Analyzing Application Interfaces

Key Insights

• Application interfaces have seen significant development over the last year. The main categories include browser apps, mobile apps, progressive web apps (PWAs), nested apps, the Solana mobile stack, and Web2 distribution mechanisms.
• Native mobile apps and PWAs ranked the highest in our analysis of each mechanism. We ranked each on their accessibility, monetizability, and UX customizability.
• PWAs and Nested Apps have the highest total addressable markets at the UI layer due to advantages in monetization and feature extensibility.

Crypto is approaching a turning point with respect to user interfaces. As it stands, crypto veterans are generally accustomed to the MetaMask-style popup experience that has defined the last 4-5 years. However, new applications are experimenting with interfaces in order to gain the best chance of capturing and retaining users.

This year’s standouts like friend.tech and Unibot led the charge with respect to interface experimentation over the last year. Several applications pushed harder into the globally dominant mobile market, with Solana Labs dedicating an entire team towards mobile. Moreover, MetaMask hasn’t gone down without a fight, with its Snaps feature creating a sort of nested app marketplace for developers to tap into.

All in all, there’s been a proliferation of interface standards.