SPA vs MPA: Which Architecture is Right for Your Project?

SPA vs MPA: Which Architecture is Right for Your Project?

When planning a new website or web application, one of the most important architectural decisions you'll face is whether to build a Single Page Application (SPA) or a Multi-Page Application (MPA). Each approach offers unique benefits — and challenges — depending on your goals, users, and features.

What is an SPA?

A Single Page Application (SPA) is a web app that loads a single HTML page and dynamically updates content using JavaScript. Frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular are commonly used to build SPAs.

Instead of reloading the entire page with each interaction, an SPA fetches only the necessary data and updates the view in real-time — giving it an app-like feel and blazing fast transitions.

Benefits of SPAs:

• Faster Interactions: After the initial load, switching between pages feels instantaneous.
• App-Like UX: Ideal for modern, interactive applications like dashboards or social platforms.
• Mobile-First Friendly: Great base for turning your site into a PWA (Progressive Web App).
• Frontend Flexibility: Easier to separate frontend/backend concerns using APIs.

Drawbacks of SPAs:

• SEO Challenges: Content is loaded dynamically, which can be harder to index by search engines (though frameworks like Next.js solve this).
• Initial Load Time: The first visit may feel slower due to loading all scripts up front.
• Requires More JS: Heavily dependent on JavaScript — if it breaks, the app does too.

What is an MPA?

A Multi-Page Application (MPA) consists of multiple pages, each with its own URL and full page reloads. Traditional websites, news portals, and ecommerce sites commonly follow this model. Technologies like Django, PHP/Laravel, and Ruby on Rails are often used to build MPAs.

Benefits of MPAs:

• SEO-Friendly: Each page has its own URL and metadata, making it easier to rank in search engines.
• Better for Large Sites: Easier to organize hundreds of static or semi-static pages.
• Stability: Less dependent on frontend JavaScript — if a script breaks, the site still works.

Drawbacks of MPAs:

• Slower Navigation: Each page reload can interrupt user flow and feel clunky on mobile.
• More Backend-Heavy: Logic and rendering often tied together, making frontend iteration slower.
• Less Interactivity: More difficult to build highly dynamic features like live chats or real-time feeds.

So... SPA or MPA? Which Should You Choose?

It depends entirely on your goals. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you decide:

Real-World Use Cases: Who Uses SPAs vs MPAs?

Let’s move beyond theory — what are actual businesses using, and why? Understanding how major platforms leverage SPA and MPA architecture helps reveal what might be best for your project.

Popular Businesses Using SPAs

SPAs are often the go-to for companies that prioritize interactivity, real-time updates, and a native app-like experience. Here are some notable examples:

• Gmail: One of the earliest examples of SPA success — no full reloads, everything happens in one page.
• Facebook: Uses React (which they created) to manage a highly dynamic interface with live content updates.
• Netflix: Their frontend loads once and dynamically swaps content without full reloads, improving performance.
• Trello: Real-time task boards and drag/drop functionality — classic SPA territory.
• Twitter (Post-2015): Heavily relies on client-side rendering for speed and app feel.

SPAs are commonly used in dashboards, CRMs, SaaS platforms, single-page marketing apps, admin panels, and anywhere that requires a seamless, fluid user experience.

Popular Businesses Using MPAs

MPAs are often chosen when content is king — especially when SEO and clear site structure are critical. These are just a few examples:

• Amazon: Each product, category, and landing page has its own URL and loads independently — ideal for SEO and large catalogs.
• BBC / NY Times / Medium: News and content-heavy platforms that rely on indexing, shareable URLs, and server-rendered speed.
• Shopify: Most Shopify storefronts are MPAs at their core, with each page having its own optimized layout and metadata.
• University Websites: Content-dense and built for information access rather than interactivity.
• Local Business Websites: MPAs make more sense when you want separate pages for services, locations, and contact info.

MPAs are best for ecommerce sites, publications, static content websites, company portfolios, government sites, blogs, and platforms where search visibility matters most.

Common Tools & Frameworks

SPA-Friendly Tools:

• React.js: The most popular SPA framework — highly flexible, reusable components, huge community.
• Vue.js: Lightweight, progressive, perfect for smaller SPAs or gradual integration.
• Angular: Powerful and full-featured — often used in enterprise apps and large dashboards.
• Next.js (with Client-Side Rendering): Can behave as a hybrid or a true SPA if configured.
• React Native: Though mobile-based, shares architecture principles with web SPAs.

MPA-Friendly Tools:

• Django: Excellent for server-rendered sites with templating and built-in admin interfaces.
• PHP/Laravel: Still widely used, especially in CMS or service-based industries.
• Ruby on Rails: Often used in startup MVPs and CMS-style websites with lots of routes and content.
• WordPress (with custom theming): Classic MPA model that still powers 40%+ of the web.
• Static Site Generators (Jekyll, Hugo, Eleventy): Ideal for SEO-first blogs and docs sites.

When to Blend Both Worlds (Hybrid Architecture)

Some projects need both — and that’s where hybrid approaches shine. For instance:

• Marketing Site + Dashboard: Use MPA for the marketing site and blog, then switch to SPA once users log into the dashboard.
• Shop + Admin Panel: Use Shopify or WooCommerce for the frontend store (MPA), and React for the vendor/admin interface (SPA).
• Blog + Interactive Tools: Use Django or WordPress for the blog, but embed interactive SPA modules for quizzes, calculators, or custom tools.

Hybrid setups are more complex, but they deliver the best of both worlds when done right — and at CodeCraft Studios, we’ve built these types of platforms many times.

Final Thoughts: It’s Not About “Better” — It’s About Fit

The SPA vs MPA debate isn’t about which is better — it’s about what your business needs. If you’re building a media-rich, SEO-focused site with lots of static content, MPA is probably the way to go. If your project demands speed, interactivity, or a more app-like interface, SPA is often the better choice.

Need help evaluating your next project? Let CodeCraft Studios help you choose the architecture that works for your audience, your business model, and your future roadmap.

Our Take at CodeCraft Studios

We work with both architectures — and sometimes a hybrid approach is best. For example, we’ve built projects that use an MPA for SEO-heavy landing pages and blogs, while embedding SPA functionality in the dashboard or product experience.

If you’re not sure what your project needs, we’ll guide you through it. At CodeCraft Studios, we don’t just build websites — we build scalable, efficient systems that serve your business goals.

Need Help Deciding?

Reach out to us today and let’s talk about your vision. We’ll help you choose the right architecture, tools, and tech stack to make it real — and make it last.