One of the most common questions that arise in the world of development is whether to go for native mobile app development or hybrid.

For a startup, the decision is a grueling process that might determine the future of the business.

A lot of times, hybrid apps or cross platform app development is the better choice since both of their nature matches so amazingly. Hybrid apps are known to be cost-effective.

But only thinking of cost can be the catalyst for a startups downfall. Sometimes, it the performance that matters the most.

As a business owner or a developer, you need to invest a lot of time into consideration before heading off to the production queue.

So, what will be the right approach?

Native mobile app development or hybrid app development? Performance or cost?

We compared these two in a way to help you make the right decision.

A quick view of Hybrid and Native mobile app development

Native mobile app development

Like its namesake, Native apps are homegrown for specific platforms. They are smartphone applications that are specifically developed for iOS, Windows or Android platform.

Native mobile apps are the go-to choice for most developers. In most cases, native mobile app development produces pristine products that develop within a mature ecosystem.

API’s a platforms core programming language is used to develop and compile native mobile apps. Developers use Objective-C or Swift for iOS native app development and Java for Android app development.

Hybrid mobile app development

Hybrid mobile apps aren’t truly apps. But rather, they are, in all essence, websites that are packaged into a native wrapper.

Even if they look and feel like native apps, they are powered by a web framework. And unlike native mobile app development, in this process, a web app is built using HTML5 and JavaScript.

Apps that you and I use regularly like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all Hybrid mobile applications.

The upside of Hybrid and Native mobile app development

Native mobile app development

The best upside of native mobile app development is the optimization it produces. Since each app is specifically created for individual platforms, they are tweaked to emanate optimum performance. If your priority is to produce excellent performing apps than there is no alternative.

Native applications are tuned with the devices built-in features and thus they are easier to work with. Developers receive sdks and many other tools to ease their workload.

They also get full backing from their own respective app stores and marketplaces. This means that developers have support if anything goes south. Developers get access to full features of a native system.

Since the applications are designed for a single platform, developers are able to provide a more secure product. Developers are also able to integrate a higher level of UX/UI in native applications.

A lot of app developers prefer to create native apps that showcase their knowledge and skill.

Hybrid mobile app development

When you are just a startup, one of the major things that concerns you is the cost of development. In order to succeed, startups must create great apps at a relatively cheaper cost. However, this thus has some drawback which we’ll get to a bit later.

Hybrid app development or Cross platform mobile app development is a great path for startups. By nature, hybrid apps let businesses target multiple platforms instead of just a single one. That is a huge boon.

As a developer, the biggest upside to hybrid apps instead of native mobile app development is the need to reduce fewer codes. Instead of writing a whole bunch of codes of each individual platform, developers can write codes once and port them to different operating systems.

Fewer codes mean less development time. The whole process of developing a hybrid app can be done rapidly and therefore deploy to the market quick.

As for maintenance, hybrid apps are easy to maintain and if required simple to make changes.

The downside of Hybrid and Native mobile app development

Native mobile app development

Almost everything in life has a downside and mobile app development is no exception.

What is an upside of the hybrid mobile app development is the downside of native mobile app development; the cost!

In order to gain a superior performance boost, businesses have to sacrifice their budget. Creating native apps for a single platform is costly, but developing for each individual platform puts immense pressure on the budget of any company.

Not to mention, developing native apps is a slower complicated process that requires specialized coding languages.

Another drawback is that the possibility of finding bugs in the project is higher than in hybrid mobile app development. This leads to more need for maintenance and becomes more costly.

In some cases, developers may face difficulties in getting their app approved by their respective store or marketplace. Taking a long time to get on the shelf can be a catalyst in that apps failure.

Hybrid mobile app development

The biggest drawback for hybrid mobile apps comes in the form of performance. Mind you, recent advancement has made it possible to create some amazing hybrid mobile apps.

However, the discrepancy is visible when someone compares a hybrid app to a native apps performance.

Since hybrid apps are essentially web apps, internet connection is required all time for functioning. This can a big blow if the user has limited access to the internet when required.

User experience also takes a hit when it comes to hybrid apps. The difference is nothing spectacular in comparison to native apps, but it is still there. Unlike native apps, the lack of full optimization may create a negative perception of it.

And then there is the issue with security. An application that requires connection to the internet for operating properly can be breached. Even though a great deal of emphasis is put on the security of these apps, nothing is ever certain and news of hacking is not uncommon.

Wrapping Up

What is the right path toward developing a successful app? Is it Hybrid or is it Native?

That is up to you.

Both of the development processes have their own positives and negatives that benefit different business models.

The Hybrid mobile app development approach prioritizes reduction of cost; whereas Native mobile app development prioritizes greater performance.

In very brief, we have provided everything you need to know to make an informed decision and create the best mobile application possible.