Do you use “bird app” or “bird site?” It’s handy that Twitter is usable on the web and as a mobile app, but if you only use one or the other, you might not realize that both have strengths and weaknesses that may make one version or the other better for you depending on how you use the platform.

Pick Your Twitter

You can log into Twitter’s website and use it just fine with a full keyboard. Using the desktop view is also handy if you post lots of links from other sites because navigating multiple tabs and copying-and-pasting links can be a lot easier on a computer.

There’s also the option of logging into twitter’s website in the browser of a mobile device and using it that way. Adding the link to your home screen has a lot of the accessibility benefits of the mobile app without taking up extra space on your phone. Even then, the app works differently than the web view in a number of ways.

Download: Twitter for IOS | Android (free, subscription available)

Now, let's look at some key differences between Twitter on the web and Twitter on the App

1. Some Actions in the App Have More Steps

A lot of actions that only take one click on the web view are broken down into tiered pathways on the mobile app.

If you want to tweet on the web view, you just click the big blue Tweet button and use icons under the text box to include any media that you might want. If you want to tweet on the mobile app, you tap the + icon that opens another menu where you select the media that you want your tweet to be based around before you actually compose the tweet.

Navigating to a Twitter page from a tweet on your feed is different too. On the web view, you can just click the name of the tweeter and get directly from your feed to their profile. On the app, you have to go “through” the tweet by selecting the tweet and then selecting their name on that tweet.

The app’s extended pathways can feel a lot more tedious than they really are, but they also come with a kind of satisfaction. Like the online version of proceeding to a marked crosswalk even when there’s no traffic.

2. Spaces Work Differently

If you’re a fan of Twitter Spaces, the mobile app is worth your time. You can listen to spaces on the web version, but you can’t speak in them or host your own. You also have to find spaces when they appear in your feed, which makes them easy to miss.

The above screenshot displaying tweeting on the mobile app gives away that starting a Twitter Space is as easy as posting a new tweet. A microphone icon in the toolbar on the bottom of the mobile app also takes you to a special page just for Spaces, with live Spaces at the top and scheduled Spaces below so that you can set reminders.

From the home page on the mobile app, scrolling up on your feed will also display live Twitter Spaces that are being hosted or attended by people that you follow. This makes it exceedingly easy to find interesting Spaces.

3. Some Actions Only Work in the App

We’ve already given away that you can only host and speak in Twitter Spaces from the app. That’s not all that you need the app to do.

If you have Twitter Blue, you can use a verified NFT profile picture on Twitter. The menu item to do it appears in the pathway to edit your profile picture, but the menu item doesn’t appear when you’re editing your profile picture on the web version. So you don’t just need Twitter Blue and an NFT, you also need the app.

4. Notifications Hit Different

Notifications aren’t technically on the list of things that only work in the app. If you only use the web view, you can give Twitter notifications a lot of power by going to Settings > Notifications > Preferences. From here you can turn on push notifications as well as email notifications.

However, since most of us carry our phones everywhere we go, the app notifications can be a lot better at getting our attention—particularly when we’re not on a desktop computer. Depending on how close you like to stay to your social media, this can be a mark for or against the app.

This is one area where not choosing one view or the other can really help you make the service your own. If Twitter is part of your nine-to-five, you might choose to turn Twitter notifications on for the web version on your computer and off for the mobile app. That way, you can use Spaces without having the little bird in your ear everywhere you go.

Why Not Use Both?

If you’re passionate about Spaces or NFTs, the app is the only way to go. Basic mechanics work a lot more smoothly on the web view and getting away from notifications can be nice. Both options for using Twitter have their perks but remember that you don’t have to choose one or the other.