Native vs Hybrid vs Cross Platform – What to Choose in 2023?

As technology continues to evolve, the demand for mobile apps is only going to increase.

If you’re a developer or business owner looking to create an app in 2023, you’re faced with a tough decision: Native vs Hybrid vs Cross-Platform.

Each app development platform has its pros and cons, and choosing the right one can have a significant impact on your app’s success.

In this article, we are going to explore all the popular options i.e. Native, Hybrid, and Cross-Platform. We’ll see all the pros and cons of each platform and lastly, after having all the valuable information we’ll take a decision on which one is best.

Let’s get started.

What are Native Apps?

A native app is a software program designed exclusively for a single platform or device.

Basically, it is made to provide the best user experience while maximizing the capabilities of the smartphone, including the camera, GPS, accelerometer, and other hardware functions.

Platform-specific programming languages and development tools, such as Swift or Objective-C for iOS, Java or Kotlin for Android, and C# for Windows Phone, are used to create native apps.

They are directly installed on the device and typically accessible from the home screen.

The following are the popular examples of Native apps:

Pinterest
Spotify
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Uber
Google Maps

Advantages and Disadvantages of Native apps:

The following are the advantages:

High Performance: Native apps can operate significantly quicker and more smoothly than online or hybrid apps because they are made to fully utilize the hardware of the device.
Better User Experience: Native apps are created especially for the platform they are using, allowing them to provide a fluid and user-friendly interface that is adapted to the capabilities of the device.
Access to Hardware Features: Native applications have access to hardware features on the device, including the camera, GPS, microphone, and more, making for a more engaged and interesting user experience.
Offline functionality: Because native apps may save information locally, users can access material even if they are not online.

The following are the disadvantages:

Higher Development Costs: Because native apps must be developed using platform-specific tools and languages, the process might take longer and be more expensive.
Platform-Specific: Since native apps are created specifically for a given platform, versions must be created for each platform separately.
App Store Approval: Before native apps can be released on app stores, they must go through an approval procedure, which can lengthen and complicate the development process.
App Maintenance: Native apps need regular upkeep and upgrades to make sure they continue to function well on new hardware and software.

Popular frameworks used in Native Apps

The following are the various frameworks:

IOS
Swift
Objective-C
Android
Java
Kotlin
Windows
C#
.NET framework
macOS
Swift
Cocoa

When to consider Native apps?

The following are the reasons for selecting native apps:

Resource-intensive tasks: Native apps are ideal for activities that demand a lot of computing power and graphics processing, such as gaming, video editing, and other multimedia applications.
Complex user interfaces: Native applications are the best option for complex user interfaces that need a lot of user interaction because they are built to fully use the device’s capabilities.
Device-specific features: A native app may be the best choice if the program needs access to device-specific features like the camera, accelerometer, or GPS.
Targeting a particular platform: A native app is the greatest option to deliver the best user experience on that platform if your software is intended for a particular platform, such as iOS or Android.

What are Hybrid Apps?

Software applications known as “hybrid apps” are created by combining native development frameworks with web technologies including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Hybrid apps are created to function across different operating systems and can be installed on iOS and Android devices.

Web views, which are effectively browser windows embedded within hybrid apps, are the primary method these apps use to display web content.

Then, the native framework gives users access to hardware features like the camera, GPS, and others unique to a given device.

In order to connect the online view and native functionality, hybrid apps are frequently created utilizing frameworks like Apache Cordova or Ionic.

Thus, the user interface and business logic can be developed by developers using web technologies.

Let's see some popular examples of Hybrid apps:

Instagram
Twitter (X)
Gmail
Amazon
Microsoft Teams
Netflix

Advantages and Disadvantages of Hybrid Apps:

The following are the advantages:

Cross-platform compatibility: Hybrid apps may be delivered to various platforms, including iOS and Android, and are created utilizing web technologies, which can reduce development time and costs.
Access to device features: Hybrid apps have the ability to access features on the device, including the GPS, microphone, and camera, to give users a richer and more interactive experience.
Web technology development:
Web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are frequently used and well-known to many developers, can be leveraged to create hybrid apps.
The ability to employ web technologies and frameworks to build the app makes hybrid app development potentially simpler than entirely native app development.

The following are the disadvantages:

Speed: Due to their reliance on a web view, which can often be slower than fully native interfaces, hybrid apps may not provide the same degree of speed as fully native apps.
Limited functionality: Hybrid apps’ functionality may be restricted because they may not have full access to all of the hardware and software on the device.
Platform restrictions: Hybrid apps might not be able to fully utilize platform-specific features to the same extent as completely native apps, which might result in a less seamless user experience.

Popular frameworks used in Hybrid Apps

The following are the various frameworks:

React Native
Flutter
Ionic

When to consider Hybrid apps?

Cross-platform development: Hybrid apps can be a smart alternative if you want to create an app that runs on many platforms (such as iOS and Android), but you don’t have the resources to create fully native apps for each platform.
Apps that are primarily concerned with content: If your app is primarily concerned with content and doesn’t need a lot of complicated features or high-performance graphics, hybrid apps can be a viable alternative because they can offer a rich and dynamic user experience without the requirement for entirely native development.
Simple business apps: If your company needs a straightforward app, like a mobile version of your website or a straightforward internal communication tool, hybrid apps can be a smart choice because they can be created quickly and affordably.

What are Cross Platform Apps?

The term “cross-platform app” refers to a certain kind of software application that is created to function across different platforms or operating systems, including iOS, Android, and Windows.

Cross-platform apps, as opposed to native apps, which are created particularly for one platform, are made to function on a variety of hardware and operating systems.

This enables developers to create just one piece of code and distribute it across numerous platforms.

Take the example of a business owner who wants to create a mobile app to market and sell their goods to customers.

You want to make the app accessible to iOS and Android users, but you don’t want to engage two different developers to create two new native apps.

You might think about creating a cross-platform app in this situation utilizing a mobile development framework like React Native or Flutter.

Instead of creating two distinct apps from the start, you could use a cross-platform framework to create the code once and distribute it to both the iOS and Android platforms.

Let's see some popular examples of Cross-platform apps:

Skype
Slack
Facebook
Microsoft Office
Google maps

Advantages and Disadvantages of cross-platform apps:

The following are the advantages:

Cost-effective: Instead of developing individual apps from scratch, developers can create code once and publish it across numerous platforms, making cross-platform app development more affordable.
Faster time-to-market: Creating cross-platform apps can reduce development time since it eliminates the need to create distinct apps for each platform and allows developers to reuse code.
A bigger audience may be reached via cross-platform apps because users can download and utilize them on several devices.
Cross-platform programs may be simpler to maintain because code updates may be made only once and implemented to all systems.

The following are the disadvantages:

Performance restrictions: Because cross-platform apps rely on shared code and libraries, which might have an influence on performance, they might not run as smoothly as completely native programs.
Platform-specific restrictions: Cross-platform apps might not be able to utilize all of the features and functionality that are available on a given platform, which could have an impact on how powerful they are.
Learning curve: For developers who are unfamiliar with new tools and technologies, developing cross-platform apps may need some learning.

Popular frameworks used in Cross-platform Apps

The following are the popular frameworks used in cross-platform apps:

Flutter
React Native
Ionic
NativeScript

When to consider Cross-platform apps?

Budget restrictions: Cross-platform app development can be a cost-effective solution to construct an app that functions on numerous platforms if you have limited resources or a small budget.
Time-to-market: Cross-platform app development can be a quicker choice than creating unique native apps for each platform if you need to get your product to market quickly.
Simpler functionality: Cross-platform development may be a suitable fit if your software needs simpler functionality that doesn’t rely substantially on platform-specific features or complicated animations.
Limited access to platform-specific features: Cross-platform development can be a suitable choice if you don’t need access to all of the native APIs and tools that are accessible to native apps.

Native vs. Hybrid vs. Cross-Platform: Which One to Choose?

The decision to construct an app native, hybrid, or cross-platform depends on a number of variables, such as the app’s performance needs, security requirements, and development costs. The rankings of each sort of app development in these categories are broken down as follows:

Performance:

Generally, they are created specifically for one platform and can utilize all of its hardware and software capabilities, native apps typically deliver the best performance. Since hybrid and cross-platform apps rely on shared code and might not have access to all of the platform-specific features, they might not perform as well.

Security:

Native apps may provide better security because they can utilize the security features built into the platform and may have access to native encryption libraries. Hybrid and cross-platform apps can be secure as well, but they might need extra security precautions to guarantee that the shared code is safe on all platforms.

Cost of Development:

As developers can write code once and deploy it to multiple platforms rather than creating separate apps from scratch, cross-platform apps may be more cost-effective than native apps. Because they can reuse code across platforms, hybrid apps can also be more affordable than native ones. The intricacy of the app and the amount of expertise of the development team, however, may affect the development cost.

Conclusion

In conclusion, determining the best method for developing an app depends on a number of variables, such as the app’s performance requirements, security requirements, and development expenses.

Although creating separate apps for each platform can be expensive and time-consuming, native app development offers the best performance and security.

By sharing code across platforms, hybrid app development can reduce costs, but it may come at the expense of some performance and security.

Cross-platform app development may not provide the same degree of performance or access to platform-specific features, but it can save money and enable code sharing across other platforms.

The ideal strategy will ultimately depend on the unique requirements of the app, as well as the resources at hand and the development team’s experience.

Startups can capitalize on these concepts and build successful businesses by utilizing technology, user-centric design, and monetization techniques. Always keep in mind that the key to success is thorough market research, efficient execution, and ongoing adaptability to meet changing consumer needs. Therefore, seize the opportunities, think broadly, and implement your web app idea in 2023.

Ready to shape your app’s future? Make the right call for your project’s success with Essence Software Solutions – India’s leading mobile development company. Reach out today for expert guidance.