When evaluating whether to launch a mobile app, publishers naturally focus on the cost of building one. But there’s a more important question: what is the cost of not having one?
The Revenue You’re Not Earning
App users generate more ad revenue per session than mobile web users. The combination of longer sessions, lower bounce rates, and higher ad viewability means publishers with apps see 2–4x the RPM (revenue per mille) on mobile app inventory compared to mobile web.
For a site with 100,000 monthly mobile sessions, the difference between mobile web RPMs of $4 and app RPMs of $12 is $800/month — or $9,600/year in unrealized revenue.
The Readers You’re Losing
Without push notifications, you rely on readers remembering to visit your site, checking email, or seeing your social posts. Each of these channels has declining reach. Meanwhile, every day without an app is a day your most loyal readers are one algorithm change away from never seeing your content again.
The Competitors Who Moved First
In every niche, the first publisher to launch an app captures the “default” position on readers’ home screens. Once a reader has a news app, a recipe app, or a sports app they trust, the switching cost is real. Early movers in your niche are building an audience moat while you wait.
The Brand Equity Gap
Having an app in the App Store and Google Play signals legitimacy and investment in your audience. It’s the difference between a publication and a website. Readers, advertisers, and sponsors all perceive app-first publishers as more established and more serious.
Doing the Math
The cost of PressNative is a fraction of custom development. The cost of not having an app is measured in lost engagement, lost revenue, and lost audience — every month you wait.
The best time to launch was last year. The second-best time is now.
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