Mobile app development is the key to your business’s success irrespective of your industry type. The world has taken a digital turn as it has made everyone’s lives easy. From ordering food online to buying groceries or booking tickets, everything can be done within just a few taps now.
A study has shown that customers spend on mobile apps amounted to $33.8 billion worldwide. Now, that’s a huge figure. Isn’t it? Well, when it comes to building a mobile app, the foremost development strategy includes the biggest question- which platform will be best suited for your business?
If you are a startup owner, who is looking for their first app development or a well-established company to expand your online presence, you must know which development approach will meet your business expectations.
From Native vs Hybrid to Cross-Platform vs Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), the range of alternatives can be overwhelming.
In this blog, We've simplified these approaches so you can choose the one that best fits your particular project's needs and objectives. So, let’s begin with a basic understanding of each platform.
What Is Native App Development?
Creating a mobile application, which is particularly created for a single platform or operating system (like iOS or Android), is termed ‘Native App Development.’ The applications are built with platforms that are specific to programming languages & tools, leveraging most of their features & capabilities.
Some of its significant aspects are:
Platform-Specific Coding
Native mobile applications are built using native programming languages for the target platform. For example, developers should use Swift or Objective-C while creating apps for the iOS platform. The platform-specific code leads to a seamless app integration with operating systems.
Optimal Performance
One of the amazing features of native apps is their excellent performance as these apps are created particularly for their respective platforms. These apps make the most of hardware and software, which leads to quick response time with smooth animations and high-level responsiveness. Native apps are best suited for specifically those apps that need real-time processing or high visual graphics, such as video games.
Access to Device Features
Native app development gives substantial access to the features of hardware devices along with its capabilities. With this feature, Developers can easily access a wide range of hardware and software features which include GPS, camera, sensors, real-time notifications, etc. This type of integration is specifically for applications with rich-platform-specific functionalities.
Pros of Native App Development are:
- Better offline performance due to reduced code; support for device APIs for increased accessibility; and faster performance overall.
- UI elements are unique to every platform that improves the user experience.
- It is simpler to prevent bugs when necessary hardware is available.
- Screen ratios don't present issues because each platform has a different layout.
- Not requiring open-source libraries.
What Is Hybrid App Development?
It entails creating a mobile application with web technologies—like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—that is then installed on many platforms and wrapped in a native container. With this method, developers may produce a single codebase that works on several platforms, cutting down on development time and increasing solution efficiency.
Pros of Hybrid App Development are:
- Reduced development costs, particularly when creating a hybrid application for many platforms.
- Reduced time-to-market due to all variations using the same backend.
- Because it is built on online solutions rather than native ones, which have far more complicated coding, maintenance is much simpler.
- Utilizing native APIs makes it possible to use device capabilities like the camera and GPS without any issues.
- With a single codebase, adding new features to hybrid mobile apps is easy.
What Is Cross-Platform Mobile App Development?
Another effective approach is cross-platform which maintains the balance between cost-efficiency to create a single codebase for various platforms. It also focuses on the mobile app’s performance and accessible device features. This platform helps developers use only a single codebase which helps in developing applications that will run on multiple platforms including Android, iOS, and web browsers.
Pros of Cross-Platform Mobile App Development are:
- Time and money-saving because both app versions were developed concurrently (mainly)
- Code reuse, which spares us from having to write a unique base for every platform.
- Using an app for iOS and Android makes it simpler to reach more target audiences.
- In native development, codebases are typically very varied.
- Because the user interface is rendered using native solutions, its performance may be compared to native apps.
What is PWA Development?
Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) are apps built with web technologies that we probably all know which include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. PWAs are built with the capabilities like push notifications and the ability to work offline. They are also built on and enhanced with modern APIs which makes it easy to deliver improved capabilities along with reliability and the ability to install them on any device.
The user experience that is tailored for every platform serves as the foundation for their development. Employing a particular kind of developer is not necessary because Progressive Web Apps do not require any specific languages or frameworks. They can be completed using React or Angular. This kind of coding for apps is widely accepted in eCommerce projects.
Pros of PWA Development are:
The fact that PWA development services provide speedier development timeframes and more economical solutions is one of its main benefits. Progressive web app development uses a single codebase that can be used on many platforms which helps cut down on the time and resources needed to produce different versions of the app.
PWAs are easy to maintain and typically lighter than native or hybrid apps. The additional advantage of PWAs is their offline functionality, which allows users to utilize some app functionalities even when they are not online.
Concluding Words
We've covered the advantages and disadvantages of the three primary methods for custom mobile app development: native, hybrid, and PWA. It's now up to you to select the ideal fit for your undertaking!
The best option for developing feature-rich, high-performing apps is native app development. However, development costs more money and time. If you want to save money and release your product quickly, hybrid app development is great.
Just be aware that it might not function as quickly and smoothly as a native program. PWA development is very affordable and quick, and it may even be used offline!
When you want to create mobile applications with different features that lead to good performance, you can go with native app development. On the other hand, you can go with a hybrid platform to save money and launch your product rapidly. PWA is a great choice because it is cheap and easy it is to construct.
But at the same time, it depends on your project requirements, budget, and timeline. You do have a landscape of multiple platform options that will meet a spectrum of needs. So, whichever platform you pick, remember the foremost thing- only your unique app idea will make your business competitive.
