Native, Cross-Platform, or Hybrid App Development: Which One Should You Pick?

Mobile devices in this era have become an integral part of our life. According to Statista’s projected figures, the number of smartphone users across the globe will grow to roughly 2.5 billion in 2019. Moreover, among these smartphone users, Android and iOS have consistently fared as the two most well-liked operating systems in the market. Though Android leads the race between the two with an 80 percent share of all smartphones sales, iOS commands a 15 percent share in the smartphone market. The discussion about the popularity of smartphones and platforms leads to the conversation about the growing importance of developing mobile apps.

Seeing just how common smartphones are today, it isn’t surprising to see how the world has discovered the tools for better business. And, as an app development company your objective is to choose a mobile app development platform where we want to develop the app. Though the decision of choosing the platform entirely depends on the nature of your business. It gets quite tricky to decide since there are a variety of factors, such as features, target audience, budget, and business goals that one must consider before arriving at a final decision.

Read more to allow us to help you walk through the three key options, what they offer, and how they are different from the others:

1. Native smartphone app development

Native development refers to the process of developing a mobile app solely for the platform in question. Taking the native development approach has several connotations for the business as well as its app, with the application’s resources that get stored in the device’s memory, which ensures optimum utilization of the OS’ provisions and features. It, in turn, allows this form of development to deliver high-quality functionality along with exceptional user experiences.
Developers and businesses must remember that if they want to offer the app on different OS’, they will incur additional expenditure since offering the same app on different platforms are likely to result in inconsistencies and compatibility issues.

2. Cross-platform mobile app development

Cross-platform app development makes use of HTML and CSS to design different elements and JavaScript to deliver innovative functionalities. This approach also involves the use of frameworks such as Adobe Air and Corona, which allows developers to directly call native code to leverage device-specific features such as navigation, proximity, and more as well as that of the OS. Cross-platform mobile app development ensures that the OS’s limitations don’t restrict the app usage, which translates into fuss-free functionality. Beyond cost-effectiveness, this approach allows users to benefit from code repeatability. The cross-platform development approach offers limited functionality that developers can leverage because of its limited native feel.

3. Hybrid mobile app development

This form of mobile app development is mostly a mix of all the best practices and facets of other development approaches where native code gets combined with platform-independent code. Hybrid app development requires only a handful of modifications to the code before is applicable for different platforms. It means developers and business owners save not only time but also valuable financial resources. Furthermore, this approach delivers a feel and functionality that is so similar to native apps and therefore it is impossible to tell the difference.

While each of these options might each seem to offer individually impressive functionalities and benefits, the business need decides the choice. If you are looking to build a smartphone app for various platforms, a cross-platform app solution might be a good idea. So, carefully list down what you wish to offer to your customers and what you aim to achieve with it, and then choose a development platform accordingly.