Mobile based applications are software programs that are developed for mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. The trend in app development India is soaring high nowadays due the extensive use of mobile phones by people. There are two major platforms of mobile-based apps Android and iOS. And there are two types of mobile-based apps which are Hybrid App and Native Apps.

This article will discuss the differences, pros and cons of Hybrid and Native mobile based applications. So, that we can decide the best way for mobile application development.

Hybrid Apps

Hybrid apps are those apps which are built using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The hybrid app runs in webView means a view that displays web pages, which uses the same engine of the browser but not the browser like widgets. Hybrid apps could be built for any platform from a single code base.

Hybrid apps are native apps only because it can be downloaded from the platform’s app store like native app. Hybrid apps can have access to all the native platform features.

We will talk about the pros and cons of Hybrid apps:

Hybrid App Working

Pros of Hybrid Apps

Here are the pros of the Hybrid apps :

• Cost of the App

A hybrid app development cost is way cheaper to create than a native app. Depending on the order of your app project; you could end up saving twice or thrice of the cost of the app on developing a hybrid app over a native one.

• Development Time

Hybrid apps are typically much faster to build and launch if you stick with the basics and not try to add a lot of custom features.

If you stay on the basics, it’s a matter of translating your web code for Android/IOS platform using a hybrid app framework.

• Native APIs

The most common hybrid mobile app development platforms offer a range of plug-ins that allow you to access features on the device, including gestures, camera, and contacts.This means you can give a more native-feeling app experience on a hybrid app.

• Single Code Base

A Single code base is enough for all the platforms. It means write once and run anywhere unlike native app scenario, we need to build and maintain separate app and code for every platform.

• App Maintenance

It’s usually easier to maintain and update web technology than native app technology. When considering app maintenance costs, maintaining a hybrid app is as simple as maintaining a web page, and it can be done as often as needed.

Cons of Hybrid Apps

• Offline Functioning

Because these apps are basically websites, hybrid apps don’t work offline.

Hybrid apps will also typically be slower as each element has to be downloaded. That’s why one should make sure to keep your app simple and avoid custom features. In-browser caching is available in HTML5, but it is still enough limited than what you can get when you go with native apps.

• Native Functionality

As the hybrid apps rely on plug-ins, you might not be able to incorporate all of the built-in features which a user’s device offers.

Since you’re relying on someone else’s code, plug-ins may not always be available or may be unstable or out of date. You may even discover that you need to compose your own, which can invalidate the point of selecting a hybrid app over a native.

• Platform Inconsistencies

While the benefit of a hybrid app is only developing a single codebase for all platforms, you will possibly find that some features or designs are not supported on both platforms, which requires you to make modifications.

• Poor user experience

The user experience is not the strength of hybrid applications as the interface for both Android and iOS platforms have to meet somewhere in the middle. For example, if you focus too much on the interface of the app according to the Android platform then the experience will be worse on IOS.

Native Apps

Native apps are built for a specific mobile operating system platform either iOS, Android, and can only be written in the operating system’s (OS) particular programming language.

For the two major platforms, that is Java for Android and Objective-C or Swift for IOS.

Native apps can use the camera, the GPS, the accelerometer, the compass, the list of contacts, and so on.

Native applications typically have better performance with animations and then hybrid apps.

Graphical Applications, intensive animation applications, and High Definition games might perform well as a native app because Native code is still faster than JavaScript and HTML.

Native SDKs allows to access device features without dealing with the complexity of native plug-ins and new device features will be available out of the case along with SDKs.

Native App Working

We will discuss the pros and cons of the native apps here:

Pros of Native Apps

Here are the pros of the Native apps:

• User Experience

Hands down, the superior user experience is the best reason to opt for a native app.

> Native apps are Intuitive and flowing for the user to learn and interact with

> Native apps are way faster when it comes to user experience.

> Native apps are more reliable in the case of UX.

> These apps are more responsive than hybrid apps.

> These have a strong feature set.

If one of your priorities is providing a better user experience to your users that is consistent with the OS and with the preponderance of the other apps available on that platform, then native apps are the way to go, unlike hybrid apps.

• Offline Functioning

A native app is the best choice if your app must work when there is no connectivity. Content and images are stored on the device, so nothing needs to download when the user launches the app.

Native apps can be used offline depending on the app’s functionality, and speed of the app is not impacted by slow server connections or other likely website issues.

• Graphical Performance

Native apps provide fast graphics, smooth transitions, and fluid animation.

It may not matter if you have a banking app showcasing a static screen, but for gaming, video editing, visualizations, or any other sort of applications where fast performance is important, native apps come out on the top of the list.

• Greater Security

Creating a native app is the only way to guarantee your users a reliable data protection.

Native apps can be more secure for many reasons:

> Implementation of the two-factor authentication is easier. And that makes it so secure, unlike hybrid apps.

> You have all the access to built-in security features like TouchID etc.

• Testing

There are much better testing and debugging tools and environments available for native app development. Recognizing and correcting a problem in a hybrid app can take much time.

Cons of Native Apps

Following are the cons of native apps:

• Development Cost

Native apps are more costly to build and deploy, as it requires more specialized talent and you must develop multiple versions of your app for each platform and that obviously takes more time and money.

• Slower Build Time

This kind of app takes more time to be built. If you need apps for both of the platforms and need them quick, you better think about simultaneous development.

You can expect it to take 4-6 months or more to develop and deploy a native mobile app.

However, if the aim is to get it right the first time then more initial build time is worth it.

• App Maintenance

Developing native apps means more than one separate codebases to maintain.

Plus, native app developers must account for a range of devices and components, known as Fragmentation of devices.

And you require a different skill set to develop and maintain the same application on each platform which obviously adds to the cost.

Conclusion

If you are building simple and content-oriented projects than Hybrid Application Development is a perfect choice. This is also can be a good choice if you are on a tight budget or you need to create an app for both platforms within a limited timeframe.

But if the priorities for your app are custom features, efficient performance, good design, and reliability then you must go with the Native Application. The mobile app developers is India are working in both types of application to produce amazing play store applications.