THINK… Do you want to amaze your users by building an entirely native app that easily fits into the platform of their choice (Android or iOS)? Or do you want to imbue a Minimum Viable Product approach by quickly building a Hybrid app that can work across platforms? It may be easier to embrace a Hybrid approach to build and maintain your mobile app but it’s unlikely that it will provide a great user experience along with high performance. Let’s get down to it: Native vs Hybrid App – Which is the best for your Business?

Native Application

A native application is an application developed specifically for a mobile operating system such as Android or iOS. Since the app is developed by leveraging all the core APIs and UI components of the OS, for example, swipes, app defined gestures, left-aligned header in Android, center-positioned header on iOS within a mature ecosystem, it provides faster performance along with in-app interaction consistency with most of the other native apps residing in the phone.  Such characteristics ease the end-users’ navigation across the features and enable usage of the app to the fullest. Moreover, these apps can easily access and utilize the built-in capabilities of the user’s phone e.g., GPS, phone book, camera, calendar, etc.

Also Read: Is React Native Good for Mobile App Development?

Hybrid Application

A hybrid app is a mobile application that works across multiple platforms such as Android, iOS, Windows, etc. Besides, the app can work well in browsers like Mozilla, Chrome, IE, etc.  A hybrid app is developed using HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, wrapped in a native container that allows it to run natively on a smartphone. Such kind of apps loads most of the information on the page as the user navigates across the application.

After understanding the basic comparison between Native vs Hybrid app, it’s now time to understand which approach is the best for you, by understanding various factors.

Ever wonder what will be the future of mobile applications? Here’s what you need to know about the Future of Mobility. 

Time to Market

If building an app and building it FAST is your aim, whatever be the reason – catching up with the rivals or for an urgent lucrative business opportunity – both hybrid and native get the job done. However, there are certain key points that you should take care of.

• Current and future scope of the application
• Core APIs to be used within the application
• The genre of the user base
• Performance, Scalability, and Reliability
• User Experience etc.

Key Takeaway

Hybrid Apps are the leader in terms of Time to Market. Native apps provide robust performance, high security, and best-in-class UX. Your user will expect the app to be Intuitive and responsive and native apps deliver that but take longer to develop. Hybrid apps, however, are the answer if you’re looking for quick development and cross-platform compatibility.

Mobile App Performance

There is no denying the fact that native apps supersede hybrid apps in terms of performance. The reason being is the reliability in its content & design. It provides a seamless experience to the users as all content, structure, and visual elements are already on their phones. On the other hand, Hybrid apps only have the wrapper which gets downloaded when the user installs the app.  Most of the time the data gets downloaded from the server when a query is made.

Key Takeaway

Most experts believe that performance plays a crucial role in a Mobile App. Hence, despite all efforts, Hybrid apps take a hit from Native apps in terms of Performance.

User Experience

Now, this is the KEY differentiator for the Hybrid or Native apps’ success. As you have already seen in the above section a native application is designed for a specific OS. So, when you want to build a new app, the UX specific to that OS becomes the utmost priority to show leadership in the market. A robust User Experience revolves around Adaptability and Layout, Modal Structure, Navigation, Interactivity and Feedback, Animation, Color Contrast and Typography, and obviously In-App Branding.

Native apps integrate closely with the features available in the device and the user experience is completely astounding. In contrast, hybrid apps cannot offer a unique platform-specific experience for all the Operating Systems and thus makes the app’s experience entirely different.

Key Takeaway

As the Hybrid approach doesn’t offer a unique platform experience, it’s generally less preferred in comparison to Native apps.

The Bottom Line

Do you need to build an app that works across platforms? Or do you want to stay specific to particular platforms and make your Mobile Presence as Dominant as possible? Whatever you choose, there are distinct pros & cons for both native and hybrid application approaches. Having one source-code, lesser time to market, easy updates, availability of resources, and lower budgets make Hybrid App Development a perfect choice. However, in the long run, the biggest detraction comes when it needs bug fixing and tweaking due to suboptimal UX and UI elements.

When it comes to Native Apps, they are backed with the added advantage of functions that are specific to the OS. Furthermore, a native app approach provides top-notch security for a mobile application, fast performance, a highly responsive user interface, and access to all native APIs. To put it simply, the original investment may be higher initially, but it will pay off in the long run while offering a great user experience and an enterprise-grade app performance.

We at KritiKal Solutions offer cutting-edge mobile app development services to help you thrive in the mobile world. Basis what your Mobile App Development needs are, you can choose which approach tunes in perfectly with your idea.