Native vs Hybrid- Which One To Choose For Mobile App Development?

Mobile apps are everywhere and help people across the world to make their lives easy. For entrepreneurs and start-ups, mobile apps are the best way to reach their target audience.

A lot of organizations are releasing their mobile apps to automate a lot of business operations and reach a wider audience. Most organizations who decide to launch their mobile app are not sure of the type of app they should create. Well, the answer is whether to create a native app or a hybrid app to match the needs of your organization. 

The decision of investing in the mobile app development process needs you to determine a lot of other factors. It includes whether you want to build a native or a hybrid app.

If you are not sure about the following:

  • What type of app do you want to create?
  • What is the difference between them?
  • Which type of app you should select?

This blog would help you know about the main differences between native vs hybrid apps along with their pros and cons.

Native App

Native App

This app is created to work for a particular mobile operating system. (Java for Android app development and Swift or Objective-C for iOS app development).

Native apps are developed with the help of programming languages that work with a single operating system. For instance, Swift/Objective C is compatible with iOS whereas Java/Kotlin is compatible with Android.

Hybrid Apps

Hybrid Apps

These apps are built with a single code base to operate over multiple platforms and channels.

Hybrid apps are coded using HTML5 or JavaScript and developed with cross-platform frameworks like Ionic, React, Xamarin, Sencha, Ionic, etc.

A hybrid app can be downloaded from app stores as well as can be accessed through a web browser. These apps are beneficial for businesses that focus on image sharing, products, reviews, etc.

Pros of a Native Mobile Application

Pros of a Native Mobile Application

Certainly, native apps are preferred by big-budget projects and are in no rush to complete the deployment.

  • Excellent speed
  • High-quality native user experience
  • Offline performance
  • Preserve aspect ratios

Cons of Native applications

  • Lack of flexibility
  • Time-consuming
  • The download process is time-consuming
  • Higher development cost
  • Not ideal for small scale businesses or start-ups

Pros of a Hybrid Mobile Application

Pros of a Hybrid Mobile Application

A set of benefits associated with hybrid apps make them useful.

  • Faster development
  • Low cost
  • Supports enterprise and cloud level solutions
  • Strong community with excellent market research

Cons of a Hybrid Mobile Application

  • No 3D support
  • Need to wait for long to get new features
  • Slow performance
  • Limited access to device functionality and native components

Difference Between Native App & Hybrid App

We can compare native and hybrid apps under different criteria to understand the difference better. Some of these differences are straightforward while other differences arise during the comprehensive app development process.

1. Platforms

Here Native apps are developed for a single platform whereas hybrid apps can operate on multiple platforms.

2. Programming Language

The programming languages used during native and hybrid app development differ. Native apps are developed with Swift for iOS and Java for Android. Hybrid apps are built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

3. Developer

The 3rd difference while considering Native vs Hybrid App Developmentis the developer. When you opt for a native app developmentplatform, you need an experienced developer.

This is because the app will work on a single platform and the UI/UX design plays an integral role. It means an impressive UI/UX is important to engage customers on the app. 

When it comes to hybrid apps, they are simple to develop and consume less time. You don’t need an expert for the mobile app development process.

4. Performance

Native apps are seamless and offer a better user experience as compared to hybrid apps.

5. User experience

User experience has a major contribution to the app’s success. The native apps are built for a specific OS so, for organizations building a new app, the user experience for that specific OS matters the most.

Talking about building a hybrid app, you don’t need to keep two distinct code bases. Hence, hybrid apps are easy to create and take less time to launch as it needs a single code base.

6. Development cost

The app development cost is yet another difference to be considered during hybrid and native apps comparison.

Native apps costs range from medium to high whereas the hybrid app development cost goes from low to medium.

After knowing the differences between native and hybrid apps, if you are still not sure which one to choose for your business or organization then read on to know further.

Hybrid or Native App – Which one is better?

If you are not from a technical background, selecting between the two apps can be confusing. Choosing between native and hybrid can be made easy for those from non-technical backgrounds by knowing when to choose each of these apps. So, let us understand the key points that help you decide on the right type of app.

Go with the Native app if,

  • You need complete control over the user device resources
  • Wish to make maximum utilization of hardware efficiency
  • Wand to create an engaging and creative app
  • Want to have editable code for future use

Go with the Hybrid app if,

  • You are ready to select a less engaging and less interactive app
  • You want to have a less complex app with less animation
  • You want to launch the app in less time

Conclusion

Choosing between native and hybrid app development can be a cumbersome task. Well, your choice depends on your business requirements.

Hybrid app development can be the ideal option for tech companies who want to enter mobile app development and do not have the resources to start with native development. 

Native app development is an ideal choice for high-budget projects due to the few advantages it offers. So, creating a mobile app cannot be an instant decision. You need to look into a lot of things before you start creating an app.

Looking for the best possible way to expand your reach in the market? Have an app idea that would generate profits for your company? Get in touch with X-Byte Enterprise Solutions,a trusted mobile app development company USAto help you get help from expert app developers to build a robust native or hybrid app. Discuss your app vision and requirements with us and get a free quote from us to know the mobile app development cost for your app development project.