DEV Community: Fran Martínez Torres

Apps without App Store or Play Store: Flutter Web + Firebase Hosting + PWA

Fran Martínez Torres — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:51:47 +0000

Publishing an app today still comes with unnecessary friction.

Uploading to the App Store or Play Store involves reviews, waiting times, costs, and processes that, in many cases, don’t add real value to the product.

And most importantly: it’s not always necessary.

In many projects, a well-built web app as a PWA (Progressive Web App) is more than enough to launch, validate, and scale.

In this article, I explain how I use Flutter Web together with Firebase Hosting to build real applications without going through app stores.

The problem with app stores

App stores make sense in certain contexts:

mass-market apps
fully mobile-focused products
ecosystems dependent on Apple or Google distribution

But in many other cases — internal tools, B2B platforms, MVPs or early-stage products — app stores only add friction.

Publishing an update can take days.
The review process is not always predictable.
And maintenance costs increase.

This directly slows down iteration speed, which is critical for any digital product.

What is a PWA and why it changes the game

A Progressive Web App is a web application that behaves like a native app.

It allows you to:

install the app on a device
launch it from an icon
work partially offline
deliver an experience very close to a native app

All of this without going through any store.

The user simply accesses a URL and can install the app directly from the browser.

Flutter Web as a foundation

Flutter allows you to build complex and consistent interfaces from a single codebase.

With Flutter Web, you can create applications that run in the browser while still delivering a rich, mobile-like experience.

This has clear advantages:

reuse logic if you already work with Flutter
reduce development time
maintain visual consistency across platforms

For products that need speed, this is a key advantage.

Firebase Hosting: instant deployment

This is where everything comes together.

Firebase Hosting allows you to deploy your app in seconds, without setting up servers or complex infrastructure.

The workflow is simple:

build your Flutter Web project
run the deploy
your app is live

It also includes a global CDN and SSL by default, ensuring solid performance without extra configuration.

This removes a huge part of the initial technical complexity.

When this approach makes sense

This model works especially well for:

MVPs that need fast validation
internal company tools
B2B platforms
fast-iterating products
projects where you want full control over distribution

In all these cases, avoiding app stores speeds up development and reduces friction.

Real limitations

This is not a universal solution.

It may not be ideal for:

apps that rely heavily on device hardware
applications requiring deep native integrations
products that depend on visibility in app stores

But outside of those scenarios, it’s a very powerful alternative.

Real-world experience

At Salvatierra.digital, I use this approach in projects where development speed is critical and we want to avoid external dependencies.

I also use it in personal projects, especially when the goal is to launch fast and validate ideas without friction.

The combination of Flutter Web, Firebase Hosting and PWA allows building functional systems in a very short time.

Conclusion

Not every app needs to be in the App Store or Play Store.

In many cases, an architecture based on Flutter Web, Firebase Hosting and PWA allows you to build, launch and evolve digital products much faster.

Less friction.
More execution.

You can learn more about how I work at:

https://salvatierra.digital

Firebase Hosting: free, fast and reliable hosting for real projects

Fran Martínez Torres — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:41:30 +0000

When you start a web project, one of the first decisions you face is where to host it.

And usually, there are two paths:

overcomplicate things with servers from day one
or use something simple but too limited

In my experience, Firebase Hosting sits right in the middle: it’s simple, but powerful enough for real-world projects.

In this article, I’ll explain why I use it so often and when it actually makes sense.

Free hosting (and enough to get started)

Firebase Hosting offers a fairly generous free tier.

At the moment, it includes:

up to 1 GB of storage
free monthly bandwidth (within reasonable limits)
global CDN included

For static websites — landing pages, portfolios, corporate sites or MVPs — this is more than enough.

You don’t need to pay from day one.

Extremely fast deployment

One of the biggest challenges when starting out is deployment.

With Firebase:

install the CLI
run firebase deploy
your site is live

No server setup.
No SSH.
No complex pipelines.

This drastically reduces friction, especially for small or personal projects.

Global CDN by default

Firebase serves your site through a global CDN.

This means:

fast loading anywhere in the world
better user experience
a solid foundation for technical SEO

And you don’t have to configure anything.

Ideal for modern static websites

Firebase Hosting works especially well with:

plain HTML/CSS/JS
static builds from frameworks (Next.js, Astro, etc.)
landing pages
personal websites
documentation

In my case, I use it a lot for:

lightweight corporate sites
microsites
personal pages
quick MVPs

Seamless integration with the Firebase ecosystem

If you’re already using Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Functions), everything fits together naturally.

You can:

connect frontend and backend easily
use serverless functions
handle authentication without managing infrastructure

This speeds up development significantly.

When NOT to use Firebase Hosting

It’s not the solution for everything.

I wouldn’t use it as a first option for:

apps with complex SSR requirements
highly customized server environments
architectures that require full infrastructure control

But for around 80% of early-stage or well-scoped projects, it’s more than enough.

Real-world experience

At Salvatierra.digital, I regularly use Firebase Hosting in projects where:

fast deployment matters
unnecessary complexity is a problem
we want stability without maintenance

I also use it in personal projects and freelance work, especially for static websites.

The combination of:

simplicity
zero initial cost
solid performance

makes it one of the best options to start with — and in many cases, to stick with.

Conclusion

You don’t need complex infrastructure to launch a web project.

With tools like Firebase Hosting, you can have:

a website online in minutes
global performance
almost zero initial cost

And in many cases, that’s exactly what you need.

If you’re building a digital product or need to launch a website quickly and reliably, you can learn more at:

https://salvatierra.digital