With the rapid advancement in almost every aspect of the mobile application development industry be it platforms, devices, technologies, network models, features, etc., it gets really tough for the start-ups as well as small business to deal with all these emerging technologies. Regardless of that, when it comes to the mobile app development, there are three options available for businesses to choose from: Native mobile app, web app and hybrid mobile app. Let us see the difference between these three types of mobile applications as well as which one is the better.
Native App: These applications integrate with only single OS such as iOS only app, Android only app, etc.
Web App: These apps are developed in HTML5 and are quite similar to a mobile application.
Hybrid App: Hybrid apps are a combination of both the native apps as well as web apps.
Any particular business’s approach should be to reach out to their potential users. Hybrid mobile applications will help in delivering the products and services across all major platforms in case you opt for these applications for your mobile app development. These versatile hybrid mobile applications are highly preferred by top mobile app developers.
Hybrid Mobile Application
Hybrid Mobile Application can be defined as the combination of several techniques and technologies. It utilizes both native apps as well as mobile web app technologies. It is a cross-platform mobile application which offers a unique approach for your business to cater to a maximum number of users. Let us look at some benefits of hybrid mobile application development.
Access to device data
Similar to native apps, hybrid apps makes use of the mobile device’s own programming in order to sync it with other mobile apps. It can access the data that devices capture through GPS and cameras as well as push notifications and other device information.
User Experience
A website looks completely different when accessed on different browsers on different computers. Same goes for the mobile apps – and this won’t be effective for branding or user experience (UX). A hybrid app enables your customer to experience the capabilities and functionalities of their own mobile device when accessing an app that is all but standard. Even when an application needs an update, a single update will fix the app on all platforms. In addition, if users shift from one mobile platform to another, they can still experience a consistent UX. Hybrid Mobile Apps provides consistent user experience across multiple platforms and browsers.
Cost-effective
In comparison to native and web app development, hybrid mobile application development is a cost-effective process. This development process utilizes a different set of libraries which is then linked with tools. This, in turn, reduces the application’s development time. Once you develop the hybrid app, you can submit it to any app store for distinct platforms. It definitely, saves your time and cost.
Offline Support
The hybrid mobile application utilizes the device’s API and saves data offline. This will reduce the loading time of the application allowing the users to access the saved data in offline mode or when there is poor Internet connectivity.
Speed
Hybrid apps are faster when compared to the native and mobile web applications. The technology and framework used in the hybrid Mobile App Development are the reason behind its speed. With hybrid mobile apps, you don’t have to reload the app data often and you can access the app even with poor Internet connectivity. It will only get slow when the app requires animations and HD graphics.
Availability
A hybrid mobile app can be uploaded on different mobile platforms such as on App Store for iOS, on Google Play Store for Android, etc. As a business, you can easily reach your target audience with the use of hybrid mobile apps.
Scaling
Hybrid apps are cross-platform applications which are designed and developed for different platforms and operating systems. In comparison to native and mobile web apps, hybrid applications are quite easy to scale and develop. Moreover, developers can reuse the code across multiple platforms.
Thus, apparently hybrid mobile applications have more advantages over the mobile web app and native apps, marking time, cost and targeted platform as the most significant aspects.
