Progressive Web Apps: Still Rare, But Growing Fast
Maximiliano Firtman has published a detailed look at the state of Progressive Web Apps this year, offering some concrete numbers on just how widespread the underlying technologies really are.
At the end of 2020, approximately 1% of websites included a Service Worker, and 2.2% had an installable Web App Manifest file. Remember that some platforms -such as Safari on iOS or Chrome on Android- do not require a Service Worker to have a standalone experience after installation. We can assume that 2.2% of websites are installable, and 1% may pass the PWA criteria on Android, 71% of which offer some offline experience.
The Numbers Behind the Hype
Firtman's data comes from the HTTP Archive, which analyzed 7.5 million websites. While 1% may sound insignificant, that still translates to a substantial number of sites leveraging PWA technology, and it marks a 170% year-over-year increase. It's worth noting that these figures reflect only the minimum requirements—the actual number of sites fully embracing PWA capabilities, such as genuine offline functionality, is likely a much smaller subset. Firtman's full article contains far more granular data for those seeking nuance.
A Cautious Industry
Despite the growth, PWAs seem to have slipped out of mainstream conversation over the past year. There isn't much outright opposition to the component technologies, but there also isn't widespread adoption. A plausible explanation is that many developers are wary of Service Workers, which can behave unpredictably—for instance, holding onto cached resources too aggressively. For Service Workers to work well, an entire development team needs to understand and integrate them into their workflow and build process. As an industry, we may not be there yet.
