A website is a set of public pages which mainly informs visitors. A web app is software in the browser where users log in and work with personal data. In 2026, a business website at VirtuoLab costs €2,000 to €8,000 and a simple web app €5,000 to €10,000. First, a website must be found, so speed and SEO lead: according to Google guidance on web.dev, a good Largest Contentful Paint stays within 2.5 seconds. Second, a web app must be protected, because broken access control tops the OWASP Top 10:2025. For example, a plumber in Dordrecht needs a website with 8 pages. A cleaning company with 30 customers who email changes benefits from a portal. Many businesses need a website first and a web app only for one specific process, built with Next.js on the same domain.
What is a website?
A website is a collection of public pages which mainly informs visitors and turns part of the visitors into leads or customers. Typical examples are a business website, a blog, a portfolio and a landing page. Content is usually managed in a CMS, and WordPress is the most common choice: according to W3Techs, WordPress runs 39.7% of all websites in October 2026. The success of a website depends on visibility and speed. Google measures page experience with Core Web Vitals. The web.dev guidance advises a Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads. For example, a plumbing company in Dordrecht mainly needs clear service pages, Google reviews and a quick contact form. A website has no user accounts in most cases, so the technical risk and the maintenance effort stay modest.
What is a web app?
A web app is interactive software which runs in the browser, where users log in, enter data and complete tasks. Well-known examples are Exact Online for accounting, Trello for project boards and Google Docs for documents. In a business context, a web app is often a customer portal, a booking system, a CRM or an internal planning tool. Behind the screen, a web app has a server, a database and business logic. VirtuoLab builds web apps with React, Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js and PostgreSQL, the standard stack in 2026. For example, an installation company may schedule 12 people in a spreadsheet. The planning can move to a web app with roles, a shared calendar and a mobile view. Additionally, a web app can become a progressive web app, with an icon on the home screen and limited offline use.
What are the main differences between a web app and a website?
The main difference between a web app and a website is purpose: a website informs, while a web app lets users work with personal data. Five more differences follow from the purpose. First, login: a website is public, while a web app usually requires an account with roles and permissions. Second, data: a website shows the same content to everyone, while a web app shows data per user or company. Third, findability: website pages must rank in Google, while the logged-in part of a web app stays private. Fourth, security: a web app needs access control, encryption and audit logs, because the app processes personal or business data. Finally, cost: a business website starts at €2,000 and a simple web app at €5,000, according to VirtuoLab indications for 2026. In practice, the line blurs. A website built with Next.js and a customer login is already a small web app.
When do you need a web app instead of a website?
A web app is the right choice when users must log in and do something with data, not only read. Five signals point clearly to a web app. First, customers ask for a portal with orders, documents or tickets. Second, a team runs a core process in Microsoft Excel sheets and email. Third, a business wants to sell software as a subscription, which turns the product into a SaaS platform. Fourth, data from systems such as Exact Online, HubSpot or a webshop must come together in one place. Finally, the process needs roles: an employee sees different screens than a manager or a customer. For example, a cleaning company with 30 customers who request changes by email can replace the email flow with a portal built with Next.js. Forms, a booking widget or a newsletter sign-up do not require a web app in 2026. A website remains enough when the goal is informing and generating leads.
How do SEO and security differ between a web app and a website?
SEO and security weigh differently, because a website must be found and a web app must be protected. First, for a website, SEO is the core: every page needs crawlable content, fast loading and a clear structure. Google processes JavaScript in three phases, crawling, rendering and indexing, according to Google Search Central. Google also calls server-side rendering or pre-rendering a great idea, because pages become faster for users and crawlers. Server-side rendering and static pre-rendering come standard with Next.js. For a web app, only the public pages need SEO, and Google advises a 401 status code for pages behind a login. Second, security is the bigger task for a web app. Broken access control is the number one risk in the OWASP Top 10:2025. OWASP also reports 100% of the tested applications had some form of broken access control. In practice, every web app needs tests which check whether user A can ever see data of user B.
What do a website and a web app cost in 2026?
The price gap between a website and a web app is large. At VirtuoLab in 2026, a business website costs €2,000 to €8,000, while a simple web app costs €5,000 to €10,000. The gap comes from logic and data, not from design. First, a small portfolio site or landing page costs €1,500 to €5,000. Second, a webshop costs €5,000 to €20,000, depending on products, payments and integrations. Third, a medium web app with several roles and integrations costs €10,000 to €25,000 and takes 6 to 12 weeks. Finally, a complex web app or SaaS platform costs €25,000 to €50,000 and takes 12 to 24 weeks. Running costs differ too: a website mainly needs hosting and updates, while a web app also needs monitoring, backups and further development. For example, a customer portal with 200 users built with Next.js needs more maintenance than a website with 20 pages. All amounts are indications, and VirtuoLab gives a fixed price after a free intake call.
How do you choose between a web app and a website?
Choosing between a web app and a website starts with one question: what should a visitor be able to do after arriving? Step 1 is listing the tasks of each user group, for example customers, employees and managers. Step 2 is checking which tasks need a login and personal data. Step 3 is estimating volume, such as 50 users or a few thousand records per month. If no task needs a login, a website is enough. If one or two tasks need a login, a website with a small portal or a simple web app fits. If the core of the business runs on logged-in tasks, a web app or SaaS platform built with Next.js is the better investment. Both websites and web apps are built by VirtuoLab, a software agency in Papendrecht. The advice therefore does not lean toward one product. The first call is free, and the fixed price follows before any code is written in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is a progressive web app a website or a web app?
A progressive web app is a web app which behaves like an installed app. Typical traits are an icon on the home screen, fast loading and limited offline use. Technically, a progressive web app still runs in the browser, extended with a web app manifest and a service worker. Some 28.9% of the top 1,000 mobile pages are managed by a service worker, according to the HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2025. Browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari support adding a progressive web app to the home screen. Additionally, native features remain more limited than in an app built with Swift or Flutter. For example, a booking portal for 500 customers works well as a progressive web app. An app for Bluetooth hardware fits a native app better. In 2026, a progressive web app can be built with Next.js on the same codebase as the website.
Can a website and a web app run on one platform?
A combined platform is a common setup with Next.js, where the website and the web app share one codebase. The public part, such as the homepage, service pages and blog, renders on the server for speed and SEO. The logged-in part, such as a customer portal or dashboard, runs behind authentication on the same domain. Google advises pages behind a login to return HTTP status 401. First, one codebase means one design system and one deployment. Second, the trade-off is complexity: a combined Next.js platform needs a headless CMS for editors. Additionally, shared components keep the public site and the portal visually consistent. For example, a training company can show courses publicly and let 300 people manage bookings in a portal. In practice, a combined platform pays off when the portal is central to the business in 2026.
Can I turn my website into a web app later?
Turning a website into a web app is a common next step, but the route depends on the technology underneath. According to W3Techs, WordPress runs 39.7% of all websites in October 2026, so many businesses start from WordPress. A WordPress website can get extra functions through a custom plugin, for example a member area. A simple WordPress plugin costs €2,000 to €5,000 at VirtuoLab. For a real web app with roles and integrations, a separate application next to the website is usually cleaner. The website stays on WordPress, and the web app runs on a subdomain with Next.js and PostgreSQL. A Next.js website can grow directly into a web app, because the framework supports both. Step 1 is checking which tasks need a login. Step 2 is designing the data model before building screens. Finally, a portal for the first 50 customers can launch while the public website keeps running.