Native and hybrid apps: Is there an opposition?

Mobile apps are becoming an increasingly integral part of our everyday life. To keep up with new trends in the mobile development market, you need to be familiar with popular types of mobile applications.

NIX, a leading cross platform mobile app development company, will help you figure out which mobile apps are the best.

Quick Review of Hybrid and Native Apps

In short, native applications are software for a specific type of platform and user device. These are usually iOS and Android devices. Hybrid applications, on the other hand, are focused on different types of user devices regardless of the specifics of their work.

Each type of mobile application has its own pros and cons. Thus, native mobile apps:

• Are more productive;
• Have extensive functionality;
• Fully integrate with the web platform on which they are installed;
• Deploy well in app stores.

Native applications require special knowledge and developing experience (often this is due to the deployed architecture of the application itself and the complexity of the programming languages that are used to write the code). In addition, services for developing native applications are somewhat more expensive. So is their further maintenance.

When it comes to hybrid applications, the main benefits include:

• Ease of development – only one code is used in the architecture;
• Accessibility – it is much more efficient to create one application that will work on all types of user devices than a separate application for each platform;
• Have a built-in browser that provides access to interactive content.

Despite the obvious advantages of hybrid applications, they have a number of significant drawbacks. In particular, they need access to the internet to work effectively. The functionality looks somewhat poorer than in native applications, and the elimination of errors and interruptions in their work may require additional intervention.

Specifics of native and hybrid app development

Different types of mobile applications differ not only in their functionality and the options they can offer to users. The method of development is also important.

For native applications, the most commonly used languages are Java (for the Android platform) and Swift or Objective-C (for iOS).

As to hybrid applications, the most commonly used frameworks for writing code are React Native or Ionic. They ensure smooth operation and flexibility for different platforms.

This is not to say that one development technology is worse than another. It all depends on the ultimate goal of the project.

How to Choose Right?

It would seem that the choice is quite obvious – a mobile application that works on different user devices will be more effective. However, things are not quite so simple. If you carefully study the pros and cons of hybrid and native applications, you will notice that the cons of one of these types turn into the pros of the other.

Therefore, if you do not know if it’s better to choose native, hybrid, or some other kind of development, use our tips:

1. Determine the purpose for which you need the app. What you want to offer with your product, which users it is targeted at – these are the main questions to answer when choosing the type of development.
2. Allocate an accurate budget. The development of mobile apps requires serious financial investments, including unforeseen ones. Study the cost of services from different app development companies, compare them with your capabilities, and make a choice.
3. Book an interview with the developer. During a live conversation, you can not only assess the cost of services and readiness to work. You will also be able to ask questions about the specific tools and technologies used by the team. In addition, the developers will be able to suggest which mobile applications – hybrid or native – are right for you and your business.

The tips are pretty simple but effective. They will help you choose, even if they don’t quite answer the question of which type of apps is better in general.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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