25/12/2019

Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid- Choose the Best for Mobile Apps

Select the right approach for your mobile app choosing between the native app, web app, and hybrid app. Fifty years from now, no one had a single idea about mobile apps. With the conception of their idea, the development and implementation of these apps in daily lives came as a tsunami that invaded user experience and gave it a new direction.

Today, millions of apps steamroll the mobile app market with users approaching various types, features, and of course, their preference. However, the way an app appears hides so much in the background.

Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid

Besides appearing similar, mobile applications differ in the way they are developed. They are developed into three main categories: Native, Web, and Hybrid. All of these have their method of development with various other technical and feature options, involving different modes of user engagement.

Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid- Table of Content


  • Understanding Native Web and Hybrid Apps
    • Native Apps
    • Web Apps
    • Hybrid Apps
  • A Guide to Choose the Best Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid for Mobile Apps Development
    • Costs And Your Budget
    • App Performance
    • Access To Device Internal Features
    • UI/UX Quality
    • Market Discoverability
  • Choosing Your Mobile App Isn’t That Hard

The mobile-first approach is growing. As easy as it seems, several complications bar the way one wants to have an app created. The reason? Each category mentioned above offers features different from the other apps.

Regardless of the type of app you want to create, you must first understand what each category offers and what kinds of advantages and disadvantages you can get.

Understanding Native Web and Hybrid Apps


While several apps are created using a variety of categories, the most widely employed classes are. We are trying to explain native web and hybrid apps in simple words.

  1. Native App
  2. Web App
  3. Hybrid App

Native Apps


When you think of mobile apps downloadable from a specific app market, you’re considering native apps.

Native Apps

These apps are built for particular functions on specific platforms, such as Objective C and Swift used for iOS and Kotlin or Java used for Android. For their particular tasks, native apps are developed using software development tools (SDK). You may recall some popular native apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Pokemon Go.

Due to its reliability and agility, the native app gives the best user experience. Also, these apps can integrate with other in-built mobile features, such as camera, microphone, contact list, location, and so on. The native apps take time for creation and maintenance, which is somewhat considered a downfall.

Web Apps


As the name indicates, web apps are mobile apps that run on browsers like Chrome, Mozilla, Safari, and others. Web Apps are written in HTML5 and JavaScript, it’s easier to access via web them without downloading them. To develop a web app, you need help from a web design company in Dallas that also provides web development services.

Web Apps

However, in opposition to native apps, these do not have access to the device’s functionalities, but their development is versatile due to the presence of universal coding languages. Also, these are cost-effective in comparison to the previous ones.

Hybrid Apps


When features of native and web apps combine, hybrid apps are born. These integrate the elements of both app platforms and merge them. Hybrid apps are built using single codebases like web apps but have access to devise features like native apps. These can run as web apps yet are downloadable from web platforms.

Hybrid Apps

Since these apps offer the convenience of both the previous ones, these require multiple coding languages and additional features to create a cross-platform app. Plus, these are low-maintenance with a fast-development procedure. Performance, however, depends on the speed of the users’ browsers – slow or fast.


A Guide to Choose the Best Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid for Mobile Apps Development


Each app category has its pros and cons, which are minimized or maximized depending on its usage. Your choice of the app must reflect your business objectives.

Sure, you can’t possibly go for any app platform just because it looks good; you need to consider several factors that help you pinpoint the app for your business.

1. Costs And Your Budget


Each app category has a different development path, which makes their pricing different. The costs of app development depend on the skills, efforts, timeframe, and the number of resources used. Keeping that in mind, native apps come as the costliest due to their complex development demand. It requires skilled developers as well as a lengthy development period.

On the flip side, web and hybrid apps are inexpensive due to their universal code language. If you’re searching an app that works cross-platform, requires low maintenance, and fits into your budget, hybrid apps might be the best option for you.

2. App Performance- Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid


Apps perform well when they’re built for specific platforms, aka the native apps. Since native codes work faster than HTML or JavaScript, the performance with even the sophisticated features remains uncompromised. Also, the tools used for development allow access to app features without dealing with complex plugins. About 49% of mobile users open an average of over 11 apps daily

Relatively, hybrids come second in line with their performance similar to native apps despite their source code difference. It acts as a medium to download data from the server, which compromises its performance. Last comes the web app that depends mainly on internet connection and browser speed, hence limiting the performance to a great extent.

3. Access To Device Internal Features


If you’re developing an app like Whatsapp, it requires access to the device’s internal features. From accessing the microphone to using the camera, such native apps utilize your device’s APIs to deliver a great experience.

As the middle ground, hybrid apps might have limited access to the device’s in-built features. As for web apps, they have access to fewer features as compared to hybrid apps.

4. UI/UX Quality- Native Vs Web Vs Hybrid Apps


When having an app developed, you must keep in mind that each platform offers a different type of user interface and experience. Depending on the context of your audience, your app demand might vary broadly from preferring native apps over web apps or vice versa.

If you are interested in maximizing the user experience with the app using all the device’s features, native apps offer a better chance to gain the visibility your business needs.

On a scale of having an appeasing interface with high usability to a plain form, UI/UX transcends from native to hybrid to web apps. From giants to a motivational speaker in Atlanta, everyone is getting their apps developed.

5. Market Discoverability


Apps like native and hybrid are the ones you’ll find on the app markets, with them being marketed organically and also through optimization. While these are easy to find, web apps aren’t listed in the stores. They’re shared as websites via emails and other social channels preferred by your business.

Native and hybrid apps are listed on the app stores with their ranking due to their detailed description, screenshots, reviews, and so on. Web apps lack these features as their marketing relies heavily on organic means.

Choosing Your Mobile App Isn’t That Hard


Mobile apps come in multiple categories, a few of which we listed above. All of these have specific requirements ranging from massive development to a low-key one. If you have the time and budget to afford a particular app for a specific platform, native apps are the best choice.

Also Read: Native and Cross-Platform App Development | Differences | Pros & Cons

If you’re up for something on the lighter side and fast, you might find hybrid and web apps working well for you. Just make sure that whatever app you choose, it must fulfil your purpose without sacrificing your potential goals and objectives.
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Hi, I’m Ghanendra Yadav, SEO Expert, Professional Blogger, Programmer, and UI Developer. Get a Solution of More Than 500+ Programming Problems, and Practice All Programs in C, C++, and Java Languages. Get a Competitive Website Solution also Ie. Hackerrank Solutions and Geeksforgeeks Solutions. If You Are Interested to Learn a C Programming Language and You Don't Have Experience in Any Programming, You Should Start with a C Programming Language, Read: List of Format Specifiers in C.
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2 comments:

  1. You have put up points which would be of help for a beginner as well. I think. ui/ux would be very important.I have come across a blog on xamarin vs react native. Have a look here.
    https://www.solutionanalysts.com/blog/xamarin-vs-react-native-comparison-between-two-cross-platform-app-development-tools/

    ReplyDelete
  2. A great piece that sheds much needed light on emerging technology like mobile app development and its impact on business as there are many new details you posted here. Sometimes it is not so easy to build Top mobile app development without custom knowledge; here you need proper development skills and experience. However, the details you mention here would be very much helpful for the beginner. Here is yet another top-notch solution provider “X-Byte Enterprise Solutions” who render feasible and credible solutions to global clients.

    Know more: Top mobile app development company

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