Hybrid vs. native mobile applications

Introduction

If you are not clear and wondering whether you should build a hybrid mobile app or a native mobile app, this article will help you decide the strategy of choice for a mobile app. Many entrepreneurs go crazy trying to decide how to develop their mobile app and here we are going to solve these doubts.

To begin with, let's give a short definition of what hybrid applications and native applications are:

Hybrid mobile application

The developer extends the web code with the native SDK. It can be easily exported across multiple platforms and is often the cheapest and fastest solution.

Native mobile application

It is platform specific (iOS, Android, etc.) and requires expertise. However, it has a very full potential on the developed platform, which will drive great user experience and larger application capabilities (especially on phone hardware). Can be expensive based on development features and may take longer to develop.

These are the questions we should ask ourselves to get a clear answer on hybrid vs. native mobile applications:
We believe you may already have an answer to the choice between hybrid vs. native mobile applications.

Do you want to use native functions in the application?

If your application has a lot of native phone feature capability, developing a native application will be the best option and will work best.

Whereas if you build a mobile application hybrid, depending on the framework you want to adopt (there are several on the market), may or may not have access to the phone's native features.

Some of these native features can be Camera, Contacts, SMS, Hardware Device Buttons, Maps, Push Notifications, etc....

This does not mean that these features can only be accessed in a native application. Some of these features can be used in a hybrid application by extracting the native components separately, but they cannot be fully secured.

How quickly do you want to bring your app to market?

The time to market depends on several factors such as the number of features and the number of resources you have. More resources means that the budget will increase. If you want to launch the mobile app quickly to the market with limited resources, it would be advisable to go with a hybrid app approach, which will help you launch your app on multiple platforms in a short time.

If you already have a hybrid component that has been worked on, it is advisable to continue with the same platform.

Do you have a separate budget for developers on iOS and Android?

If you can allocate a separate budget for iOS and Android development, and you have the time freedom to bring it to market, then it is advisable to go native.

The key piece here is that these days you find Android and iOS developers relatively easy. So the cost of development has also dropped significantly compared to earlier times. In fact, we recommend that you choose a native app approach unless you are in need of a hybrid approach to development.

How often do you need to update your mobile application?

If you need to make frequent updates to your app, which means that the user will have to update it regularly from the app shop, you should consider a hybrid app. The biggest advantage for the hybrid app is that all content will be updated from the web directly, unless a comprehensive change to the functionality in the app needs to be made at any given time. This is one of the reasons why most Banking, News, Media and Content Distribution platforms work on hybrid approach, where the number of native integrations is less. Hybrid applications also allow you to work with a single code base, thus helping teams to work more efficiently.

Do you want to offer a better user experience?

If you want to deliver a great user experience, the native app approach is better. A hybrid app can never match the level of user experience you get in a native app. However, this does not mean that the user experience of a hybrid app is bad.

There are several factors that you need to take into account when you want to make the best mobile application for users. In case you choose native, you have the luxury of exploring native features and offering a better experience for your respective users. On the other hand, opting for a hybrid app will ensure that your app will be ready in no time with a limited budget.

Really, the bottom line of all this is to go for a native approach. If you want, for example, a content showcase platform/media site, a hybrid application would be advisable, whereas a native approach is advisable in terms of experience, adaptability, support for integration and long-term goals.

We believe you may already have an answer to the choice between hybrid vs. native mobile applications.