Single Page Apps vs Multi Page Apps: How Are They Different?

Web apps have taken off and how! A rapidly growing number of businesses have embraced this novel tool to reach customers all over the world and engage with them in a meaningful manner.

However, this rush to integrate apps in their business is impeded by the question: is SPA better, or would an MPA better serve the organization’s goals and requirements. This confusion is understandable because both these types of web apps seem to offer a whole lot of benefits for the company as well as the users for whom such apps are intended.

At this stage, there exist two principal ways of building websites: multi-page applications (MPAs) or single-page applications (SPAs). Though to decide between single-page and multi-page, it’s vital to bear in mind your business goals. Further, how they can be furthered with a specialized development approach.

So, if you too have been trying to pick between single-page applications and multi-page applications, here is a quick guide to help you make an informed decision.

1.Speed: One of the key factors that have driven the widespread adoption of modern digital solutions such as apps is the speed with which they give access to users to what they need. Understandably this is also a consideration when it comes to SPAs and MPAs because the lack of speed would not only defeat the purpose of the app but also frustrate users and mar their experience. So, in this context, SPAs are the clear winners because they load quite quickly. After all, most of the app’s resources have to be loaded only once. MPAs, however, take much longer because every page has to be loaded whenever the user needs to access a different section of the website or new data.

2.SEO: While SPAs are decidedly more SEO-friendly than native apps, the fact remains that they fare poorly in this department as compared to multi-page apps. This is ascribed to the fact that single-page applications are usually programmed using JavaScript, which, unfortunately, is not compatible with the bulk of modern search engines. This is not the case with MPAs since they offer the opportunity to optimize the pages based on various keywords.

3.Security: Security remains a crucial concern and this extends to SPAs and MPAs as well. So, between the two of them which one fares better? See, the bigger the websites, the more challenging it is to safeguard them. So, if you are considering an MPA, you should know you will need to secure every single page and that means a longer process. Whereas with SPAs, companies only have to protect a single page by quickly safeguarding the data endpoints.

As is evident from the above discussion, both single-page applications and multi-page applications bring forth their sets of advantages and use cases. So, if it is the API integration and a multifunctional user interface that you desire, SPA is the one for you. More specifically single-page applications are terrific for social media platforms, SaaS platforms, or even secure communities where search engine optimization is irrelevant. On the other hand, a multi-page application would make better sense if your organization needs a read-only app that can be used in browsers albeit sans JavaScript support. What that means is MPAs offer better value when larger projects, like a marketplace, an online store, or even a catalog, are what the company is aiming for. So, you should consider leading MPA or a single-page application development company to build a robust business solution. Make sure to carefully analyze your requirements before you set out to choose between a SPA and an MPA.