These days, users are demanding more from their mobile applications: faster responsiveness, a more personal experience, and better reliability. When building your mobile app, it is important to keep your users expectations top of mind.
When it comes to deciding between building a Native app versus a Hybrid app, consider your main business objectives: user experience, time to market, budget, and the complexity of your app features.
As the debate between Native and Hybrid rages on in the software development world, it may seem difficult to decide what is best suited for your product. But don’t stress! We’ve broken down the benefits and shortcomings of both so you can judge for yourself.
The most common type of app, Native mobile apps are developed for one specific platform (e.g. iOS or Android). They are written in languages that only that platform accepts, making them generally faster and more reliable than Hybrid apps.
Developed following the technical guidelines already established in the OS system, the user interface of Native apps will have a similar look and feel as other OS apps. This familiarity results in users learning to navigate the app quicker.
But perhaps the biggest advantage that Native has over Hybrid is the customization of the app itself. Developers are allowed access to the full feature set of the selected OS, creating the opportunity for a more robust and flushed out product.
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Hybrid apps are essentially websites that have been packaged into a Native wrapper, to cater to both iOS and Android users. Cross compatibility, speed to market, and lower initial costs are some of the major benefits of Hybrid apps. Development time is generally faster and the programming languages are not as complex as Native apps, making the Hybrid structure more appealing to less experienced developers.
However, with Hybrid apps, the page information is loaded as the user navigates through it, opposed to a Native app where the majority of the content is downloaded at install. Thus, Hybrid apps typically have slower response times and are limited in customization. Hybrid apps are also dependent on a third party platform for deployment which could cause performance issues and UI bugs.
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It is important to consider your budget, project timeline, and resources when choosing between Hybrid or Native. And always keep your users’ expectations in mind when building your mobile app.
While a Hybrid app may be easier to develop and more cost effective out of the gate, a Native app offers a better user experience all around and gives more customization options.
No matter what choice you make, be sure to employ a development company that specializes in that specific platform design and development. Here at Bean Machine, we work with you to make sure that your business is set up for success. With experience in both Native and Hybrid apps, we can help you decide which platform will benefit your product most. Ready to create? Click here to connect with us today!
