By 2020, computers and desktops will become a tale of the last decade and the business market will be dominated by small-screen smart gadgets. It is the time when businesses should start focusing on mobile apps…
Now when it is clear that the future lies in mobile apps, the time demands you to decide what kind of apps you should look for. When looked from a distance, we have got a few prominent smartphone operating systems that are dominating the marketplace. iOS and Android are most popular amongst them, followed by Blackberry and Windows Mobile.
However, it is not necessary to choose a specific device when it comes to reach the masses. In a broader sense, we may classify smartphone apps in two broad categories – native apps and hybrid apps. While native apps are platform specific and are created for a particular set of hardware and platform, hybrid apps go a step ahead by giving you the freedom of running your app in any device you want. Simply put, hybrid apps broaden your reach and saves you good amount of money and time which otherwise you might have spent in creating different apps for different platforms.
Now the question of the hour is – what kind of app you should go for. Here is a general comparison between two:
Native Apps:
Taken from the word “native” which defines someone or something relevant to something specific, the native apps are totally platformed specific. If you go for Android app development or an iOS app development, the app will fall under the native category. And even if you create a mobile app, it will also fall under the native category as such an app is completely focused upon the small-screen gadgets.
Pros:
1. Native app works as per the inbuilt characteristics of a device, aligning with its hardware and software.
2. Due to being focused on a particular device, such apps show higher compatibility for the device they are meant for.
3. The apps are created keeping the specifications of the device and thus provides better performance.
4. Native apps are more secure than any other app because they follow the security guidelines of the specific app store.
5. Due to bearing the specifications of the device, these apps may easily integrate with the native APIs such as push notifications, contacts, camera etc.
Cons:
1. Developers need to write specific code for a certain platform which demands more resources.
2. An application designed for one platform does not work on other platforms. This means, if you want to broaden your reach, you have to create separate apps for different devices.
Hybrid Apps:
The only determined thing about technology users is that they are not determined…
And this is the reason why hybrid apps are so popular. Consider the simple fact that there are dozens of operating systems and platforms with each of them used by millions of users, it is never a wise idea to miss on any of them. And this is also the reason why focusing on something that reaches different groups of users at once. This is exactly where hybrid apps become so handy.
As the name suggests, hybrid apps are designed to cater to the requirements of different specifications. Not just different smartphone operating systems, these apps are equally supported by large screen devices such as desktops and laptops.
Along with the salient features of native apps, hybrid apps make best use of HTML, CSS and JavaScript that makes the suitable to run on virtually any device.
Pros:
1. One piece of code can be used for different environments – saving on time and cost.
2. Since these apps are designed to cater to screens of all sizes, they are equally suitable for mobile phones and desktops.
3. Hybrid apps combine the bunch of different smartphone users including Android users and iOS users, you get maximum reach with your business app.
4. Alongside, these apps are compatible with web technologies, multiplying your reach to a great extent.
Cons:
1. Developing a native app is easy, but developing a hybrid app is too difficult as it requires complex native libraries. This demands higher level of skills, time and budget.
2. Even while developing a hybrid app, you have to keep in mind the specifications of a certain operating system or device. This means, your app may not work great on other devices.
3. Due to the fact that hybrid apps are designed for multiple platforms, it does not comply with the security and functional guidelines of any platform and thus is less secured.
4. Hybrid apps generally don’t work good on latest devices and technologies.
So what is the way out?
It completely depends upon your prerequisites and focus. If your main focus is on getting high performance, native apps are for you. And it also depends as per your business segment or geographical targets. If you sell something that has a sophisticated and high end audience, you may set with an iOS app only. Or if your target audience comes from the USA or UK, or other developed countries, you may go for an iOS app only. On the other hand, if you deal in some products or services that are suited for common audience or if your target audience comes from developing countries like India, Android is the right platform for you. this simply means, a native app focused on a single platform will do the business for you.
And on the other event, if you focus more on performance and are willing to spend your money for that, you may create native apps for different platforms.
However, if money if your primary concern and you are willing to compromise on quality, security and performance to save a few bucks, go for hybrid application development. Also, as the technology is advancing, hybrid apps are certain to get more features and will become more secured and better performing, you may still consider them as a future trend.
So have you made your decision? If not, consult with us. We are a leading mobile application development company that delivers solutions for iPhones, Android, Windows Mobile and Cross Platform technologies. And yes, we may also create a native application for you.
