Native Apps Vs Hybrid Apps – The Pros and Cons

Native Apps Vs Hybrid Apps – The Pros and Cons
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 platform specific. If you create an Android app development or an
iOS app development, it 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 smallscreen 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 secured 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 native 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 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 are 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.

Should you go for a native mobile app for iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile, or a hybrid app that works on all? Read this blog and you will get the answer.

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