Native App vs Hybrid App- Which is Good for Mobile App Development?

Today, the digital landscape is flooded with abundance of technologies. Earlier, we had web only, but now we have mobile-first approach. In the age of mobile, the firms with mobile apps are front-runners. However, they have to go through a tough selection between variant available for their mobile application. The mobile app development knocks with diverse paths, which include native and there is hybrid to choose.

It is true that all these development platforms hold deep value at their own place. But, this increases your difficulty to choose one. At first instance, it seems like a puzzle, with which to go for according to your project requirement. You must ponder over all the factors like your business objectives, overall goals, features, user base, etc. A right decision can make or a wrong one can break the success aspect of your business mobile app strategy. Being a business owner, you should consider diverse factors, and examine these options according to their benefits and disadvantages.

It is your responsibility as a business owner to accomplish the expectations of mobile phone users, as they will turn into the loyal customers in the future. We understand that it is a rough task to pick the perfect mobile app development platform. Therefore, we have differentiated Native and Hybrid by explaining their definitions, features, and benefits, here are they-

Define Native App-

A native app, as the name suggests, is the one, which we build, especially for the single platform. For Android app, we use the languages named Kotlin or Java and we use Objective-C or Swift for iOS application.

These applications are built in the languages that are specifically used for a particular platform. Therefore, the users can use them only on that specific platform. For instance, if we develop an app on Android platform, it will serve only the Android users. It will not meet the specifications of iPhone users. In case, you want to serve the users of both platform, then you should get your business mobile app developed for two different versions (Android and iOS).

Now, you have native app for both platform, so these app can access complete functionality of the device. This amplifies the speed and performance. Make sure your native business app is built without bugs, so that it can work without causing error.

Pros Of Native Application Development

Being assigned to a single platform, native application brings a number of advantages, get to know them in detail-

Glitch-free Performance

To carry out native mobile application development, one has to code it for diverse platforms. It requires using specific programming language according to the particular operating system. This way, we own varied versions of a single app (for each specific platform). And, specific app for specific OS runs fast and smooth.

Awesome UX

It is crucial for any mobile application to appeal the users. Otherwise, they will delete it straight after installation. In a native app, the UX is stronger with gesture recognition, smooth scrolling, ample animations and effects, and more elements.

Personal Touch

There is a long list of Android devices in the market with diverse screen sizes. In such scenario, native platform is the only savior to adjust their layout accordingly.

Fast

Native app is optimized separately for Android and iOS for usage of battery and memory. So, it keeps a upper hand in terms of speed.

Ease and Flexibility

These apps provide access to built-in smartphone features, such as calendar, camera, microphone, GPS. Hybrid apps come with a limitation in this area.

Cons Of Native Application Development

With so many goodies, the native application also come with some limitations. Get to know in detail-

Cost of Development

The native developers are specialized in a single platform, either it is Android or iOS. Therefore, the businesses require a large development team, which burdens their pocket. Similarly, the updates or changes in the future will multiply the cost and team strength.

Increased Time

Native apps tend to require more development time than the hybrid ones. The reasons are quite obvious that you need to create app design for diverse dimensions of devices, such as iPhones, Android devices, tablets and more.

Define Hybrid App-

Hybrid applications are based on the web view. The web view runs on the web app within a native application. It makes use of native application wrapper, which sets up communication amid native device and web view platform.

Just like the native app, one can download the hybrid application from an app store. These applications are built with the tools, which further link native platforms to the web view and help them communicate. These are known as third party tools, such as Apache Cordova.

The developers use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build hybrid apps. It is named hybrid as it has two parts. The initial one is backend code, and the second one is native shell that converts them into a downloadable product.

Pros Of Hybrid App Development

Like native application, hybrid also owns some advantages, let’s know them in detail-

Fast to Market

We know that there is high competition in the app market, as a great portion of population uses smartphone. And, you need to combat this competition as same idea has been hit by your competitors in the store. If you want to introduce your app to the audience, then hybrid app is the best option, as it has fast entry record to the market.

Less Development Cost

Hybrid app allows you to remain budget-compliant. The reason is simple, you need to craft it once for each platform (Windows, iOS, Android). Therefore, you do not have to hire a big team of developers for each specific platform.

Hassle-free Maintenance

We are aware of the fact that hybrid application is a web application, which has been wrapped in the native shell. Hence, we can update the content multiple times according to the necessity. So, the maintenance of hybrid apps remains low.

Cons Of Hybrid App Development

Performance Glitch

Hybrid applications come with adding more layer between the mobile platform (mobile framework) and source code. This leads to slow performance or result in complete loss, but it is different for different applications.

Cold UX

In hybrid app development, it is challenging to manage a superb UX between the iOS and Android application. If you give more attention to the user experience of Android, then the iOS one will get dead. Similarly, if we focus on the iOS UX, then the Android platform will have to suffer.

Hard to Go Debugging

The additional layer of hybrid development framework puts extra pressure and debugging becomes hard to handle. The developers have to trust themselves with the used operating system, being extra cautious regarding bugs.

Comparing The Two Hybrid and Native

The difference between hybrid and native applications is quite clear with their definition, pros and cons. Native app is for a single platform while hybrid app runs on diverse platforms. Both of these platforms require different skills to code, manage and work. Hybrid and native apps are different in terms of features, technology, usage and performance. But, they both are crucial, in terms of their speciality. And, their usage will keep expanding due to the increasing number of mobile users across the world.

To get to know the differences in detail, we are sharing a table, check it out-

	Hybrid	Native
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES	HTML, CSS and JavaScript.	Java and Kotlin
PERFORMANCE ASPECT	Slow in performance.	Faster and more reliable (via its design itself).
SPEED COMPETITION	Mediocre.	High.
PLATFORM SPECIFICATION	Varied platforms.	Single Platform.
CODE PORTING	The code is portable to varied platforms.	The code works only for a specific platform.
MOBILE DEVICE ACCESSIBILITY	According to the tool used.	The platform SDKs enables to be accessed on each device API.
UI	Unable to provide a native-like experience.	Rich in functionality and more interactive.
DEVICE-ORIENTED FEATURES ACCESSIBILITY	Confined use in terms of device-oriented functionality.	Device-oriented functionality is available.
COST OF DEVELOPMENT	Remains low.	Usually, it requires higher development cost.
COMPATIBILITY RATE FOR OTHER APPS ON THE SIMILAR DEVICE	Less compatible, due to limited device accessibility.	Good compatibility, due to higher device accessibility.
ADVANCE GRAPHICS	According to the selection of hybrid framework.	It provides advance and high quality graphics.

Wrapping Up

With definition, features, advantages and disadvantages of both native and hybrid applications, it will become easier for you to pick the right one for you business app. If you still feel confused, then the best approach is to create a list according to your business goals, target users and priorities. Now, you have a proper list of specifications, tally both native and hybrid app development approaches. When you are done with re-thinking, it is time to make an educated decision. If you want to get a proper consultation from a mobile app development company, then you can book a consultation session. Once you feel completely assured, you can go ahead with your final decision.