Now that you have made up your mind to build a mobile app for your business, the hardest task is to decide whether to go for native app development or hybrid app development. But in reality, the choice of which app development to go for should not be rocket science if you know what to expect from a versatile mobile application.
This is why you need to read this article to learn the difference between native app development, progressive web app development, and hybrid app development. Learning how different they are from one another would enable you to determine what would work best.
To do this successfully, let’s take a look at each category.
Native app development
Native app development involves writing native applications for specific devices like Android (Java, Kotlin) and iPhones (Swift) devices. When considering native apps, one of the first things to bear in mind is the features you want your app to pack, just in case, it requires device authorization or level functions.
In most cases, right after you install a mobile app, the first words that are usually displayed are:
- “Allow While Using App”
- “Allow Once”
- “Don’t Allow”
Your thought processes are essential, as proven by the small example highlighted above. For instance, if you would love your mobile application to have Bluetooth functionality, it should be noted very early in the native app development process.
However, progressive web apps and hybrid apps usually struggle to utilize devices’ Bluetooth. This makes native apps the best option in this case. Moreover, native apps also give room for integrations of robust hardware as well as device sensor utilization for things like accelerometers, GPS, and so on.
These integrations also extent to the Internet of Things (IoT) apps that make use of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth settings in order to connect with and monitor tire pressure, control smart lighting, or the temperature of a particular room via embedded software.
Anyone that builds a native app is building something worthwhile for the long term. Native applications perform exceptionally well as they offer incredible user interface components compared to its counterpart, hybrid app development. This is because the latter is expected to conform to platform design elements.
Read more On: Choosing the Right Mobile App Development Process
An excellent example of a native application is PokemonGo, which leverages a phone’s accelerometer, gyroscope, camera, and GPS in order to tap into Augmented Reality functions. Its usability advantages are also highly commendable.
Another reason why you should consider native app development is if you are looking to build an engaging and intuitive mobile game. When you look at the statistics for the most popular App Store categories, mobile games take the lead at about 22 percent of total mobile applications based on the overall ranking of existing applications. User experience is the most integral part of building mobile games. This is why native app development is not surprising as it continues to grow in popularity.
Most popular App Store categories
- Games – 22.15 percent
- Business – 10.1 percent
- Education – 8.69 percent
- Lifestyle – 8.62 percent
- Utilities – 6.02 percent
- Entertainment – 5.84 percent
- Travel – 3.83 percent
- Food and Drink – 3.43 percent
- Productivity – 3.03 percent, etc.
Benefits of native apps
- High-end performance: Native apps perform super fast and much better than their counterparts, especially when it comes to complicated calculations or heavy graphics, e.g., such as 3D or HD games.
- Access to platform-specific features: A native application can access the calendar, contacts, camera as well as other built-in features of a mobile device or the platform
- Native user interface: The criteria of specific platforms are followed, and this makes the user experience better and seamless.
Drawbacks of native apps
- Higher development costs: Native app development requires creating specific apps for each platform or operating system. This requires more resources and time to complete while increasing the costs as well. It also generally takes a much longer time to market compared to hybrid app development.
- Available only in app stores: Users can find and download native apps only via app stores. Updates also require manual approval by users, and this may increasingly and negatively affect user experience.
Hybrid app development
Hybrid app development is a trendy choice for organizations with tight budgets. It allows them to develop an innovative project within a short timeframe. This does not imply that the final product will be inferior to native apps. Developing hybrid applications lets companies significantly cut down on development time, cost, and resources. This saving gives them more freedom for promotion and strategy.
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Cost and Development Advantages
Typical hybrid app projects may see cost savings of up to 30 percent. Hybrid apps utilize a wide range of web development languages like CSS, HTML5, and JavaScript. If you have employees well-versed in these languages, you can leverage their skills directly.
But is there a downside to hybrid app development, even though it cuts project costs and timelines?
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Performance Considerations
You should know that hybrid app development is a great way to build your mobile app. However, the primary concern for most developers is that you may not get the natural feel, desired performance, or speed you expect.
Hybrid apps are more flexible than their native counterparts. This means that functions and features may change depending on the power of the device you are using. It also means that apps developed specifically for Android or iOS will usually perform better than multi-platform applications, with a few exceptions.
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A Prime Example: Instagram
Instagram is a popular example of a hybrid application written in React Native. Whether on Android or iOS, you will experience the same feel and look on these two major operating systems.
Benefits of Hybrid App Development
- Lower Price: A hybrid app is built only once, and it is ready to run on any operating system. Development time is short, and the cost is minimal.
- Better Performance Than PWAs: Hybrid frameworks enable applications to access platform-specific features, which enhances user experience and performance.
- Utilization of Web Technology: Hiring a web development team is straightforward. JavaScript apps are also easier to maintain in changing environments.
Drawbacks of Hybrid App Development
- Requires Third-Party Services: Pure JavaScript will not work unless you include a framework like Ionic or Cordova. Both have steep learning curves.
- Not as Robust as Native Apps: Hybrid approaches will never work for heavy games or performance-critical applications.
Progressive Web App Development
It is somewhat tricky to define what a progressive web app does. But progressive web apps offer features like push notifications, offline use, and device gestures like phone vibration. Users generally do not download them from traditional app stores. Instead, they bookmark them on their home screen with an icon that appears directly from a web browser.
Progressive Web apps are mobile websites designed with modern JavaScript frameworks.
1. Core Characteristics of a PWA
Here is what a progressive web application should do:
- Runs Off the Internet: As the name suggests, users can create a web shortcut—via the icon—and access the app via an internet connection. Examples include web apps for internal organizational use or Chrome extensions.
- Easily Downloadable and Shared: Users can download PWAs on any device or browser. The only way to access the app is via a URL, and it runs on any laptop or phone.
- Feels Like a Regular Mobile App: PWAs adopt a “shell and content” approach. This keeps the user interface consistent while the content changes, making the web app feel and act like a regular application.
- Has No Roadblocks: A progressive web app should update easily, feel fresh, and focus heavily on usability. It must also be highly responsive to every user’s screen size.
2. Development and Performance
Progressive web app development uses web development languages like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5. People often mistake them for hybrid apps because of their similar languages and cross-platform nature.
PWAs also have incredible performance and usability. A few even allow for intuitive offline functionality and access device features like cameras and GPS.
For instance, Spotify created a progressive web app version of its popular music streaming service to meet the demands of multiple user types beyond a rigid mobile perspective.
Benefits of progressive web app development
- Compatibility with any operating system or platform: Once created, a web app can be used almost immediately. Development time and price are also minimal.
- Usage of widely circulated technologies: Finding a web app development team is a no-brainer since progressive web app development is at its peak these days.
- Continuous innovation on the web: Google has introduced accelerated mobile pages and progressive web apps in order to make the mobile experience incredibly smooth. Development is ongoing, and this sometimes makes it incredibly challenging to determine whether you are using a web app or a native application.
- Instant updates: Users always have access to the latest versions of the web app, which cancels the need to download updates.
Drawbacks of progressive web app development
- Basic performance: This is an approach that works incredibly well for simple apps such as online stores, news publishers, etc. However, some applications require much better performance that web technology still lacks.
- Limited access to native features of the platform: A web app can’t access storage, camera, contacts, as well as other native features of a device.
- Unable to support all web browsers: There are dozens of browsers and several versions of browsers. A web app typically supports only the most popular and latest ones which make it impossible for users with exotic browsers to use your app.
- Not accessible via app stores: Web applications cannot be downloaded from app stores as they can only be accessed via a web link. This may be somewhat easier for users, but promoting your app may require innovative strategies.
Conclusion
As you can see, no single approach holds all the aces when comparing native, hybrid, or progressive app development. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages, and each performs better in specific environments.
When budget and time are limited, especially for startups, the progressive web app development approach reduces time-to-market and is your best option. But if you aim for wider functionality and better performance with a limited budget, you should consider the hybrid app development approach.
The native app development approach suits established companies that want to deliver a highly exclusive user experience to their customers. It may not be cost-effective, but the consistent user interface and flawless performance make it worth every dime.