Native or Hybrid Development: Which Is Better for Mobile Apps?

Native or hybrid development? When building a dynamic and quality mobile application for your business, it is essential to consider the client or customer first. Your design should be compatible with the device they use, ensure their security, and provide an unforgettable user experience.


Additional and vital factors include the initial cost of the app, future development needs, and time to market. While you will make many decisions about your app along the way, your primary choices include native or hybrid development. Which one should your company choose for both UX and enterprise success?


Native Development

A native application is a smartphone app developed specifically for a mobile operating system like iOS or Android. This means developers write, build, and test a separate application for each operating system.  These types of apps, which include user favorites such as Facebook, Waze, and Pokemon Go, follow both the technical and user experience guidelines for each chosen OS.
Since users are already familiar with how the app looks and performs, they will quickly learn how to navigate it and benefit from its features. If you want your customers to use their location or share photos, native applications easily access the built-in components of their device, like GPS and camera.


Since they are OS-friendly, they are easy to discover in App Store or Google Play Store. Their operating system compatibility also offers strong security. In most cases, they are the development choice for the premier user experience, including quick startup times, fast responses, and the most advanced graphics and animations.

While there are many advantages of native app development, among the downsides businesses should consider is the lack of code portability. Since different code must be written for smartphones and tablets for each app store, this choice can be time-consuming. Native apps can also be more expensive to develop and maintain.


Hybrid Development

Many hybrid apps are now built to look and feel like a native app; however, they are usually powered by a company’s website. During hybrid development, the site is created using choices like CSS or JavaScript, then packaged into a native wrapper. Information loads on the page as the user navigates through the application. As a result, they can be built for iOS, Android, or Microsoft. Banking, insurance, and trading websites are a few examples of hybrid applications.
Since there is one code base for multiple platforms, hybrid apps are highly portable and easy to maintain. There is also more straightforward access to various hardware and software capabilities through plugins than with native apps. The origination costs are cheaper, and there is a faster initial speed to market. By using CSS, you also make the app design flexible. This flexibility helps reduce development cost.


The cons of developing a hybrid app include the lack of natural UI assets for Android, Microsoft, or iOS. This can result in slower performance. Also, your team may be required to support and manage individual packages in the app stores. If you are interested in building an app for a highly secure environment, ensure your website’s security features can be implemented first.


How to Choose

When deciding between native or hybrid development, every business should consider app performance and strength of security. They should also evaluate their investment’s monetization potential, the availability of both native and hybrid programming expertise, and the actual cross-platform deployment and update costs.


Ask your IT or development team if you need to be on more than one platform right away. You can also consider the location of your users. While many people in North America and Australia prefer iOS, most of the world access their favorite applications on Android. The leading consideration, however, is the quality of their user experience. Whether you go with mobile or hybrid, your app should always “feel native.”

 

Consulting with a Software Development Expert

If you are still unsure about which app to select, an experienced mobile development team can help. iTexico is an end-to-end software development services company that empowers clients to optimize their technology investments and enhance company profitability.


Our NearshorePlus service will provide your enterprise with a team of collaborative experts, with all the benefits of offshoring without the risks. Your business will pair with a skilled application development team which shares the same border near the US.


Create a beautiful and functional application while reducing the cost and time it takes to deliver your product to market. Contact us today to see how we can help you with your app.

Download our Free E-Book and learn how the Product Mindset can benefit your mobile app. 

Through this guide, we want to give you, product owners, product managers, engineers, entrepreneurs and anybody looking to build great digital products, more insights into the importance of user-centric design and development and how to correctly achieve it.

How Product Mindset Can Save your Sinking App

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