</strong></li> <li>Not sure? Start with a website. You can add an app later.</li> </ul>
<h2>Building either one on We.Inc</h2> <p>The We.Inc builder has separate Website and Web app tabs. Choose Website to build a business site, portfolio or one page site; choose Web app to describe a tool with sign-in and saved data. The free plan publishes up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, with no AI credits and no custom domain. Building with AI, including web apps, starts on Starter at $20 a month; Pro is $50 and Max is $99 a month. See <a href="/pricing">pricing</a>.</p> <p>Related: <a href="/guides/difference-between-landing-pages-and-website">landing page vs website</a> and <a href="/guides/parts-of-a-website">the parts of a website</a>.</p>
A website shows the same information to every visitor and is mainly for reading. A web app lets people sign in, enter data and see their own saved information, so it is for doing tasks.
It sits in between. Browsing products works like a website, while carts, checkout and customer accounts behave like an app.
Usually yes, because it needs accounts, a database and rules about who can see what. A website only needs pages and perhaps a form.
Yes. The builder has a Web app tab for tools with sign-in and saved data. AI building starts on the Starter plan at $20 a month; the free plan covers template websites only.
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