Native Vs Hybrid Mobile App Development: A Detailed Comparison

Many companies and businesses now want to build mobile applications as they want to give a new dimension to their businesses and to accelerate their growth. At this juncture they have to make a choice i.e. whether they should go for native or hybrid mobile application development and for this they have to study the native vs hybrid app comparison. Most of them want to choose the way which is more efficient so that not only their app idea is implemented but the development process is also fast, effective and cheaper.

Therefore, in order to help these businesses, we are telling here about the difference between native and hybrid apps, their pros and cons and how these affect the overall app development process. We will also tell you about the technologies required for native Android and iOS app development and for hybrid app development so that you can choose the most suitable option for your project.

Importance of Mobile Apps and Choice of Different Approaches

In today’s world mobile applications are considered as the most dynamic tool to grow your businesses. They are presenting before us the new ways of interacting with customers. Now a day we have mobile apps for almost each and every task which we do like banking, cab booking, delivery of goods or food, listening to music, playing games, ecommerce and more. That’s why so many businesses are looking to Hire Mobile App Developer to build and launch a mobile app for their business as soon as possible.

Just look at the figures of worldwide mobile app revenues in 2014 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars) and you can understand the opportunity.

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Most of the businesses build their mobile apps for both the popular platforms i.e. Android and iOS. This extends their reach in the market and enables them to provide latest and most convenient user experience to their increasing customer base.  So many businesses have been using the mobile apps for the last over 5-10 years to bring in more innovations into their operations. Actually when businesses look for iOS App Developer or Android app developer then before that they have to make a choice whether to go for native or hybrid mobile app development and it has been found that both of these have their specific benefits for their businesses.

Right now, some businesses like Uber which is one of the most successful cab booking company in the world has opted for hybrid app development and prefers mobile app over website. This approach helps the companies in improving the retention rate as they can interact with their customers more easily. Customers of such popular mobile apps get high level of accessibility by the use of features like push notifications, multiple payment options, GPS enabled real time tracking and more.

Although this mechanism is highly useful for modern businesses but it also requires lots of investment in building mobile apps and for their maintenance activities. Hence, ultimately the companies have to look for finding the answer to the question “which approach is better for them? Hybrid or Native Mobile app development?”.

In this article, we are trying to find answer to this question. Both of these approaches have pros and cons and also different companies have different goals, budget, marketing strategies, processes and vision. Hence, the answer depends on these factors and it varies from company to company. Therefore, both i.e. hybrid as well as native application development are beneficial and good fit for different types of companies.

Understanding Native Vs Hybrid Mobile App Development More Deeply: –

To understand deeply about native app vs hybrid app development, read the below points carefully.

• The native mobile app is created for a particular platform either Android or iOS whereas the hybrid app development process depends on cross-platform functioning. That means, native apps are built using programming languages which are supported on certain platforms.

• Under Native app development for Android development Java and Kotlin are widely used while for iOS development Objective-C and Swift are used. For hybrid app development, developers use web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

• Hybrid apps are more like websites packed into containers that emulate software behavior for every platform to function and look in a natural way. Good thing is that developers have only one core code which is valid for both the platforms. Hence, we can say that the main difference between native and hybrid app lies in the development process and the good thing is that the users who will use these apps won’t notice big difference while using if the apps have been built professionally and innovatively.

• By knowing and understanding the benefits of native and hybrid apps, the companies should pinpoint their purposes at the very beginning to get the best results.

• No doubt, specialized apps which are built under native development provide better security hence they are chosen by financial institutions, banks and insurance companies. These businesses are ready to spend more money on the development and maintenance of expensive mobile applications to provide high level of security to their customers. The large enterprises can easily afford the high cost of developing native apps which are developed separately for different platforms. Examples of such apps are Amazon and PayPal etc.

• The cross-platform app development is more preferred by startups with limited funding and business focused on content delivery. This is best approach for apps related to travels, photos and customer ratings and reviews of different items.  Uber, Twitter and Instagram are the best examples of hybrid app development.

Let’s now discuss in detail more about the information on native vs hybrid mobile app development and their advantages.

Hybrid App Development: –

Mobile applications have provided new means for enhancing businesses. If you have decided to go for hybrid app development then you should know all about it i.e. its features, and its advantages. These applications are like websites put into the containers.

Let’s now discuss about the technologies used for Hybrid app development i.e. the hybrid app development frameworks. While using them developers have to use specially designed APIs to create the fundamental features.

Technologies used for hybrid app development

Most popular frameworks for carrying out hybrid mobile app development: –

• React Native

React Native is an open source framework for building cross platform mobile applications. It was created and launched by Facebook. It has simplified the user interfaces which has increased the performance of the apps especially while reloading. React Native became popular as it leads to shorter app development time.  The developers have access to ready to use units but it may lack some components. Facebook regularly provides updates about this framework.

• Xamarin

Xamarin is an open source framework supported and maintained by Microsoft. Recently Microsoft offered this new hybrid mobile app development approach which provides open source code across platforms. It has helped in improving speed of development and ease of maintenance. The developers can use the logic which is same for each platform. Xamarin cannot handle the complex graphics issues but it is good for simple apps. This framework is generally best for business related projects.

• Ionic

This framework is used to create mobile applications using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Angular. There are many other UI components which the developers can use. Development time is also at par with other frameworks for hybrid app development but only thing is maintenance which might be bit difficult.

Advantages of Hybrid app development

• Single Code Base

This is the biggest advantage of hybrid app development. These apps have single code base which can run on both the platforms i.e. Android and iOS.

• Lower Cost

Using this type of app development, the companies can save a lot on their app development cost as they have to develop once and they can reach users on all the platforms. You only need to hire one team having good knowledge of web development and it will suffice. You have to build once and run anywhere.

• Easier to Build and Test

The development team will reach the expected result faster as they don’t need to work on multiple platforms. The code is created once. The testing time is also less.

• Easier to Maintain

All required changes and updates will be done simultaneously for apps on both the platforms as the code is same. Therefore, it is very convenient for developers.

• Faster Delivery Time

If you go for hybrid app development, then you don’t need to have separate teams for Android and iOS development. You only need to have only one small team to do all the development work which results in faster delivery each time.

Native App Development

Native apps are built specifically for each platform i.e. Android and iOS therefore the technologies used are different. For doing native app development of Android mobile apps, developers use Java or Kotlin programming language while for iOS native app development they use Objective-C or Swift. Companies which select this approach have to build two mobile apps simultaneously. Obviously, the development time and efforts will be more. Although finally they will get satisfying results as the app users will have much faster user experience. Plus, there will be more data security.

Technologies used in iOS Native App Development: –

• Objective-C

programming language which was being used till now to build iOS native apps. It offers great development experience and has lots of libraries. It is also compatible with other programming languages.

• Swift

programming language introduced by Apple to build native iOS applications. It is easier to learn and work with and developers appreciate it for quicker performance. It might replace Objective-C in future.

Technologies used in Android Native App Development: –

• Java

Java programming language is used primarily for Android mobile app development. It is widely used for development of many other kinds of software applications. Till today, much of the desktop and web development work is based on Java. It has a powerful library which is highly useful while developing Android apps. Programming in Java is simpler but it requires more memory and performs slower.

• Kotlin

Kotlin programming language is developed specifically to work with Java and Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Google supports Kotlin for the development of Android apps. Android app development in Kotlin takes lesser time as compared to Java. Now it is included as an alternative to the standard Java compiler for the Android Studio IDE. Some of the companies which use Kotlin for developing their Android apps are Pinterest, Flipboard, Expedia etc.

Advantages of Native App Development: –

• Better Performance

Compared to hybrid apps, the performance of native apps is faster. They are built using technologies which are native to the platform.

• Data Security

It is relatively easier to make the native applications more secure. Most of the companies give higher priority to the data security for their customers.  It is crucial for companies in enterprise sector, financial institutions, banks etc. dealing in sensitive customers’ data.

• Better Functionality

The native apps can connect with the device hardware, databases and other features in much better ways and there is no need for extra plugins or tools to do this.

• Better User Experience

Native apps deliver much better performance and better user experience. This leads to higher traffic on native mobile apps.

Comparing Native and Hybrid Apps

• Core difference between hybrid and native app development is in their implementation. Native apps are two totally different applications having different code designed for Android or iOS platforms while hybrid apps are same applications with same code working on both Android as well as iOS.

• The choice of Native or Hybrid app depends on the company’s objectives. Therefore, first they have to determine their audience and what services they are going to provide. If the application is content oriented, then the cross-platform app development will be a good choice. But if the company is related to finance or banking then it is better to choose the native app development as it provides better data security.

• Native apps offer better performance while hybrid apps require less money and time. If the app is simple user-oriented, then it is better to go for hybrid app development as only one team of developers can create a cross-platform app that will work perfectly on both the platforms. Also maintenance of one mobile app is easier and cheaper than doing it for two separate apps.

• If the main criteria is of app performance for example in gaming apps then native app development is better choice. But this factor is fast disappearing with modern technologies.

Hence, we can say that there can’t be straightforward answer to the question, “Which app development approach is better: Native or Hybrid?”. You have to choose the type based on your business, budget, target audience and other requirements.

If you want to know answer to the question how to identify app is native or hybrid? Then the answer it that yes it is possible to know this if the user does some changes in the smartphone settings. But for most of the normal users this is not possible and when they will be using the app then they will not be able to find out how the app has been built.

Conclusion:

We have just discussed what are native and hybrid app development, what are difference between them along with their advantages. After reading this article, you can easily take your decision of choosing the right app development approach. If your decision about app development approach is final, then you can contact and hire top mobile app developers to build your app.

Many businesses have found that hiring offshore mobile app developers especially from countries like India is the best way to build amazing mobile apps at most affordable rates. Good thing is that in India you can find highly skilled mobile app developers who are expert in either native app development or hybrid app development.

When you start interacting with a reputed App Development Company in India you will find that they will not only build your mobile app but they will also guide you in deciding which mobile app development approach you should adopt i.e. Native or Hybrid? Once your app development approach is final and your mobile app is ready, your business will get wings to fly and you will certainly enjoy this.