Today, in this digital decade, have you seen anyone who doesn’t use a smartphone? Here the answer is NO. Usage of the smartphone is increasing; more and more brands have started to develop an application that boosts sales and increases user engagement ratio.
Before we start the discussion of the Native apps Vs, hybrid app, let’s have a look at the current scenario of the mobile market. According to a recent survey, around 85% of mobile users choose an Android operating system, and 15% prefer iOS.
If you are thinking of building the next mobile app, you will surely come across a question of whether you should invest in a native app or a hybrid app. Make sure you know the difference between both platforms and for whom you are going to develop an app.
Common Things To Consider
Most of the companies come across a common question, such as, what and how should be built- native app or hybrid app? Which is best for the business. The answers to the questions depend on various factors, such as:
- The cost-effective and quick development of the app
- Whether we should go for outsourcing or in-house development
- The main purpose of developing the app
- Resources and budget to build the app
- Features to include in the app
At the time of making a decision, you need to take a look at the major differences between native and hybrid apps along with some features and advanced technology.
So let’s take a look at the overview and pros and cons of these two platforms; it will make your decision-making process easy.
Native App Development At A Glance
The native apps are developed for a single mobile platform such as Android, iOS, or windows. If you want to build an application for all operating systems, all require separate development as you cant use and share the same codes.
When building a mobile app, your first priority should be a smooth user experience. If you fail to deliver a sleek user interface, your app won’t be downloaded again and again. When you choose a native platform, you can utilize maximum features to deliver the incredible experience to the end-user.
Pros Of Native Apps
These days, the mobile application plays an important role to achieve high ROI. For example, you are providing courier services; the application facilitates fast data exchanges and establishes a strong relationship between owner and user.
It makes the delivery tracking system easy and provides accuracy in all the operational tasks that the courier company does.
Moreover, a native app for the iOS platform uses SWIFT and Objective C, which will ensure your iOS users to get a smooth experience across all Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Another feature is native apps provide users with rich UX as native platforms make it possible to use its unique and advanced design elements, icons, videos, and icons, that make the user experience much better and seamless.
Many eCommerce and gaming companies prefer native apps because they are able to send push notifications faster. Pokemon Go, Twitter, and Waze are the famous native apps examples and offer better user experience as compared to any other platform.
Hence, we can say that native apps are user friendly and navigate easily through different types of elements. Moreover, you can access it offline also.
Hybrid App Development Overview
Hybrid applications can be defined as the apps that are built using combinations of various web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Java. in fact, hybrid apps are websites that are turned into a mobile app.
The hybrid mobile application is any application that we download from the App Store, Play Store, and use them on any of your smartphone and desktop.
In simple terms, hybrid apps are just like any website that we often access on the internet. These apps contain maximum information on the page as soon as the user browses the application. There are numerous web frameworks available that can help you develop a hybrid app.
Another feature of choosing a hybrid app is that it is cost-effective, and the majority of the startups and people whose main concern is budget prefer hybrid app development.
Key Features Of A Typical Hybrid App Is:
- Cost-effective and faster app development
- Simple and easy to manage
- Cross-platform UI
- The single code base for multiple mobile platforms
- Offline support
- Enhance performance
A Fair Comparison – Hybrid v/s Native App
Hybrid apps consume the least amount of time in the development process and are built at very competitive prices as compared to native apps. Developing a hybrid app means using just one code, whereas, with native code, you need a separate code base for each. But here we can not say that native apps are bad, as they have their own benefits.
If you are a startup company and want to get started with the app market, and you are already using Facebook and Netflix, choosing a native app would be a difficult decision. While a hybrid app is more suitable if you want to attract customers and increase user engagement.
Besides, if you are trying to learn app development and you possess good coding skills, so go with the hybrid apps, but make sure if you are looking from the salary point of view, native app developers earn more.
You can compare both the platforms by setting your priorities. In this regard, there are four aspects you need to consider, such as budget, time, speed, and user experience of your app.
Offering an excellent user experience should be your priority because it will secure your goodwill and bring more loyal customers towards your brand. Here native app wins the battle as it offers enhanced graphics, smooth loading, and better performance
Closing Thoughts
Both platforms have their own features. But make sure native app development is better than a hybrid. Whereas hybrid is the perfect choice for people who are facing budget issues. Ultimately no matter which platform you choose, end users are the decision-makers, so you have to offer them an excellent interactive app with attentive app features.
The final decision would be in your hands, by what you need and which features you want to provide to your customers.