When creating your unique mobile app for your company, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is whether it will be native or hybrid. How will you decide between hybrid or native app development? Which one is best for you and your app users?
Before we go into the pros and cons for developers and clients of Native App Development or Hybrid App Development, let’s first explain the fundamental differences between them.
Option #1 – Native App Development: Native application development refers to using native programming languages on the device used to create the app. iPhone apps, for example, use Objective-C and Swift programming languages. Java is the native programming language for Android.
Option 2 — Hybrid App Design: These hybrid apps are created using web-based languages like HTML5, HTML5 and JavaScript. They then pack up in a native container like Adobe PhoneGap.
Apps can be created using either the App Store, or Google Play. The average developer will probably tell you that hybrid and native app development have their advantages and disadvantages. Which one is best for or?
5 Tips – Which method is best for my app?
#1 — Design – Most mobile interfaces can either be developed using native or hybrid apps. Hybrid allows for more design flexibility. HTML5 and CSS3 are far more capable than native mobile apps when it comes creating dynamic content.
#2 – User Experience: The most important consideration is the user experience. The native app development environment offers tools and design widgets to create standard interfaces that provide native user interaction experiences. These tools are not available in hybrid apps development tools.
It is much easier to create a native app user experience with the native development environment. This provides a seamless experience for your users. It is more economical to create hybrid apps with the PhoneGap and Android technologies.
Hybrid technologies enable faster development across the entire project. You can save time and money by not having to create an app for every native language. This allows you to make a more complex app. You can create the app once, and then submit it to all platforms with PhoneGap.
#3 — Performance: Native apps provide better performance. Native apps will be faster and more fluid. It will allow the user to navigate easily and without any delays. A hybrid app may require the user to click several times in order to receive an app’s response. Hybrid apps may make scrolling a little more difficult. Hybrid apps may not be able to display large animations.
#4 – Maintenance: Hybrid apps are generally more manageable if the framework is chosen by the developer. It’s important to do this because HTML, CSS and JavaScript are easier to maintain than native programming languages like Swift or Java. Your app will fail to maintain its code, especially if it is a hybrid app. Make sure you invest in the foundation and hire a skilled developer to help you over the long-term.
#5 – Security: Native apps generally provide a safer environment, but most security problems are caused by other factors. You can ensure that your app has strong security features due to proprietary ideas or sensitive user experience.
Two Sides of the Coin – Complexity versus Ease of use
Both clients and developers are at a disadvantage when it comes to complexity vs. user-friendliness. There are some lessons to be learned from cross-platform, more complex designs. This is true across all development teams. Hybrid apps are easier to maintain and manage, while native apps provide more security and user-friendly features. The perfect marriage of the two can be discussed depending on the brand’s needs.
