HyperEther
Modern business owners, besides having website to spread the word about their business, often need to have a mobile app to support their business, as people are getting more and more mobile themselves. These two features will provide you with faster services and put your venture on the map of tech-savvy enterprises.
After you figured out that you need a mobile app, and before you have your mobile app made, you should learn more about different types of mobile apps.
In this article, we’ll clarify these differences.
What are native apps?
They’re made in native programming languages for every platform and thus restricted to a particular platform. For instance, apps for Android are usually made with Java (or recently Kotlin), while their iOS counterparts are developed using Swift (earlier Objective-C).
In other words, you have to opt for one operating system at a time, or get two teams of app developers to work on your apps. This might require longer development time than building a hybrid/cross platform apps, but the options that you get with a native app might be worth trying.
What are hybrid apps?
HTML5 hybrid mobile apps are cross-platform apps that render the user interface using an embedded web browser, as well as leveraging HTML, CSS and Javascript.
Hybrid apps have a browser element called a web view, which makes it possible to launch your (existing) Web app inside a native app. What’s taken from the native-app realm is the wrapper, which establishes communication with the web view and the native platform.
It’s important to emphasize that these solutions are neither made nor launched by Android or iOS, but they’re usually built by third parties. This is good to know if you’re new to the world of apps and platforms.
What are cross-platform mobile apps?
Those apps are trying to combine the two aforementioned approaches - building native mobile apps using the common JavaScript language similar to hybrid apps. Developers claim that this way you’ll get an app indistinguishable from a native app at the price of a hybrid app. These apps are usually built on the React-Native framework.
Pros & Cons
Establishing development
If you decide to take the plunge and build your mobile app on your own, it will include a lot of learning for you or your team. Even if you do possess enough determination and energy for that app-building endeavor, be ready to spend as much time on repairing glitches and bugs in its functionality to reach perfection. None of these approaches to app development will give you fast results here.
Features
First and foremost, if you have a feature-rich, complex app on your mind, it might be better to go native. Native apps tend to be a more practical choice for mobile apps that include videos, chat add-ons, or custom maps. If you want to take into account the special features of each particular platform, as well as enhanced user experience, then this is the right choice for you. If you aim for proof of concept apps with simplified features, cross-platform or hybrid solutions should definitely be taken into account.
App architecture
Analyze app requirements very carefully! More and more, apps are relying on third-party libraries to speed up the development process. If your project requires complex, third-party libraries, you might be limited to use only a few approaches, sometimes even only one. So far, those libraries usually have better support for native solutions as a result of native solutions maturity.
Look & feel
Hybrid apps have a tendency to be platform agnostic and thus make apps for different platforms look alike. Cross platform apps are closer to native solutions in terms of design, but still sometimes might contain that “web app look and feel”. In native apps, most features will look original and custom-made for that very platform. If your app design is made to be platform agnostic rather than to emphasize a platform specific behavior, it will add extra work to the native development process.
Maturity
Since native apps have been in use longer than cross-platform or hybrid tools and ReactNative – there’s a lower risk that developers won’t be able to implement special or non-common features. Also, you might be able to find good developers for native apps easier.
Maintenance
Another thing that might be useful for the sake of calculation are iOS and Android OS updates, bringing new features (and rules) available for mobile app development in general. You can count on quicker updates and faster implementation of these new requests if you have native apps, since it takes more time for changes to spread through cross-platform or hybrid platforms. Of course, native app require more detailed maintenance.
Costs
Like we’ve already said, cross-platform or hybrid development can cost less than native apps, due to the reduced development time. On the other hand, debugging native apps is much easier and faster than hybrid or the cross platform ones. Experts say that native apps development usually requires 1.5 times longer development time than building a cross platform or hybrid apps. Of course, this is not a strict rule - it depends on requirements and available resources. Therefore, analyze everything as carefully as possible.
Mobile apps distribution
Apple Store has strict terms and guidelines for accepting and distributing mobile apps. You can read more about these cases on their website.
When it comes to Google Play, they have a more open-minded policy than Apple Store. This is mainly due to the different character of the Android OS.
Also, all apps have equal chances to be accepted and published on this platform, regardless of the development platform they’re built on.
Nevertheless, bear in mind that they’ll notice careless app design which could result in lower conversion rates for your business.
The final word
A business without a mobile app can be a perfectly suitable solution. A business with a mobile apps can take you closer to your potential users and get you ahead of the curve.
The tough choice you need to make here is whether it’s going to be a cross-platform, hybrid or a native app. Mostly it depends on the choices listed here. We tried to explain how each of these types of apps work, as well as to highlight their advantages and drawbacks.
In case you’re still in two minds, we’d be happy to help you choose the best type of app for your needs. Feel free to schedule a free 30-min appointment with us and figure out the best solution for your business app.