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:
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