With the exponential advancements of the smartphone market, existing businesses, as well as startups, have adapted themselves with extensive developments of mobile applications for their services. Being a business owner there are a number of questions you need to be answered before you start, the most important of which is to choose between Hybrid Apps and Native Apps. Lucky for you, we have carefully analyzed the differences between both these options so that we can help you in selecting the best option for your iPhone or Android App Development.
What Is a Native Application?
A Native application is a software that runs exclusively on a mobile operating system. They amplify the performance of an app and work well with the latest technology. Since they are specific to an operating system , they can only be written in the programming language of a specific operating system (such as JAVA for Android or Swift for iOS). A great advantage of using Native applications is that they utilize most , if not all, of the built in capabilities of a users device. When you send or receive text messages or play music on your device using the devices’ music app (Apple music for iPhones) you are using Native applications tailored specifically for your device.
Advantages of Native Applications
Native mobile applications have a higher degree of accuracy and are quick to respond to a user’s requests. Furthermore they can easily access the device’s UI which means that all controls and layouts of an application can be particularly customised for every device.some advantages of using Native Apps for your iPhone App Development include –
- Simple yet fast performance that induces a better User experience
- Assured quality testing by ratings on App store (for iPhones) or Google Play store ( for Androids)
- Offline compatibility for certain applications
Disadvantages of Native Applications
Though interesting, a Native app can prove to be a business owner’s nightmare especially considering its building and maintenance since each app would have to be re-coded in different languages for different devices. Other major disadvantages of using Native applications include –
- Extremely high costs since there is a need for more developers
- Highly time consuming as each application is created multiple times for different operating systems
- More technical as a knowledge of various languages is required to create a Native app
- Off the charts maintenance costs
An Introduction to Hybrid Mobile Applications
A Hybrid application is a program that introduces you to the best of both worlds ( i.e Native Apps and web Apps). Hybrid Apps look and work exactly like Native applications but in reality they are a website that is packaged differently with the help of web technologies like Javascript, HTML and CSS. These Apps , similar to Native Apps, can be downloaded on a users system and then with the help of API’s ( Application programming interfaces) gain access to a large variety of a devices features.Furthermore, Hybrid applications operate in a similar fashion to web applications since at its core every Hybrid applications IS a web application. The only difference between the two is that a Hybrid app can be downloaded on a users device whereas a web app can only be accessed using a web browser. Some common features of a Hybrid application include-
- A cross platform user interface allows the same app to run on multiple devices/operating systems
- They work well with web based services
When developed well, a Hybrid application can imitate the workings of a Native application, which is why most social media websites such as Twitter and instagram, along with service providers like Uber prefer working on Hybrid applications compared to Native applications. Nevertheless Before you decide on building a Hybrid application you must be aware of its boons and banes and how choosing one over the other might impact your Android App Development.
Advantages of Developing a Hybrid Application
Hybrid applications have an abundance of advantages when compared to its rival , i.e Native applications. Some of these boons include –
- COST! Developing a Hybrid application is significantly cheaper than a Native application
- They work across a variety of platforms and can be operates on both iOS and Android devices
- Hybrid applications are much faster to build ( Given the fact that you do not need tons of custom features)
- MAINTENANCE! Since it is all written in one code, a Hybrid app is much easier to maintain.
- Updating a Hybrid application is much easier and faster than a Native application as a single update is enough to refresh the app across all platforms.
Disadvantages of Developing a Hybrid Application
Though limited as they are, there are a few disadvantages you might come across while creating a Hybrid application for your business. Most of these disadvantages can be found listed below-
- Since at their core all Hybrid Apps are web applications, they CANNOT work offline
- While using only a single code might be an advantage, you might find that some features of a Hybrid application may not work on either device
- They constantly require plugins to gain access of most built in features of a device
What Should You Choose?
When making a choice between Native Apps and Hybrid Apps it is essential that you take a decision that is not circling around the cost but the user experience. As discussed earlier, both Native and Hybrid Apps have their pros and cons. The choice depends entirely on the prerequisites of an organization. If you have just a couple of months on your hand we recommend developing a Hybrid application, But if you want an app Incorporated with tons and tons of customized features we’d suggest to go with a Native app.
It is advisable to discuss your project with industry professionals before you make a choice as we will help you in not only choosing but also shaping and developing your idea. Talk to Website Developers India to gain an insight about choosing the correct mobile application development strategy for your business idea TODAY!
