Why Companies Prefer Hybrid Applications: What are Benefits?

Mobile applications have become a sure-shot way to increase the market reach of businesses. When thinking about mobile app development, most companies are faced with a lot of questions. One such important question is whether to choose native app development or hybrid app development.

Various factors such as the app features, budget, performance, development time, etc., determine the answer to this question. To help you decide what the best approach to mobile app development for you is, we will discuss native and hybrid apps in this blog. We will look into their differences and see which one is the best option.

Another Thoughtful Read: 3 Best Programming Languages to Create a Financial App

What are Native Apps?

Native apps are mobile applications that are developed to work for a specific platform or operating system. For example, the development of Android apps using Java and iOS apps using Objective C or Swift. Native apps  according to the guidelines of that particular operating system and cannot work on other platforms. That is, an app developed for iOS cannot operate on Android and vice versa. So mobile apps need to be built separately for each platform.

What are Hybrid Apps?

Hybrid apps are mobile applications that can be run on multiple platforms. But they resemble native apps in look and feel. Basically, they are like a web application that has a native wrapper. You can download it just like a native app from the respective app store. Hybrid apps are built using a single codebase and can run on any platform. That is, an app developed for iOS can also be run on Android and vice versa.

Why Companies Choose Hybrid Apps?

Choice of platform

When a company decides on developing an app for their business, one of the first things they have to choose is the platform on which the app has to be release. If the plan is only for a single platform, like Android or iOS, native app development might be a better option. However, if app release is being planned on multiple platforms, hybrid app development is the best choice.

User experience

Since native apps are specifically designed for the particular platform, the user experience they provide is far superior to hybrid apps. Native apps consider factors like device hardware and screen size more particularly. Hence, it can give a more intuitive and optimized experience for users.

Development time and cost

While considering development time and cost, hybrid apps are more beneficial than native apps. Hybrid apps require less time for development and also need less maintenance than native apps. And since they have a single codebase for multiple platforms also, the time of development is the same. Mobile app development companies charge less amount of money for hybrid apps.

In the case of native apps, development takes more time. And also, for each platform, separate apps have to be developed, which doubles the cost of development also.

Use of device features

Native applications can use all the inbuilt features of a device without any restrictions. This means features like GPS, camera, or any hardware, etc. Since the app is being tailor-made for a particular platform, accessing features will not have any issues. Hybrid apps are also able to access device features, unlike web apps. However, they make use of third-party plugins, so there might be some limitations or restrictions.

Performance

Compared to web apps, hybrid apps are far better in performance. They are fast, load quickly, and offer a near-native experience. However, if we compare the performance to native apps, hybrid apps fail to meet the same standards. There are several hybrid app development platforms that are working to make this factor less and less important. For example, flutter app development is gaining popularity for its excellent performance.

Availability of developers

Hybrid app development requires the writing of a single code. The programming languages that it utilizes are HTML, CSS, and Javascript. So availability of developers will not be a major concern for hybrid apps. Most developers today are fluent in Javascript, and that itself is enough to create a hybrid mobile app.

However, in the case of native app development, developers fluent in platform-specific languages are required. They might not be as easily available and may also need more salary.

Apart from the many advantages of hybrid apps, there are a few disadvantages as well. Here is a list of some of the disadvantages.

If these disadvantages are interrupting the working of your application, then you can go for PWA development instead of converting your web application into a hybrid app.

1. Achievement

Hybrid apps cannot match the smoothness of native apps in terms of performance.  Only if the bandwidth is adequate will they run smoothly. One thing a mobile app development company in Dallas can do is simplify the code at the core so that it can load quickly. This will aid in the optimization of your hybrid application’s performance.

2. Cross-platform apps are difficult to create.

It may appear like writing a single piece of code and reusing it across multiple platforms is a simple operation, but it can be perplexing at times. You’ll have to meet all of the platforms’ requirements at the same time, which can be challenging.

Conclusion

Both hybrid apps and native apps have their own advantages and disadvantages. Which one of them you choose to build your mobile app depends on your requirements. After going through the differences that we discussed, you might have got an idea about the strong points of both native and hybrid app development. So, analyze your app requirements and then compare them with the above-mentioned points to reach a conclusion on which type of development you need to opt for.

You can take help from AppVerticals for your native and hybrid apps, AppVerticals is a top-rated mobile app development company in Dallas.