Aside from the reasons andre provided, i think the biggest driver is ads. I block ads for most sites, but without a lot of work i can't block ads using the site

Aside from the reasons andre provided, i think the biggest driver is ads. I block ads for most sites, but without a lot of work i can't block ads using the site-specific app. Although i wonder how many app users only real benefit from the app is a button to launch the site from the home screen, and how many of those users would switch if they were aware of how to add a browser bookmark to their home screen. Anecdotal data, but I have had several friends with this problem, two specifically complaining about the reddit app being less readable than a browser but wanting a single button to press to launch the site.