Native App  VS Hybrid App: Comparison Guide

What is Native App

 The two main mobile OS platforms are Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Native apps are developed especially for a particular operating system (OS) like iOS or Android, using platform-specific language and tools. Android developers generally use KOTLIN or JAVA, while iOS developers use Objective C or Swift.

Native apps can take full advantage of the device’s features and capabilities, providing Smooth performance and a seamless user experience. Native apps can access device-specific hardware like cameras, GPS, and accelerometers, and can also integrate seamlessly with other apps and services on the device.

Creating native apps for various platforms can be a laborious and costly process- since the codebase needs to be maintained for each platform. This has led to the rise of cross-platform development frameworks like React-Native and Flutter, Which allow developers to write code once (single codebase) and deploy it to multiple platforms.

 Advantages of Native apps:-

1) Performance

Native apps usually offer better higher-level performance than Hybrid apps. As they are optimized for specific platforms, hardware and software.

2) Access to Device features

Developers have full access to the device hardware features and API’s allowing them to create more advanced functionalities.

3) User Experience

Native apps can provide a seamless experience to the user, by leveraging platform-specific design guidelines and features.

4) App Store Optimization

Native apps have advantages of platform specific app stores (such as the apple app store and google play store) potentially reaching a larger audience and benefiting from store optimization strategies.

5) Fast and responsive software performance

6) Good user experience and better UI (user interface)

7) Responsive UI

 Disadvantages of Native apps:-

1) Development​ Time  

Generally, Native apps take so much time to develop the app. Separate versions of the different platforms can be time-consuming and costly.

2) Cost

Developing native apps for multiple platforms is more expensive than hybrid app development.

3) Maintenance

There are separate code-bases for each platform, maintenance and updates require more resources and efforts.

4) Expertise

Building native apps requires specialized knowledge of each platform’s programming language and development tools.

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What are Hybrid Apps

Hybrid mobile apps combine the elements of native apps (an application that is developed for a specific platform like Android or IOS).

Hybrid apps are built using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and then hybrid apps can be installed and operated just like native applications. Frameworks for Hybrid Apps could be Ionic, React Native, and Xamarin.

A Standout feature of hybrid apps is that they can be developed using web development technologies, making them easier and faster to build compared to fully native apps. Hybrid apps also have access to some native device features through plugins or APIs provided by hybrid app development frameworks like Apache Cordova, NPM, and Ionic.

However, Hybrid apps rely on web technologies and are essentially web applications running within a native wrapper, they may not always provide the same level of experience as fully native apps. Which can impact the overall performance and user interface and experience of the application.

 Advantages of Hybrid app:-

1. Cost-Effective

Hybrid app development is often more cost-effective than native app development, developers can use a  code-base for multiple platforms.

2. Effort

Developers can use a single code-base which reduces the resources and developer efforts.

3. Faster Development

Using Web technologies and frameworks, Developers can expedite the development process compared to building separate native apps.

4. Cross-platform Compatibility

Hybrid app can be run on multiple platforms, Including IOS, Android, and sometimes even WEB browsers, reaching a border audience.

5. Maintenance

Hybrid app maintenance is easier than a native app, because there’s only a single code-base to maintain and update.

6. Greater Reach

Businesses which are often operating on constrained budgets roll out apps to one platform before launching them on a second platform. Once a hybrid app is good to go, it can be run on both platforms (IOS and Android).

 Disadvantages of Hybrid apps:-

1. Performance

Hybrid app not performed as well as native apps, specially for complex and graphics-intensive  applications, due to overhead of the webview used to render the app UI.

2. Limited Access to Device Features

While hybrid frameworks provide access to some device features through plugins, they may not offer the same level of access and integration as native development.

3. User Experience

Hybrid apps may not always provide the same level of user experience as native apps.

4. Dependent on Third-Party Library

A hybrid app totally relies on third-party library frameworks and tools, which introduces dependencies and potential compatibility issues and can reduce app performance.

 Difference between Native App and Hybrid App

On the basis of	Hybrid App	Native App
Maintenance	Hybrid app require less maintenance	Native app require more maintenance
Cost	Low cost	High Cost
Development Time	Requires Less Time	Requires More Time
Budget	Low Budget	High Budget
Platform	Works on various platforms like  (iOS and Android)	Separate Platform
User Experience	Not Great- depends on the device and browser	Great user experience, customized to fit all devices.
Language	HTML, CSS, JavaScript,	Java, Kotlin, Swift
Code	Single CodeBase	Separate (Multiple) CodeBase
Features	Support fewer features than a native app	Support almost all features of the device
Effort and maintenance	Easy to maintain	Not Easy to maintain
Performance	Good but not Smooth	Smooth and high-performance
App Size	Big	Small
Library dependency	Hybrid app depends on third-party libraries	Native app not dependent on third-party library
Internet Dependencies	High	Low
Wider Audience	High (reason is low budget and maintenance)	Low (reason is High budget and high maintenance)
Testing	Not Easy (Various Platforms)	Easy (separate platform)
Debugging and bug fixing	Easy	Harder than a Hybrid app
Offline	No	Yes
Examples	LinkedIn, BMW App, Walmart, Microsoft Teams, Uber, Amazon, NetFlix (with web views), Instagram (with web views), Airbnb, Pinterest, Facebook messenger, Twitter (with web views), Trello, Evernote	Google Map, Gmail, NetFlix, SnapChat, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

​Native vs Hybrid App: Which one to Choose

The decision about choosing whether to go with native or hybrid app development depends on various factors.

Native apps typically offer better and smooth performance than Hybrid apps. And if your application requires high performance, high-quality UI, heavy graphics, extensive offline support, and background task so you should go for Native apps.

But if you have budget problems and you want a decent application you should go for Hybrid app because Hybrid app development time is short and it is compatible with various platforms, and Hybrid app has a single codebase which is easy to maintain and update.

The native vs hybrid app debate weighs performance, development speed , and user experience. Native apps excel in performance, user, and device integration but demand more time and resources for separate platform development.

Native apps offer better performance and better optimization and developers can easily handle background tasks.

However, it is more time-consuming because of separate platforms, while the Hybrid app is more cost-effective and faster to develop.

Hybrid apps provide faster development and cross-platform compatibility but may sacrifice some performance and native integration. Developers should weigh these factors to determine the best fit for their project’s needs and goals.

Need a mobile app for your business, contact Kanak Infosystems as we provide best Mobile App Development services to our clients around the globe.

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