Native vs Hybrid App Development, which one is better for business?

Hey community,

Straight to the topic - which app development is better for business? I think that in the long run native wins in 99% of cases, there are some other opinions though, I would like to know what you think. Some arguments for boths sides of this conflict can be found here - Native vs Hybrid - Demystifying the Technology Dilemma . Even better - what is the future of app development? (some say that hybrid might be the way).

Cheers

I do not agree with the conclusion. As for now, I never come into any obstacle doing hybrid apps in term of using native features, UI or performance, especially for large business apps.

I’ve done a major patient health record app available on all platform (including desktop), that I could’ve never done in native and i’m not talking the time I saved using hybrid (i’m alone). And yes, It support offline apps too !

The real rule of thumb is : If your dev background is in any language, go to hybrid, and if your background is C#/Java and you have tons to time to loose, go Native. Everything else are false arguments except if you plan a spectacular 3D game… Oh sorry… Hybrid can handle that perfectly too.

As an example, I’ve made a game entirely using Sencha Touch / Cordova. (For the record, after several research, I found that Sencha Touch was the best to match my dev background and easy scalability)

As for the UI… If you plan a Game, chances are 0% that you want native IOS/Android UI… So that not an argument either.

EMR (in french only, sorry) : iSymbiose | Dossier patient informatisé
Game (multilang) : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whs.mathsearch

Ok, I’m not the best game designer, but that only graphic… the engine let me do what I want.

This basically depends upon what functions you want in your application. However, the generic difference between the two can be studied:

|Sr.no.
|
|
|Native app development
|Hybrid app development
|
|1
|Meaning
|Uses the native programming languages of the devices to build the app. For iPhone, the native programming language is Objective C and the new Swift. For Android, the native programming language is Java.
|Mobile development framework that enables software programmer to build applications for mobile devices. Hybrid apps are developed using web technologies: HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, then put inside a native container such Adobe PhoneGap. These native containers run the web application code and package it into an app.
|
|2
|Managing code base
|Native development has to manage two code bases, iOS and Android. That means every bug fix, every feature added, every change would have to be done twice.
|PhoneGap development has to manage single code base.
|
|3
|Costs
|With native you would have two developers working completely independently.
Hence, increasing the cost.
|If you need to support both Android and iOS you can have two JavaScript developers work together and help each other out. It reduces the cost.
|
|4
|Development timeline
|Native development is time consuming.
|PhoneGap apps are easier and faster to develop and deploy.
|
|5
|User Experience and Performance

|Native apps provide better performance; responsive and fluid experience and a user can navigate and interact with the app without noticing any loading delays.
|PhoneGap apps tend to have some user interaction delays, and users can notice that the app is not as responsive sometimes.
|
|6
|Maintainability

|Native apps are less maintainable.
|PhoneGap apps are more maintainable. This is because it is easier to maintain the Web app technology (HTML, CSS and JavaScript).
|
|7
|Support and Resources

|There are more support and available resources for building native mobile apps.
|PhoneGap development Environment provides less resources and options to develop for mobile apps.
|
|8
|Security
|Native apps may provide better security environment.
|It does not provide better security environment.
|
|9
|Tools and Debugging

|Native development provides better development environment and tooling to test and debug the work, so it is much easier and less time consuming to find and fix bugs.
|There are not reliable hybrid app development tools that can help with debugging and fixing issues.
|
|10
|Platform Independent

|Developer has to build app every time for different platforms.
|The developer can build app once and then using a technology Adobe PhoneGap, submit the app to all platforms (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry)
|
|11
|Popularity

|Since native app Environment provide a more fluid user experience and less likely to have feature limitations, most of the large app companies use native app development environment.
|PhoneGap is not so popular.
|

Let’s start by defining each. A hybrid app, like it sounds, combines elements of both native (an app running without any external support) and Web (an app run by a browser and typically written in HTML5) applications. The application borrows cross-compatible web technologies, such as HTML5, CSS and Javascript and utilizes a portion of native code for greater adaptability to the user device. Hybrid apps are hosted inside of a native application which employ a mobile platform’s WebView (a browser bundled inside of a mobile application, so to speak). In rudimentary terms, some may say that a hybrid app is a website packaged in a native wrapper. Examples of brands using a hybrid app include Amazon App Store, Gmail, and Yelp.

A native app is developed for a particular mobile operating system (Objective-C/Swift for iOs or Java for Android) and is optimized to take full advantage of all of its platform features (camera, contact list, GPS, etc.). Essentially, a native app is one whose interface is implemented using the native tools of that platform. Examples of native apps include Starbuck’s, Home Depot, Tinder and Facebook, although many consider the release of Facebook’s React Native to be a form of hybrid app development.

A native app is a smartphone application developed specifically for a mobile operating system (think Objective-C or Swift for iOS vs. Java for Android).

Since the app is developed within a mature ecosystem following the technical and user experience guidelines of the OS (e.g. swipes, app defined gestures, left aligned header on Android, centrally aligned header on iOS, etcetera), it not only has the advantage of faster performance but also “feels right”. What feeling right means is that the in-app interaction has a look and feel consistent with most of the other native apps on the device. The end user is thus more likely to learn how to navigate and use the app faster. Finally, native applications have the significant advantage of being able to easily access and utilize the built-in capabilities of the user’s device (e.g., GPS, address book, camera, etcetera). When a user sends text messages, takes pictures using the device’s default app, set reminders, or uses the device’s music app (the one that came with the phone), they’re using native apps.

In short, native apps are exactly that, native to the user’s OS and hence built per those guidelines. 

Hybrid applications are, at core, websites packaged into a native wrapper.

They look and feel like a native app, but ultimately outside of the basic frame of the application (typically restricted to the controls/navigational elements) they are fueled by a company’s website. Basically, a hybrid app is a web app built using HTML5 and JavaScript, wrapped in a native container which loads most of the information on the page as the user navigates through the application (Native apps instead download most of the content when the user first installs the app). Usual suspects here are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, your mobile banking app, etcetera.

Hi Gays ,

PLZ , i need your help about Amazon AppStore , i have tried to upload an app on Amazon store but i have got all the time
this message :

“Protecting intellectual property rights is important to us. Please provide documentation demonstrating that you have the right to use Lego characters in icon and images . The documentation must be either a confirmation letter from the intellectual property rights holder or a copy of the applicable license.”

anyone can help me ?

Nice site , thank you for sharing