Top 10 Tools & Frameworks To Build Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Summary: There are several methods and frameworks to build web app development that creates a fantastic user experience. The results could have been more satisfactory with the introduction of PWAs. 

A Progressive Web App (PWA) is a web app that uses advanced web capabilities to make a web application act and feel like a native app. PWAs are a kind of revolution that’s hit in modern browsers. 

Instead of deploying native-like applications to all stores at once, like in the case of other cross-platform technologies, the primary objective of PWAs is to reuse existing code to provide a mobile experience.

Implementing Progressive Web Apps (PWA) with an innovative mindset and a cost optimization approach targeting mobile platforms for IOS and Android, Windows, and Mac OS can be a game-changer for enterprise mobility. 

What’s Trending in PWAs?

One of the reasons why PWA is so popular is its ability to meet all mobile web needs while saving more than 33% investment on app creation and maintenance. PWAs have had a favorable impact on multiple brands as it delivers features like light page designs, lightning-fast page loads, and simple transitions:

• Mobile sales and profits improved by 20% at Mobify.
• Lancome witnessed an 8% recovery rate in abandoned shopping carts due to pushing alerts sent by their PWA.
• Pinterest recreated its mobile platform as a Progressive Web App (PWA) and witnessed a 60 percent rise in interaction.
• PWAs’ rising popularity has resulted in multiple frameworks for enterprises to choose from while developing PWAs.

Also read: 7 Best Technologies to Build Single Page Applications (SPAs)

Top PWA Tools and Best PWA Frameworks

As progressive web apps (PWA) frameworks are simple and reliable, developers can employ different frameworks to develop PWAs. We have listed some of the popular frameworks here:

1. AngularJS

Another promising PWA framework used for PWA application development is the features of AngularJS cross-platform framework.

Released by Google in 2009, AngularJS is one of the most widespread processes of PWA app development. It uses the JavaScript ecosystem to create reliable, robust, responsive applications.

A few benefits that AngularJS comes attached with include the following – 

• Large community support
• MVC framework
• Well-defined method for implementation
• Presence of IntelliSense and Typescript
• Newer versions are being launched with a minimal learnability curve.

2. VueJS

Vue is one of the top PWA framework libraries, as it simplifies coding and offers high-speed rendering. In addition, it allows project scaling with the added advantage of extra packages. 

The benefits Vue.js offers to make it the most suitable PWA framework to build PWA, including the – 

• Supported by Alibaba and Laravel
• Simple structures and components inspired by React and Angular1 
• The simplicity of code lowers the learnability curve
• Fast rendering with Virtual DOM
• Flexible to set up with the help of TypeScript and JSX

3. ReactJS

React, released by Facebook in 2013, incorporates an extensive JavaScript library, which makes it a standard option among developers. The Progressive Web App platform can create single-page and multi-page apps consisting of content that loads and alters within a single page. It delivers a React PWA solution by employing JSX to render functions connecting HTML structures.

It has the following benefits.

• PWAs built using React offer more flexibility and scalability with additional packages.
• For native applications, developers may employ the same code.
•  The rendering process is fast due to Virtual DOM.
• The Progressive Web App framework makes the development of API interactions, server-side and static generated pages, and routing utilizing various JavaScript libraries simple and easy.

4. Ionic

Ionic is an open-source SDK created in 2013 and used to create over five million hybrid applications. It employs the Apache Cordova and the Angular Progressive Web App frameworks to develop apps. 

Ionic’s comprehensive library of components for iOS and Android makes it a perfect choice for PWA development. This can be used to develop WebView-enabled web pages that run within the device browser.

The benefits it offers

• You don’t need to purchase Ionic because it’s open-source. Its software development costs are also fair, making it a suitable fit for small businesses.
• Those who have sound knowledge of Angular and web technology can employ Ionic.
• Ionic offers a vast library of plugins that enables you to access APIs without coding.
• Debugging software and built-in browser tools make it easy to keep.

5. Polymer

The polymer has a wide variety of tools, components, and templates. Moreover, this tool is an excellent choice for PWA development because the operation aspect becomes highly simplified.

Key Benefits of Polymer

• Support a wide variety of browsers.
• Polymer is highly adaptable and accessible.
• Use pure HTML, CSS, or JavaScript – an independent framework.

6. Magento PWA Studio

Magento PWA Studio is recognized as a set of tools that enables you to develop PWAs using the Magento eCommerce platform. PWA Studio provides you with everything you need to create, deploy, and manage a PWA, including tools for building user interfaces, managing data, and testing your application.

The benefits of choosing Magento PWA studio consist of the following:

• Cost and time efficient
• A comprehensive set of tools for managing your PWA
• Easy to manage your app up-to-date

7. Scandi PWA

ScandiPWA is an open-source PWA framework that’s built on Magento PWA Studio. It lets you develop PWAs using the Magento eCommerce platform. ScandiPWA offers numerous features you need to build, deploy, and manage a PWA, consisting of tools for creating user interfaces, managing data, and testing your application.

The Benefits of Choosing ScandiPWA include the following:

• Achieve cost and time efficiency by using Magento’s existing infrastructure.
• A complete set of tools for handling your PWA.
• Easy to keep your app up-to-date.

8. Svelte

Svelte is a JavaScript framework used to develop PWAs. It’s lightweight and seamless to use, and it builds small code bundles that load fast. 

In addition, Svelte apps are already optimized for performance and have a high grade of interactivity.

The benefits of using Svelte include the following:

• Ability to build lightweight applications that load quickly.
• Small code bundles that are easy to download and install.
• Simple and easy-to-learn syntax.

9. Lighthouse

Google introduced Lighthouse to enhance the quality of web apps quality. The PWA application development tool measures your website while considering every aspect and enlists the factors required to ensure you build progressive web app. 

The benefits of using Lighthouse include the following:

• Being an automated tool, it can improve the quality of web pages
• It has the ability to run against any web page, public or requiring authentication.
• It has audits for accessibility, performance,  SEO of progressive web apps, and more.

10. Preact

Preact, a javascript framework, is similar to React but smaller and faster. This easy-to-use framework is an excellent choice for beginners in the web development area, especially for developing PWAs.

The benefits of using Preact include the following:

• Preacts are small in size, which is valuable when loading performance budget is a constraint.
• More time for interactivity.
• The same UI can be created with less code 
• Easy to learn and use

Recommended Read: Flutter Vs PWA – Which is Better For Mobile App Development

Future of Progressive Web Applications (PWA)

Today the rising demand of developers for building PWA apps proves that PWAs are the future. In the coming years, it will eventually replace most native apps. 

However, before you make any decisions regarding PWA development, you need to get in-depth knowledge of PWA technology, your product tech stack, and your user base.

To achieve this, it is recommended to consult our dedicated PWA stack experts and know how and when you should go for the PWA technology.

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]

Q: What is PWA development?

PWA development is the process of building applications that are run as web apps on multiple platforms. PWAs are designed to deliver a user experience similar to native mobile apps but are also intended to be faster and more reliable.

Q: What are the benefits of PWA development?

PWAs offer several advantages over traditional web apps, including:

• Improved performance
• Increased reliability
• Better user experience
• Lower development costs.

Q: How does a progressive web app work?

PWA, a web application installed on a system, performs on an offline network state, utilizing the data cached at the time of users’ last interaction with the application. 

Q: How do you ensure that a website is PWA?

To know if a website performs as PWA, you must use Chrome’s Lighthouse extension. This extension will let you know if the site is PWA and give you ways to convert it into one.

Q: What are some progressive web app examples?

Some famous examples of PWAs adopted by a few companies include:

• Twitter 
• Pinterest
• Uber
• Starbucks
• Forbes