Differences Between Native Apps and Hybrid Apps

Understanding the Differences Between Native Apps and Hybrid Apps

Before diving deep into the differences between native apps and hybrid apps, let us learn the basics of modern smartphone apps.

Smart mobile phones have become the ultimate necessity for living in modern times. A typical smartphone today has more features and processing abilities than the computers that were used to send the first rockets into space. Similarly, the ability to use multiple types of applications is the most important feature of these small-sized yet very powerful devices.

The development of the iOS store and the Google Play Store has allowed millions of app developers to build something from their own imagination. Furthermore, this is now a very lucrative career and largely successful individuals and companies have already made hundreds of millions. Similarly, mobile apps are also one of the topmost priorities for businesses as most of their customers spend a significant amount of time on their smartphones. Depending on your goal and target audience, you might want to choose between native apps and hybrid apps.

Native Apps and Hybrid Apps: Basic Concepts

Native apps are those mobile apps that are designed to work on a specific device and built on a specific platform. The most common mobile device platforms are iOS and Android. Similarly, both of these platforms have a dedicated application store where independent developers and companies can build and sell their apps. Most importantly, these types of apps only work on the hardware they were designed for, as they live upon specific operating systems.

Hybrid apps are those types of apps that contain features of both native and web platforms. These types of apps are not designed for specific platforms and devices but are universal. They use cross-compatible web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript and you can also deploy them in multiple mobile application stores.

Differences Between Native Apps and Hybrid Apps

Now, let us learn about the differences between native apps and hybrid apps on the basis of the following factors.

Major Features

Native apps are generally more reliable than hybrid counterparts because they are designed by keeping the specific platform in mind. They are optimized to their best according to the operating system and the hardware. Similarly, this also facilitates better responsiveness and a seamless user experience. Furthermore, they can easily interact with hardware sensors and modules like GPS, Bluetooth, camera, microphone, and fingerprint.

Hybrid apps, on the other hand, have better cross-platform performance and user experience. They have better viewing on both mobile and desktop devices.

Programming Languages

Native apps are typically built on two main programming languages. You typically use Java for building Android apps whereas both Objective-C and Swift are suitable for building iOS apps.

Hybrid apps, on the other hand, are typically built using HTML, CSS, Javascript, and a myriad of other frameworks. These frameworks ease the process of deploying into multiple specific platforms.

Development

One of the major differences between native apps and hybrid apps is their development process. The development of native apps takes more time because it must lie within the boundaries of specific operating systems and hardware support. Similarly, you would need different developers for different mobile platforms. Therefore, the development cost is also greater than that for hybrid apps.

On the other hand, hybrid apps take less amount of time because of their flexibility. With a single code base, you can run these apps on multiple platforms. Furthermore, since you do not need different developers for different platforms, it is also significantly cheaper.

User Experience

We have already understood that native apps feature a superior user experience over hybrid apps. This is because you specifically design native apps for a single mobile platform with dedicated support for different screen sizes. Furthermore, they also take into account the hardware capabilities and operating system support.

On the other hand, hybrid apps are not built with a specific device or platform in mind. Therefore, they might not provide a quality user experience on some platforms. Similarly, since you do not design it for specific screen sizes, there might be some distortions and deformations.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have learned the difference between native apps and hybrid apps in terms of their features, programming languages, development time and cost, and user experience. In conclusion, your choice of native apps and hybrid apps all comes down to your objectives and goals. Similarly, both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages and you need to decide the best fit for yourself.

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