Mobile application development is a critical task. There are so many choices one need to make in order to complete the task of mobile application development. One of the choices which is important for the mobile application development is to select between native, web and hybrid apps. There is a difference between these three types of apps and it should be understood well.
- Native Apps: Usually native apps are downloaded from the app store like Google play store. One can get access of such native apps by clicking on the icon in the home screen. These native apps are specially created for the particular platforms like Android or iOS. They are being developed using different tools and languages according to the platform. These apps take into use mobile device’s features. This includes GPS, camera, contact list, etc. It is possible to work offline with these apps. These native apps are in use for last 15 years. More than 400,000 native apps are available on the app stores. Among three, generally native apps perform best.
- Mobile Web Apps: Standard web technologies for coding are being used for mobile web app development. This includes Java Script, HTML5 and CSS. Single web app can be created for all the platforms like Android or iOS. This type of app can be instantly updated. Therefore it saves money in terms of development cost. It is a website which has a look and feel of mobile app. It can be accessed by device’s browser.
- Hybrid Apps: Hybrid apps are mixture of both of above. Similar to native app, it can be downloaded from the mobile store like Google Play Store. It can also use the mobile device feature. But when one click on the app, it opens in the mobile browser as they are programmed in HTML5. It has a capability of cross development platform.
Right selection between three:
One should understand three of them properly in order to make the right selection between the three of them.
- The development cost for native apps is high. The reason behind it is that the development for each platform is done from scratch. The cost is comparatively less in mobile web apps. But the hybrid apps are cheapest of them all.
- In terms of user experience, native app can create high quality user experience.
