Mobile apps today are one of the most potent creations developed by
mobile app development companies. With the increasing usage of smartphones, the usage of apps has increased tremendously. A wide range of services use mobile apps to render their users with a comfortable experience. Services are varying from banking to car-pooling and all use apps. As per the expert predictions, mobile apps will generate a revenue of $935.2 billion in 2023. Therefore, if you are thinking of investing in mobile apps right now, it’s a good idea, folks!
Mobile apps favor the businesses in many ways. If done right, it improves user engagement and, thus, retention. The most well-known and used mobile development platforms are Android and iOS. Most apps are developed on these platforms. That’s not it, though. The primary debate surrounds between what platform to choose - native app or hybrid app. Don’t know the difference? Don’t worry! This is precisely why you are reading this article. This article covers exactly what you need to know about native apps and hybrid apps.
Native App Development
This is a process that helps in developing apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Blackberry. The apps created on this platform will operate on a specific operating system only. So, developers must develop multiple versions of an app for various systems. An app designed for iOS won’t work on Android and vice-versa. The native apps offer enhanced performance and take advantage of modern technology such as GPS.
The native apps use different frameworks in both iOS and Android.
For iOS, the developers write code in Objective-C or Swift. Objective-C has exception development experience and many available libraries. In comparison, Swift is the latest programming language and replaces Objective-C. It performs better than Objective-C. Today, all the new apps are built with Swift, and it renders a smooth user experience.
For Android, the developers write code in
Java or Kotlin. Java is used not only for mobile apps but also for web development and desktop. Developers can reach to a compelling library to be able to access the different Android OS features. At the same time, Kotlin was mainly created to work with Java for Android. With Google’s support, Kotlin helps Android development and reduces the time needed for programming in app development.
Benefits of Using Native Apps
1. Better User Experience
Every OS has its own set of features. During native app development, developers use these functions to enhance the functionality of the app. These apps can also better use offline mode capabilities. Concentrating on one platform also boosts the productivity of the app. This all together enhances the user experience.
2. Better Performance
When an app is designed for a specific OS, it has high-performance metrics. This is because of enhanced memory and storage achieved via code. Native mobile apps are simpler to maintain and update.
3. Better Security
Native apps can completely leverage the hardware capabilities, unlike hybrid apps. Thus, it offers high data security to its users.
4. Functionality
Native app development provides access to the latest features as soon as they got introduced so developers can easily synchronize them within the app.
Drawbacks of Native Apps
1. Cost
The developers typically have expertise in creating apps for one project only. Hence, if you need an app for different types of platforms, you have to get many developers working on them. This will increase your budget substantially.
2. Time-taking
Compared to hybrid apps, native apps development are more time-consuming. Creating apps for separate platforms can take an ample amount of time, and it cannot be easy.
Hybrid App Development
In this process, one app gets created for multiple platforms. That means it could be Android, iOS, Blackberry, or Windows. This is like a one-size-fits-all approach. This is a blend of native apps and web apps together. One product is sufficient to operate on all the OS. These apps may look & feel like a native app, but in reality, they get served by a website.
Hybrid apps use the most popular frameworks, and they are as follows:
React Native, Ionic, and Xamarin are the three frameworks used by Hybrid apps.
React Native is an open-source, cross-platform compatible framework build by Facebook. It provides a smooth UI, short development time, and high performance. Xamarin is also an open-source framework maintained and vigorously taken over by Microsoft. Xamarin is ideal for simple apps and is easy to maintain. It’s typically the choice for business projects. Lastly, Ionic uses frameworks like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to create mobile apps. It is simple to learn with an easy UI, but challenging to maintain.
Benefits of Using Hybrid Apps
1. Accessible
Hybrid apps can run on all the platforms with the same coding script. This is awesome for a client who has a vast target audience, and hence they do not have to create a separate one for different platforms.
2. Time-saving
Unlike native apps, Hybrid apps run on all platforms with one codebase. This can save ample time for the developers.
3. Easy to Maintain
It becomes effortless to maintain and update the program because of using one codebase. Users don’t need to install the latest version to fix bugs.
4. Reduced Cost
Since one code base is only needed to build an app across all the platforms, this drastically reduces costs. Hence, it is cheaper than native mobile apps.
Drawbacks of Hybrid Apps
1. Inadequate User Interface
Since the interface requires to be compatible with both the platforms, many functions are compromised. The user interface in hybrid apps is not as robust as native apps.
2. Poor Performance
There is an additional layer between source code and mobile target platform, which can result in performance loss.
What’s Better?
This can be confusing, indeed. Both the frameworks have their pros and cons, but you must make a choice keeping in mind your budget, time, and priority.
If you want the best user experience, have a high budget, and sufficient time, you must go for native apps. Moreover, if you only wish to target users of one platform, this proves the best.
However, if you are a startup and you don’t wish to spend a lot, and if you have a wide range of target audiences, you must opt for hybrid apps.
Still confused? Look for the best mobile app development services from mobile app development companies to find your solutions. They have all the answers on the plate for you.