There's little doubt that web apps will have an increasing role to play in the app market in the years to come, though perceived weaknesses when compared to native releases have, until now, restricted their growth.

AppMobi, however, claims to have the answer.

The firm, which picked up $6 million in funding back in January, is currently showcasing its MobiUs technology – software designed to put web apps on an equal footing with their native counterparts – at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

MobiUs, MobiYou

From a developer perspective, MobiUs cleans up the development process, unifying programming languages and allowing studios to utilise native smartphone and tablet features.

Users, too, benefit from the set up, with MobiUs enabling the web apps to function even when not connected to the internet.

The key benefit in appMobi CTO Sam Abadir's view, however, is the ability MobiUs provides for developers to drive more revenue from their software.

Anti-app store

"Imagine the business dynamics of just one segment, for example the eBook market," Abadir said.

"Publishers and bookstores make no money on their eReader apps; they make their money on the sales of eBooks. But with app stores requiring a 30 percent cut of ebook sales revenue, this fee structure ultimately means less choice and higher prices for consumers."

In short, MobiUs enables developers to create multi-platform releases at a stroke, bypassing app stores squeezed by the platform holder's rules and regulations. 

"Using MobiUs, eBook companies can easily create an off-line capable web app eReader to deliver their content securely to the devices and platforms of their choosing without a 30 percent fee that might make their business model infeasible and kill an otherwise cherished source of content on mobile devices," he concluded.

AppMobi claims other features usually reserved for native apps – geolocation, push notifications and use of the camera and contacts, amongst others - are also on board.