The mobile app development arena is full of bizarre things. We developers keep discussing whether to go with native or hybrid or how effective the backend has to be.
However, when we think it from the users’ perspective, they have nothing to do with the apps background, whether it has been built on native, hybrid, or how effective its backend is.
They only care whether their purpose is served or not -users never go behind Native vs. Hybrid. But that does not mean even we as developers have nothing to do with such things.
Yes, we do…
Providing users excellent user experience is, perhaps, the sole reasons behind every mobile and web application development. And, considering Native vs. Hybrid is must here. Hybrid and native both works well based on the type of application you have in hand. Hybrid and Native both carry excellent and bad distinctiveness, based on the project you are using for. But, developers, at times, get jumbled upon whether to go with Native or Hybrid for Mobile App Development.
Setting All Confusion Apart…
We have penned down all we have experienced so far, dealing with similar circumstances. There are hundreds of our clients, and even thousands worldwide go through the same situation, choose the right technology for their projects. Choosing from native and hybrid requires having some general background information about hybrid and native platforms. We will be discussing, in this article, the pros and cons of native and hybrid app development. Hope, this will help you choose your technology well.
What is Native App Development?
Native app development, actually, refers to when an app is developed using single development technology and made to perform some certain tasks and defined devices. For example, if the app is built on Java and Android Studio, then it can be installed and utilized on any Android devices while for iPhone and iPad, the app has to developed on SDK (Software Development Kit) Swift Objective C. Besides, if you want to build application for windows mobile phone, then it has to be built using .NET.
What is a Hybrid App development?
Hybrid Apps are just like native apps in look and feel as it can be downloaded from App store the Native app does, and users can access all the features they can with native apps. At least here, the Hybrid app seems to be winning the battle or equalizing itself from the native one. However, there are some significant differences between Native and Hybrid one. Here’s some of them;
Hybrid apps are built for cross-platforms and developed using various web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and different other frameworks and libraries based on these web technologies. Whereas Native mobile applications are built using pre-defined technologies such as for iOS, you can use Swift and Java for Android one.
The single codebase can be utilized for multiple platforms such as Android, iOS, and Windows. Single codebase means you can utilize the codebase to build cross-platform applications. You can save maximum time that you are supposed to dedicate with native app development.
These are some of the basic things which we have explained regarding Native and Hybrid one. Now, you should also go through the detailed and analytical views of both Native and Hybrid app development. In the following paragraph, we shall explain the pros and cons of Native and Hybrid app development.
Why Native App Development?
I have discussed in the very beginning of the article that you need to decide the technology, based on the project you have. Native app development is preferred by most developers plenty of reasons. Here’s what. However, both technologies hold some pros and cons that you should know.
High Performance:
Native app development is required when you have performance-based projects in hand. Native code performs faster than Hybrid app technologies such as HTML and JavaScript. In short, if you have projects with Graphical, HD Games, Intensive Animation requirement, then opting-out Native App Development is the way to go. Even though using WebGL standards Hybrid app can also perform well, still comparing to Native, Hybrid apps lag in performance.
Native SDKs:
The native application uses native SDKs, which enable the application to enhance performance using the device features such as camera, GPS, and many others. When an app utilizes the device’s features, the app becomes very effective and performs well with any device.
Fewer Dependencies:
Native applications perform better in any circumstances, having not many dependencies on other open-source frameworks and libraries such as Cordova, Ionic, etc.
Why Hybrid App Development?
Like Native App Development, Hybrid Applications also have gained massive popularity in the tech arena. Developers love using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for Hybrid app development. Let’s go through some of the top benefits of Hybrid app development.
Single Codebase:
One of the most significant benefits of Hybrid app development is that you have to use a single codebase for all platforms. That means developers need to write once and that codebase can be utilized and run everywhere, whether it is Android, iOS, or Windows. This is not the case with Native app development as you have to create separate code for each platform.
Note: Using single codebase means the code written for iOS can be utilized with Android and Windows app well. It doesn’t mean a single application built utilizing Hybrid platform can be used everywhere.
No More Separate Developer:
Hire one developer who has experience with Hybrid app development and gets your cross-platform application development right in time. Developers, having expertise in using web technologies, can build an application for the web as well as mobile.
Build Once, Use Everywhere:
A hybrid app can be utilized for many purposes. For example, your same team can help you get the app for platforms as well as for browsers -thanks to the utilization of web technologies. In short, the single hybrid application can be used across all platforms as well as browser. Besides, it can be used as a PWA (Progressive Web App) as well.
Drawbacks of Native App Development
Having all things good, Native app development also have some cons which you should know before opting out the technology. For example,
Separate Codebase:
It takes a lot of efforts, time, and money to build applications for each platform. For instance, you need to hire independent developers and require different codebase for each platform.
Separate Release Cycle:
Native app development requires not only different codebase but also has its release cycle updates. That means each platform will have its own way of releasing updates as each has separate codebase.
Hire Multiple Developers:
Yes, you need to hire separate specialist for each platform. For example, if you are looking for build app for Android platform, you need to hire developers knowing Java and Android Studio, and for iOS, you need to hire Swift and Objective C expert.
Drawbacks of Hybrid App Development
Performance:
Performance is the primary concern with Hybrid app development. However, such issue occurs when you have projects based on 3D, HD games, graphics, and other projects in hand.
No Access to Device Features:
Hybrid apps are heavily dependent on native plug-in as it cannot access the features of the device of its own.
Dependencies:
Hybrid apps are primarily dependent on third party or different libraries and frameworks to make the hybrid app comply with latest version changes and releases.
Our Take Whether Hybrid or Native App Development
If you have gone through the article, you may found that Naive App Development has a edge over Hybrid one, except in a few cases. So, if you want reap the benefits in the long run, then going to Native app development will be rewarding for your business.
However, if you want shorter time to market and fewer budgets, then hybrid app development is the way to go. However, depending on the budget, you can choose from both Hybrid and Native. So, check the usability of the application and if you believe that it can serve your business purposes such as traffic, efficiency, etc.
Whatever your choice will be Make sure that the mobile app development process is critical for your business.
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