Native Vs Hybrid App Development: What You Should Choose? All the Advantages and Disadvantages in One Place
We are living in the age of modern technology, and apps are more than just technology. Apps are now a part of our everyday lives, and most people are spending their time on apps.
Not only game apps but non-gaming apps are also experiencing a rise in the market nowadays. Going mobile brings numerous benefits and creates various opportunities for businesses.
Apps are a fabulous method to create awareness and more worth for your customers. When going for app development for the business, you need to be aware that there are numerous choices and decisions.
App developers work on many choices during the complete procedure to gain the required outcome. The most significant decision is the choice between native and hybrid apps.
Definition of Native and Hybrid Apps
The development of Native apps is for particularly one platform. The basis of these apps is a programming language that supports one platform at a time. These languages comprise Java or Kotlin for Android app development and Swift or Objective-C for iOS app development.
These apps can not run on other platforms because they are developed for one platform. For example, an app developed for the Android platform will not run on the iOS platform and vice versa.
The significant benefit is that the app can use the complete functionality of the devices and become a smooth app with fewer errors.
On the other hand, a hybrid app is web-based and runs on a web application in a native browser. Hybrid app viewed in UIWebView for iOS and WebView for Android. The Hybrid app development languages are used in these apps like CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and Cordova to wrap it up into native apps.
If we compare both apps, one is rich in performance, and the other has a higher spread in the market. These apps use the top programming languages and have their benefits and limitations.
Hybrid vs Native Apps advantages and disadvantages
Both these apps are good for different causes and separately have advantages and disadvantages. They will decide whether you should choose a hybrid or native mobile app.
Advantages of Native App
- Native apps are quick and smooth due to their development, which is particularly for one platform.
- Their performance is the best.
- These apps run smoothly during user input and output.
- There is the availability of offline mode for most of the apps.
- It allows access to the complete functionality of the app devices.
- You will have a prominent user experience because the UI is distinctive to the platforms.
Disadvantages of Native Apps
- The native app development is costly.
- The time for app development is slow.
- It requires expert development agencies for the programming.
- Languages used in the native apps are complicated.
- It is not a good option for simple apps.
Advantages of Hybrid App
- It takes less time to develop a hybrid app.
- The development of the hybrid app is not a high cost.
- This app can run on multiple platforms.
- You need app development only once for multiple platforms.
- You can access the APIs of the device.
- It is easy to maintain and support these apps.
Disadvantages of Hybrid Apps
- The process of hybrid app development is slow compared to native app development.
- These apps did not use the complete functionality of mobile devices.
- The hybrid app is not interactive and intuitive, which makes the native app better than this app in terms of user experience.
- To run it well, you require a network all the time.
- These apps depend on a third-party wrapper.
From these advantages and disadvantages, we can see clearly the appropriate benefits of both.
What to Choose and When?
After observing the advantages and disadvantages of native and hybrid apps, we can say that each has benefits that the other can’t substitute. Before choosing one, there are some factors to consider.
- Speed of the app
- The UI/UX of the app
- The complexity of features in the app
- Budget for the app development
- The purpose of the app
Let us discuss the points to know when to consider and which option for app development.
Choose Native app
If you desire to have an app that can work well online and also offline.
Interactive app with high performance.
If you can tolerate some low responsiveness in the app
When the app requires to choose from a wide range of functionalities.
If the app requires to access the features of mobile devices.
Choose Hybrid Apps
If you need an app for the existing website.
The app requires to download information from the internet constantly.
If an app is required in a short time and at less cost.
The app required is simple without complicated calculations and design.
You need to test your ideas in the market.
When the app can use any hardware the device offers.
What is the Best Choice?
For mobile application development, the best option comes from the goals and priorities of the business.
Based on the Platform
If you desire to run mobile apps on multiple platforms like Android, Apple, Windows, and so on, web or hybrid applications will help save time. The business is required to make an application only once by developing a hybrid app because it has a single code base. It publishes its application across multiple platforms.
Based on Cost
Hybrid applications are the most cost-effective and easy to maintain due to their single code base. On the other hand, native apps have multiple code bases and can serve every platform.
Based on User Experience
Native apps are designed for the specific app store and give the best user experience. Hybrid apps only have one code base for all platforms and do not give a good user experience.
Final Words
To conclude, we can say that native apps are developed with powerful features and technical advancements. On the other hand, hybrid apps are cost-effective and consume less time.