Hybrid Apps Vs. Native Apps – Which is the Best for Your Business?

• Posted on August 21, 2019
• |
• 5 minutes read

The world of mobile apps has grown at an unprecedented pace, and you can decipher it very well from the following stats shared by Statista.

• The number of mobile app downloads will reach a whopping 258.2 billion by the year 2022.
• Consumers across the globe have already spent a huge 22.6 billion US dollars on mobile apps across all platforms.
• 25% of mobile apps are accessed by users only once after download. This means user experience plays a vital role in the success or failure of a mobile app.

So, if you are a business looking to enhance your market outreach, a mobile app can do the needful. However, getting it right from the first time is imperative. You can do that by opting for the right mobile app development approach. In this context, you have two options. While one is the Native App development approach, the other one is the Hybrid App development approach.

Wondering which one to choose?

Well, if you want to give your users an astounding UI and UX experience, then building a native application is the key to success. But, if all you want is a quick mobile app which is easier to develop, then going the hybrid app way is the answer. Though, its user experience and performance are sub-par as compared to native apps. Take a look at the app development process of both the platforms.

Know Your Apps – What Approach Suits You the Best

Native apps

Native apps are developed and built for particular platforms along with being written in languages that the platform accepts. For instance, while native iOS apps are written in Swift or Objective-C, native Android apps are written in Java or Kotlin.

Hybrid apps

Hybrid apps also known as the cross-platform app works across multiple platforms while behaving like native apps. It basically is an amalgamation of a native and web app. Such apps can be installed like a native app on any device but, it technically is a web app. Built with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, hybrid apps are run in a web view.

Now, let’s see what are the major differences between these two app development approaches.

1. While hybrid apps are built with the help of technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, native apps are developed with specific technology and language for a specific platform such as Swift for iOS and Java for Android.
2. Hybrid apps require only a single code base for development across all platforms. Whereas the native apps need a separate app and code base for each platform.
3. Hybrid apps are dependent on various libraries and frameworks such as Cordova, Ionic. These need to be in sync with the latest changes in performance and versions. Whereas native apps are not much dependent on open source libraries and platforms such as Cordova and Ionic.

Hybrid Apps Vs. Native Apps – Get Ready for the Big Game

Now, since you know the major differences, here’s a detailed analysis of both the app development platforms on specific criteria. This will help you align your need and the app specifications.

1. App Performance

The coding in native mobile app development for different platforms is done using different programming languages which is specific to each operating system. This, in turn, makes a different version of a single app available for each platform. And, since it is specific to that operating system, its performance becomes smooth and impeccable.

Hybrid apps, on the other hand, has an extra layer between the target mobile platform and the source code. As a result, it leads to a loss in-app performance. However, the performance might vary from application to application.

2. Speed

The native apps are optimized for iOS and Android OS which makes its performance and speed relatively higher. From the utilization of the memory and battery to implementing new gestures and functions, it is easy to integrate everything in a native app.

However, hybrid apps run on top of additional layers which leads to the consumption of a lot of computing resources, thereby, decreasing the overall speed of the app.

3. User experience

User experience is the core of any mobile app development. The native app does it like a pro. It comes with better scrolling, great gesture recognition feature along with appealing effects and animations.

Whereas in hybrid apps, it is difficult to maintain a smooth user experience throughout the Android and iOS platforms. Focusing on one platform worsens the performance of the other.

4. App security and Data protection

Native app development facilitates high protection of data and security through its efficient hardware resources. The same isn’t the case with hybrid apps though. This is because of the reason that the hybrid container which basically works as a web browser can expose the features of the hybrid platform. It might lead to possible web attacks in the form of HTML 5 related vulnerabilities, client HTML 5 information exposure, client HTML 5 insecure storage, etc.

5. App Development time

The app development turnaround time for native apps are more. Developing the design and implementing it across various devices such as Android, iPhones, iPads, etc. takes longer time in app development.

On the contrary, hybrid apps with its single code base not only take lesser time to develop but also comes with faster time to market. So, if you want to target your audience as soon as possible, then making your app go live through a hybrid approach is the key.

Read: What is the Ideal App Development Time for your Mobile Application?

6. App Development cost

A native app is platform-specific. Developers usually specialize in a single platform, be it either iOS or Android. Therefore, for building a native app, the development teams will be needed for each platform on which the app is created. As a result, it will increase the cost of development, and any future changes and app updates will extract cost too. However, the results can be fascinating and worth the investment.

Now talking about hybrid apps, these are developed through a single code applicable for every platform be it Android, iOS or Windows. There is no need to hire different programmers for it, thereby resulting in lower development cost along with a budget-centric approach.

7. App Maintenance

With native applications, maintaining and updating become difficult because you will be required to make changes to each version. However, as mentioned already, hybrid apps are basically web apps integrated into a native shell. Therefore, you can update its content as many times as you want, making the overall app maintenance process easier.

8. Offline support

Native apps can work seamlessly without an internet connection too. It has the ability to store and retrieve data on a physical device even in offline mode. But the same is not the case with hybrid apps. Though it supports offline work, the data cannot be updated while you are working offline.

Over to you Next…

Now, having known everything about Native and Hybrid app development, what’s the approach that would best suit your business? Well, considering the following factors can help you make the right decision.

• What kind of time to market do you need for your app?
• The quality of user experience you want your app to have.
• The kind of features you want your app to work upon.

So, whichever approach you choose, make sure you keep the above-mentioned points in mind, especially the user experience one. In fact, user experience should be a primary factor when building an app because 32% of users return to an application 11 times or more.

Though hybrid apps look appealing because of its high speed to market, easy updates, low budget, etc., it is the native app that wins the race. Unlike hybrid apps that have performance-driven issues in the long run, native apps don’t only give the best performance but also comes with a highly responsive user interface.

Even Facebook went from a Hybrid app to Native app and gave its users a rejoicing experience. All in all, with native apps, you would save time and money both in the long run while giving an impeccable user experience along with industry-standard app performance.

How Digicorp Can Help You

Once you are all set to turn your app idea into reality, it is of utmost importance to decide what approach suits you. Talk to our experts at Digicorp to understand what works best for your business – Native app development or Hybrid App development. We can help you with a free assessment and consultation to guide you with the most suitable approach.

Working with Digicorp is process-driven and hassle-free. We make sure that your mobile app development process is seamless from design, development to deployment. Get in touch with us with your app idea or app development requirements today, and one of our experts will communicate with you within 1 business day.