With the overwhelming number of mobile phones in use today, it's no surprise that businesses want to make their apps stand out from the competition. But how do you choose the best technology for your app? Do you go for native or hybrid development?
The global mobile application market size had a valuation of USD 206.85 billion in 2022 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8% from 2023 to 2030.
Which mobile app types are the most useful? What are the benefits of mobile apps?
With the overwhelming number of mobile phones in use today, it’s no surprise that businesses want to make their apps stand out from the competition. But how do you choose the best technology for your app? Do you go for native or hybrid development?
The number of smartphone mobile network subscriptions worldwide reached almost 6.6 billion in 2022 and is forecast to exceed 7.8 billion by 2028. (Source: Statista)
With over 5 billion smartphone users around the world, it is no wonder mobile applications have become an indispensable part of everyday life. Businesses of all shapes and sizes are competing to create the best mobile apps that give customers an unbeatable user experience.
However, achieving this can be difficult. Choosing the right technology for your app development is essential to ensure its success and prospects. With so many options available, it is easy to get lost in the details. If you, as a business owner and founder, are struggling to hire a tech team to develop your business’s mobile app, reach out to us to discuss your business development and technical needs. You don’t have to worry about hiring a senior software engineer or a CTO first if it is not feasible.
Now, let us talk about mobile app types and the benefits of mobile apps.
The first of the two mobile app types we cover is the Native app.
Native apps are the most popular choice amongst businesses looking to create the optimal user experience. These applications are written with a specific platform in mind such as iOS, Android, or Windows. Native apps use language-specific tools such as Swift/Objective-C for iOS and Java/Kotlin for Android.
Did you know that Snapchat is a Native app? Native apps can take advantage of more powerful hardware features, such as geolocation and push notifications. Additionally, they offer faster execution time and better performance. As a result, users have a smooth experience while using a Native app.
“Planning to build a highly engaging gaming app? Give native app development a go, as this will turn your app into a highly immersive and eye-captivating work of art. When building native apps, there are no abstraction layers when compiling them, so you should expect a highly reactive app that your audience will love.” – Matthew Grace, SaaS product expert
Native apps provide a tailored user interface that is familiar and easy to use on various devices. This also allows businesses to create an attractive design that is unique to their brand.
Hybrid apps provide an unbeatable combination of Native App and Web App technologies – giving you the best of both worlds. The languages that build these types of mobile apps are mainly HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
With platforms like Apache Cordova, React Native, or Xamarin, Hybrid apps can run on multiple platforms with a single codebase.
The Ionic app is an example of this technology. The Ionic app utilizes AngularJS and Apache Cordova to build its user interface via HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This allows the deployment of the app on iOS and Android devices. Moreover, it can interact with device features like a camera, GPS, and contacts.
According to Prashant Singh Senghar, a business transformation strategist on LinkedIn, “Hybrid frameworks let developers create a single version of the app to write and maintain individual codebase for many other platforms.
This saves lots of money and makes development easy by releasing the MVP before your competitors do so. This results in launching different solutions much faster that will give you a competitive edge“.
Hybrid apps offer easy maintainability and quick updates. If time-to-market speed is more important than performance – hybrid apps may just be the right solution for your business!
Well, it’s time to dig into the benefits of mobile apps as well as highlight the cons of these mobile app types.
When it comes to performance, Native apps are the clear winner. Offering superior speed, they offer a seamless and smooth user interface for optimal performance.
With direct access to device hardware and software, they provide unparalleled levels of speed compared to Hybrid apps. If you’re looking for the best performance and speed out there, Native apps are your best bet.
Native apps offer a superior user experience in comparison to Hybrid apps. Developed specifically for each platform, they are built to seamlessly match the guidelines and standards of the platform.
If your app feels strange or strange, customers will have to avoid using it. With a native app, it is a lot easier for customers to fulfill UI and UX expectations – Robert Taylor, head of business strategy at ServiceDealz
As a result, the user interface not only looks great but is also easy to use. Plus, it offers a visually appealing experience that will keep you engaged and wanting more!
By storing user data and information within the device, Native apps provide a higher level of security than Hybrid apps. Thus, your data remains safe from unauthorized access.
With Native applications, you can take advantage of the powerful security features your device has to offer. This includes data encryption, fingerprint authentication, and secure storage of use. that your personal information is safe. Rest assured! Your data is secure with Native apps.
Further reading: Remote Work = Remote Hacking? Five Data Protection Tips to Keep Your Data Secure
As a startup founder, developer, or recruiter, you should know the pros as well as the cons of these mobile app types.
In terms of development costs, Native apps can put a strain on the wallet. You need a different team for each platform to take full advantage of all its features, resulting in higher upfront costs.
“Native apps are more expensive because they take longer to build (rather than building once via Xamarin or Phonegap), but this makes them higher quality and offer a better user experience” – Gabriel Kwakyi, mobile app marketing company founder on Quora.
When it comes to maintaining and updating your Native apps, you can expect to incur more costs than if you were to use a hybrid option.
However, with the extra security they offer and improved user experience, you can rest assured that it’s worth every penny.
Developing a Native app can take more time and effort than other methods. You need to use different programming languages, tools, and techniques for each platform.
Extensive testing is essential to ensure that the app performs properly.
Some examples of popular Native apps are:
What mobile app type is Instagram? Yes, you guessed it. Finally, it’s time to cover the advantages of Hybrid mobile app types!
Since they can work with multiple platforms, Hybrid apps offer unbeatable access to a wide audience.
Moreover, you don’t have to worry about creating separate codebases for different platforms – meaning that you can save precious time and effort with this flexible option.
With Hybrid apps, you can have an excellent product without breaking the bank.
They tend to cost up to 50% less than Native apps, making it easier to enjoy the same benefits at a more economical price.
Whatever your deadline, Hybrid apps are one of the fastest methods on the market when it comes to deployment.
“The development process is significantly quicker as compared to native app development because the hybrid app framework enables mobile app developers to reuse a large portion of the same code” – Lucy Kristina, Top ten advantages of hybrid app development.
You can expect development and updating times to be much shorter than those of Native apps. Therefore, you won’t have to wait around for long to get your app ready for use.
Let us analyze the negatives of these types of apps, shall we?
Hybrid applications can sometimes suffer from performance issues. This happens due to their reliance on web technologies, which is not always the best solution for utilizing device-specific features.
Enjoying a seamless experience is one of the key benefits of mobile apps in the Native category.
As hybrid apps do not present a seamless experience that is characteristic of native apps it can create serious performance issues in high-performing apps as well as games. Users will face lags and because of this, they might even leave your app – Native vs Hybrid apps, Mohammadi Jhabuawala
However, this isn’t something that’s guaranteed with Hybrid apps. The user experience isn’t usually quite as smooth and consistent.
Native apps can offer extra layers of protection. Hybrid apps cannot match this level as their design doesn’t cater to security requirements.
Some of the best-performing Hybrid apps with a multi-platform framework are the ones you probably use every day. Some examples of Hybrid apps are:
It can be a tricky decision to decide which development path is best for your mobile app. Weigh up your needs, budget, and desires to find out whether you’d benefit from Native or Hybrid approaches.
Native mobile app types give unbeatable performance and an outstanding user experience. Hybrid apps are more cost-effective and can run on multiple platforms. Whatever your requirements, be sure to pick the option that best fits them!
The choice between a hybrid and native approach depends on your specific needs and circumstances. If you need an app that requires high performance or uses native device features extensively, such as a camera, GPS, or accelerometer, then a native approach is usually the better option. However, if you want to develop an app quickly and cost-effectively and don’t require advanced device features, then a hybrid approach may be suitable.
A native app is built using platform-specific programming languages and tools and runs directly on a mobile device’s operating system. A hybrid app, on the other hand, uses web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and is wrapped in a native container to run on mobile devices. Native apps generally provide better performance and a more seamless user experience, while hybrid apps can save time and resources by allowing developers to create one codebase that can run on multiple platforms.
Native apps generally provide better performance and a more seamless user experience, but require more development time and resources, as they are built specifically for a single platform. Web apps are easier to develop and maintain, but may not provide the same level of performance or functionality as native apps. Hybrid apps use web technologies and can be wrapped in a native container, which can save time and resources, but may not perform as well as native apps or provide the same level of user experience. The choice depends on factors such as the type of app, budget, timeline, and target audience.
Native development is often considered better than hybrid development for a few reasons:
Performance: Native apps are built using platform-specific programming languages and tools, which allows them to take full advantage of the device’s hardware and operating system, resulting in better performance and faster response times.
User experience: Native apps offer a more seamless user experience since they are designed specifically for the platform they are running on. They can leverage platform-specific features such as gestures, animations, and navigation patterns, making them more intuitive and user-friendly.
Reliability: Since native apps are developed using platform-specific programming languages and tools, they are less likely to encounter compatibility issues, crashes, or other technical glitches, which can negatively impact the user experience.
Security: Native apps have access to the device’s built-in security features, which can help protect user data and prevent unauthorized access.
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