If you’re confused and wondering whether to build a hybrid mobile app or a native mobile app, don’t worry, this article will help you decide your mobile app strategy in less than 5 minutes!
Quick one-liners on Hybrid Apps and Native Apps before we get started:
Hybrid App: Developer augments web code with native SDK. Can be easily deployed across multiple platform and is usually the cheaper and faster solution
Native App: This is platform (iOS, Android etc.) specific and requires unique expertise. However the full potential of the platform can be leveraged which will drive great user experience and larger app capabilities (especially around phone hardware). Can be pricey based on requirement and take longer to develop.
5 Questions to ask before you decide
The answers to most of the questions that I have pointed here might be interrelated. But, you’ll get the drift.
> Do you want to use native features in the Mobile App?
If your app is heavy on native phone capability and this is your primary USP, then native app development will work best. While building a Hybrid Mobile App, depending on the framework that you adopt (there are several in the market), you may or may not have access to native features. Some of these native features can be the Camera, Contacts, SMS, Hardware Device Buttons.
> How quickly do you want to take it to the market?
The time to market is dependent on various factors like the amount of features and number of resources you have. More resources typically mean that the budget will increase. If you want to launch the mobile app quickly to the market with limited resources, it would be wise to go with hybrid app approach, which will help to launch your app on multiple platforms in a short time.
> Do you have separate budget for developers in iOS and Android (considering that they dominate the market share)?
If you can allocate separate budget for iPhone development and Android developmentresources, and you have liberty of time to take it to the market, then you don’t have to worry much; go for native app!
> How often do you need to update your mobile app?
If you need to make frequent updates to your app, which means that the user will have to update from the App Store regularly (and not annoying them with that), then you should consider a hybrid app. The biggest advantage for hybrid app is that unless you have an integral change of the functionality in the app, all the content will be updated from web directly. This is one of the reasons that most Banks, News and Media apps in the market are hybrid. Hybrid apps also let you work out of a single code-base thereby helping the teams work more efficiently.
> Do you want to have the best user experience?
If you want to create an awesome user experience, the native app approach would be better. A hybrid app can never match the level of creative user experience that you get in a native app. However, this doesn’t mean that the user experience of a hybrid app is bad. A good front-end developer in hybrid app can get close to a native experience, but it’s a far stretch.
Native vs Hybrid Apps: A Quick Glance
| Native | Hybrid | |||
| Development Language | Native Only | Native and Web / Web Only | ||
| Device Access | Complete | Complete | ||
| Device Specific Features | High | Moderate | ||
| Speed | Very Fast | Medium | ||
| App Store | Available | Available | ||
| Approval Process | Mandato | Approval Process | Mandatory | Low Overhead |
| Code Portability | None | High | ||
| Advanced Graphics | High | Moderate | ||
| UI / UX | High | Moderate | ||
| Access to Native APIs | High | Moderate | ||
| Development Cost | Expensive | Reasonable |
There are several factors that you should consider when you step-up to make the best Mobile App for your target users. Should you chose native, you have the luxury of exploring native features and offer a better user experience for your users. However, opting for a hybrid app will ensure that your app is cross platform ready, in a short time with a limited budget.
At July, we help customers with both approaches based on the their business goals. We use custom + platform based approach to build native and hybrid mobile apps based on the expectations set during the discovery and ideation phase of the project. Not only that; we manage, scale and monitor your app 24 x 7 to ensure 100% uptime.
Want to build a hybrid or a native mobile app?