Did you know? Global mobile app revenue is projected to exceed $935 billion by 2023! With the significant growth of the mobile app industry, there's no doubt that now is the best time to create a mobile app for your business.
However, among native, hybrid, and cross-platform approaches, finding the right solution for building your mobile app can be challenging.
To assist you in making an informed decision, we want to discuss all three approaches in detail in this blog post.
So, let's get started!
What Are Native Apps?
Native apps are developed exclusively for a single platform using the native programming language of the operating system. They provide a consistent look and feel in terms of appearance and user experience. To develop an app for both Android and iOS, a developer needs to write separate codebases for each platform.
Advantages of Native Apps:
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High Performance: Native apps are highly responsive and fast. Their elements are pre-loaded, which means they quickly display content and enhance overall app performance.
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Offline Functionality: Native apps can work offline, provided they don't heavily rely on APIs. This allows users to access the app even without an internet connection or in low-connectivity areas.
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Visual and Interactive: Native apps seamlessly integrate with the platform's user interface, enabling users to interact with the app using platform-specific gestures and providing a visually consistent experience.
When to Choose Native App Development:
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First Impression: When users are interacting with your products or services for the first time, and you want to provide the best possible user experience.
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Complex Features: If your app includes complex features that may be challenging to implement in hybrid or cross-platform solutions.
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Hardware Integration: When you want to leverage specific device features like the camera, GPS, or other hardware components.
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Platform-Specific Technologies: When your app relies on technologies that are more readily available in native development environments.
Native Android App Development:
Language: Java, Kotlin
Tools: Android Studio, Android IDE, IntelliJ IDEA
Native iOS App Development:
Language: Objective-C, Swift
Tools: Xcode, Swift
Examples of Popular Native Apps:
- Spotify
- Google Maps
- Artsy
What Are Hybrid Apps?
Hybrid apps combine elements of both native and web applications. They consist of two main components: a back-end codebase and a native wrapper for displaying the front-end, which is downloaded for viewing. The codebase is written once and can be used for multiple platforms. These apps can utilize plugins and device APIs, such as Android's WebView and iOS's WKWebView for displaying web content.
Advantages of Hybrid Apps:
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Cost-Effective: Since hybrid app development is unified, you don't need to invest in multiple versions of the app for different platforms, significantly reducing costs.
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Enhanced UI/UX: By combining the strengths of both native and web apps, hybrid apps offer improved user experiences with fast loading times.
When to Choose Hybrid App Development:
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Wide Audience Base: When you want to target a broad audience, including both web and mobile users.
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Rapid Development: When you need faster development while ensuring the app runs consistently across platforms.
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Minimal Viable Product (MVP): When you want to test your project idea with a minimal viable product before investing heavily.
Technologies Used for Hybrid App Development:
- Ionic
- Apache Cordova
Examples of Popular Hybrid Apps:
- Gmail
- Evernote
- Airbus Helicopters
- JustWatch
- NHS
What Are Cross-Platform Apps?
Cross-platform apps are based on code-sharing capabilities and are compatible with multiple operating systems. This means developers write the code once and reuse it across several platforms. As a result, cross-platform apps provide quick assembly and cost-effective development, making them suitable for businesses with time and budget constraints.
Comparison of Performance - Native vs. Hybrid vs. Cross-Platform:
Now that you have a good understanding of the three development approaches, the next question that comes to mind is which one is the best? The answer is that it depends on your business and its unique needs. Each alternative has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the best way to choose the right platform is to first identify your needs and the goals you want to achieve with your app. Once you understand these, you can easily select the development platform that offers the best services for your business.
However, your work doesn't end here. After choosing the app development platform, you need to ensure that your app has all the key features necessary for its success. For this purpose, check out the next article - "Top 10 Features of a Powerful Mobile App."
Need assistance in choosing the right mobile app development platform for your business? Feel free to reach out to us.
Comparison of Performance - Native vs. Hybrid vs. Cross-Platform:
Here's a summary of the performance comparison between native, hybrid, and cross-platform development:
Performance:
- Native: High performance.
- Hybrid: Moderate performance, with some performance issues that can be addressed.
- Cross-Platform: May have some performance challenges that can be resolved.
User Experience:
- Native: Provides a native UI/UX experience.
- Hybrid: Delivering a native UI/UX is challenging.
- Cross-Platform: Offers a native-like UI/UX.
Time to Market:
- Native: Time-consuming.
- Hybrid: Fast and efficient.
- Cross-Platform: Quick and straightforward.
Development Cost:
- Native: Expensive.
- Hybrid: Cost-effective.
- Cross-Platform: Cost-effective.
Access to Device Hardware:
- Native: Full access.
- Hybrid: Limited access.
- Cross-Platform: Full access with plugins.
Security:
- Native: High security.
- Hybrid: Limited security, may require additional security measures.
- Cross-Platform: May require additional security development.
Offline Support:
- Native: Possible to implement.
- Hybrid: Not feasible.
- Cross-Platform: Support can be added.
Keep in mind that the choice between these approaches should align with your specific business needs and goals. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the decision should be based on what best serves your particular project and constraints.
In the discussion
In the discussion of native vs. hybrid vs. cross-platform mobile app development, each alternative has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the best way to choose the right platform is to first identify your specific needs and the goals you want to achieve with your app. Once you understand these, you can easily select a development platform that offers the best services for your business.
However, your work doesn't end here. After choosing the app development platform, you need to ensure that your app possesses all the key features for its success. To accomplish this, check out our next article - "Top 10 Key Features of a Powerful Mobile App."
Do you need assistance in selecting the right mobile app development platform for your business? Feel free to contact us.