Rightly quoted by the mastermind behind Apple Inc., Steve Jobs.
Before understanding the technical differences between the two approaches of mobile app development, let’s first understand the importance of user experience. It’s simple – businesses develop mobile apps for users and thus, ensuring that ease of use and app fluidity are the must-to-remember things when you are out for mobile application development.
According to a Mobile App Survey Report, users have low tolerance for crappy apps. Only 16% of the users out of 79% retry using an app if they suffered a bad experience in the first time. So, before choosing an app development platform from Native or Hybrid, dig deep into to find out the answers of following questions:
1. What is the purpose of your app?
2. Is it user-centric?
3. If yes, what is that exceptional you will implement for rich user experience?
4. What can hold user’s engagement to the app?
5. What are the budget and time limitation to deploy the app?
Differences between Native and Hybrid Apps
| NATIVE | HYBRID | |
|---|---|---|
| Development | A single app is built for each mobile Operating System (iOS, Android, Windows) and then used natively on each of the platforms. It’s difficult to replicate the app across platforms |
One app is developed to perform across different platforms as the code can be reused. ‘Write once, deploy everywhere’ is how it works using app development tools like PhoneGap, Xamarin, Ionic, Sencha. |
| Coding Languages | Java for Android Objective-C and Swift for iOS |
HTML, CSS and JavaScript when using PhoneGap, Sencha, C# with Xamarin |
| Design | Highly appealing interface design | User interface is more inclined towards functionality than look and feel |
| Performance | Fast and smooth | Noticeable performance lag |
Read here the Checklist for choosing the right mobile app approach
Clearly, hybrid apps do not perform as good as native apps because of certain limitations to technology and coding languages. But the point of reading this article is not to find the better between the two rather it is to know the respective pluses and shortcomings so that you, as a business owner, can be quick enough in making a decision, especially if it’s your first time.
Besides technology and conceptual differences, the very important factor that impacts your decision of choosing from the two is User Engagement. During native app development, the developer’s emphasis is on interactivity and features that involve inputs from the user while they are using the app or performing an activity. The end product is most compelling and impressive if built by an expert app developer.
On the contrary, for hybrid apps, developers work more on usability than interactive features and design.
As technology embarks on a frequent change, each month, we are notified for a new version upgrade on iOS and Android devices. For an app to have that stability, it should adapt itself to the new features, new functionality changes of the OS. If you have a native app, you are lucky as they are competent enough to harmonize well with the OS upgrades and new generations of mobile devices.
One more advantage native apps offer is that they very well leverage complete access to all native API’s subject to the device and OS such that apps can take advantage of the native feature that the mobile OS offers. Whereas a hybrid app restricts you from using the platform’s own set of API’s. However, some frameworks like Cordova/PhoneGap, Ionic provide plugins to access basic ones like Bluetooth, Wi-fi. Device access is limited in hybrid app development.
From a business perspective where the investment cost and time constraints play an important role in deciding many things, hybrid app is a popular choice of small-scale companies as they’re low on budget and want to deploy the app before their competitors.
With hybrid apps, a single codebase can be used for multiple platforms, which take lesser time than writing it separately for all platforms. Further, the development team with skills of HTML, JS and CSS are more readily available than native Android and native iOS, which makes it relatively less expensive than the other.
The time frames and expenses are little higher for native apps.
So, now you can opt for a platform that brings the most optimized solution for your app considering your requirements, delivery time and investments. Native is undoubtedly a scalable choice if you have decent dollars to invest and a sufficient timeframe to go mobile.
The best part is that even if you have started with a hybrid app, you can still shift towards native development after two-three years. Nothing can stop you from doing that.
Just like Facebook and LinkedIn did; they have worked on hybrid apps in the past but observed user dissatisfaction and resistance to using the app. Thereafter, both brands chose the native route to run their services separately on each platform.
But with a progressive experience, Konstant experts have found that using solutions like Xamarin, PhoneGap, Ionic, hybrid apps are doing great in the market.
Each of the app development platforms excels in some facet and falls short in others. All you need to do is thoroughly analyze your app requirements and your business fulfillment and then make an informed decision. Choosing the right platform will definitely define the success and failure of your app.
Konstant Infosolutions excels in both Native and Hybrid app development, with teams skilled in respective technologies. Get in touch with our expert for making an impactful entrance in mobile apps.