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

A website displays information; a web app lets users do things. Websites are built to be read—blogs, portfolios, marketing pages, directories. Web apps are built to be used—dashboards, project managers, calculators, booking systems, CRM tools. If your user needs to click something and see a personalized result, you probably need a web app.

Websites: Content and Conversion

Websites serve content. Think landing pages, product catalogs, case studies, or news feeds. They're indexed by search engines, they load fast, and they're cheap to build. A website from fivedaylaunch.com costs $799 and ships in 5 days—that's a fully designed, deployed site with custom domain and SEO-ready structure. Websites are stateless: every visitor sees roughly the same thing (until they convert and move to a sales conversation). They're great for explaining what you do and capturing leads.

Web Apps: Logic and Interactivity

Web apps store data per user and respond to actions. A project management tool remembers your tasks. A scheduling app blocks booked time slots. An invoicing app calculates totals based on line items you add. Web apps require backend databases, user authentication, and custom logic—they're more complex and more powerful. They cost more to build because they do more. Web apps from fivedaylaunch.com start at $2,499 for 10 days, because the scope demands it: authentication, data storage, real-time updates, and testing take time.

The Practical Line

Ask yourself: Do I need users to log in? Will each user see different data? Do I need to store or process information they submit? If yes, you need a web app. If you're explaining your service and collecting emails, a website works. Many SMBs start with a website to validate demand, then build a web app once they've found product-market fit.

Both approaches own 100% of their code, include a delivery guarantee, and can integrate with your existing tools. Choose based on what your users actually need to accomplish.