For many people, an application and an application are the same, but there are certain differences between the two. Applications run on a desktop and cannot be run on a mobile platform; while an application can run on mobile phones. It can also be run on desktop computers, but it is specifically designed for mobile phones and tablets. There are certain characteristics that differentiate an application from an application. They are as follows:

Design:

Applications have a large amount of memory and are capable of handling large amounts of data. They are capable of many tasks. Whereas the apps have less memory and can only handle a moderate amount of data. An application is designed to perform only a specific task. Some examples of applications are Open Office, photo store, browsers and applications are Quick Office, WhatsApp, Angry Birds.

Platforms:

The applications are designed to operate on heavy operating systems such as Windows XP / Vista / 7, Apple OS (OS X) and Ubuntu, that is, they can only be operated on desktop operating systems. On the other hand, the applications are specifically designed to operate on lightweight mobile operating systems such as Android, iOS, and Windows Phone OS.

Applications can run not only on mobile phones and tablets, but also on desktop computers as long as, of course, the desktop operating system supports those applications. Applications can only run on desktops and laptops, but not on mobile phones and tablets.

Functionality:

The applications will have full functionality and can be used to perform a wide range of tasks. For example, if we take the Firefox browser application, it is capable of performing different tasks such as opening websites, playing videos on websites, displaying maps and actions.

Apps, on the other hand, have limited functionality and can only perform a single task for which they are designed. Different applications are designed to perform different individual tasks, such as playing YouTube videos, displaying stock maps. For example, WhatsApp can only be used for the messaging for which it is designed.

Cost:

Applications are priced much higher compared to applications because the applications are sophisticated and can perform intensive tasks and a wide range. While the apps will not cost much as they are very basic in design and designed to perform specific simple tasks. Many applications are available for free.

Availability:

The applications are provided by major IT companies such as Windows, Apple, Adobe, and others. Applications like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop are used to multitask and cost more. The applications are available for mobile phones in different stores such as the Apple application store, Google Play (Android), the Windows phone store and the world of BlackBerry applications, all these stores can be accessed directly from the mobile.