In this era of advanced technology, people spend most of their time on smartphones. Therefore, every industry must make prominent online visibility to maximize business growth. Hence, mobile app development continuously evolves with the emerging technology and framework every year. According to the statistics, mobile app development revenue reached $133 billion in 2021.
But, among the various market options, knowing what will work best for any business isn't easy. However, you may have heard about the constant debate on native vs cross-platform app development.
Before creating an app, you must concentrate on multiple factors, like time, cost, and functionality. Also, it can be challenging for you to choose the right native and cross-platform app development company and the development platform. So, to help you make your decision, we have discussed almost everything you have to know to choose between native and cross-app platforms.
What is The Native App Development?
Native mobile app development is mainly the process of developing mobile applications using APIs and a native language especially designed to access all the functions and features of the system. Specifically, it refers to coding for a specific operating system that will work on only one device.
If you aim to reach security, high performance, and responsiveness, then it is worth paying attention to native mobile application development to meet the needs of a particular platform. In simple words, if you want to develop an android app, you must build it using programming languages like Kotlin or Java. On the other hand, if you make an app for the iOS platform, the developer needs to use Swift or Objective-C.
Since it is a very time-consuming and expensive process, many entrepreneurs are in a dilemma because of the high cost of native mobile application development. They have to run simultaneous development for both platforms. But it will be worth every penny if you develop it with appropriate features.
Perks of Developing Native Mobile Application
The growth rate of mobile application downloads has risen dramatically worldwide, and it is expected to grow more in the coming years. As per the statistics, the global revenue that is generated by the mobile application will exceed 100 billion by the year 2024. In this booming modern technology industry, businesses are launching their app in the market.
So, if you are interested in marketing your application, you can opt for native app development since it is secure and gives you high performance. Now, let's see other advantages of native app development.
1. Secured and Reliable
The primary advantage of working on a native platform is that it provides a wide range of functionalities for hybrid applications. So, compared to cross-platform, it has more security features, making it more reliable. Several layers, languages, and technologies related to your application are more likely to be vulnerable.
2. Interactive and Intuitive
If you develop a native application, then it will give you a much smoother experience than cross-platform development. You can have exceptional UX design with native app development. Since it offers a gentle learning curve, it is the best option for beginners as it lets them interact with mobile applications that they are already familiar with.
3. Efficiency
Native applications generally use less batter power since they do not need several processing layers. They are straightforward to optimize; hence, users can use their devices for a long time without putting too much strain on their processors.
4. Easy to Update
All suitable applications require a straightforward way to update over time. Native apps are way simpler to update as time passes and can benefit from valuable features like IoT connectivity, AI, etc.
5. Compatibility and Seamless Operation
Mobile apps developed on the native platform can be integrated very quickly with the device's hardware since it ensures seamless operation. It is compatible with hardware like the camera, GPS location support, calendar, microphone, etc.
Read more - Cross-Platform App Development is The First Choice of Modern Companies
What is Cross-Platform App Development?
Cross-platform mobile app development is mainly a process of developing an app that works on several platforms using a single codebase. This type of app can run very smoothly on different devices simultaneously without reducing the software's speed and performance. It has compatibility with multiple operating systems.
The development process can be done by the developer using cross-platform mobile frameworks like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin. According to the Statista Research Department, 42% of developers prefer using Flutter when developing cross-platform apps. Developers require less time to build cross-platform apps since they do not have to create two individual codebases for Android and iOS. They only have to use a single database that will work on both operating systems.
The best part of cross-platform app development is that the developer does not need to write the same code repeatedly because they can use a single code for both platforms. If you are an entrepreneur or running a small business, it can be the best option for you as you can get a cost-effective yet fully-featured application.
Perks of Developing Cross-Platform Mobile Application
Unlike native app development, you won't have to decide on what platform you want to deploy your app. Cross-platform mobile application development allows you to run your app smoothly on multiple operating systems, sharing the same code base. Apart from the flexibility, it has other benefits as well to offer that we will discuss below:
1. Cost Effectiveness
While developing native apps, developers must use several advanced tools and technologies for both platforms, which can be expensive. But, it significantly cuts down the development cost as they can use the standard tools and technologies for both operating systems.
2. Reusable Code
One of the significant advantages of developing cross-platform apps is that developers can use a single code to run the app on both platforms very quickly. With this single code, developers will eliminate the repetitive tasks of coding separately for multiple operating systems, accelerating the speed of the whole development process of cross-platform applications.
3. Reach a Broader Audience
Since you can deploy your application on multiple platforms, it automatically increases your online exposure. It will further help you get increased ROI, which is a great benefit.
4. Faster Development
Several technologies offer cross-platform solutions, which further let the developers make all the necessary changes with just a few clicks. For instance, while dealing with cross-platform app development, developers can write code on HTML and easily convert it for other platforms. However, the implementation process is also straightforward, convenient, and also saves a lot of time.
5. Faster Time to Market
As the developer does not have to create separate applications for both iOS and Android applications, they can develop and publish the apps on both app stores at the same time. It implies that you can market your app on both platforms very quickly before your competitors in the market.
Native vs Cross-Platform App Development- Which Will Be the Best?
It is essential to identify your target audiences, functionality, time availability, and financial resources that you want to have in your software to understand which mobile app will suit your project. You can hire the best native and cross-platform app development company for faster deployment.
However, the choice of a specific development method should be based on the various conditions. Now, let's look at the primary reasons to select one or another development approach below:
You Can Opt for Native Application Development When:
- You need a reliable and more secure mobile application with the best performance.
- You are running a giant company that can handle the overall development cost.
- You want to develop an app that will offer fast responsiveness.
- You want to create a gaming app with complicated designs and features.
- You need to build an app that you can easily update and enhance with new features in the future.
- Your app will use a device's resources, like a camera, GPS, etc.
You Can Go for Cross-Platform Application Development When:
- You have a minimal budget.
- You want to launch your app on the market quickly.
- You need a mobile application that will run on several operating systems.
- Your application does not require any complex animation or complicated logic.
- You do not have any problem with a less responsive application.
In the end
Ultimately, the choice to use any development approach is based on the project requirements and the developer's expertise. You can opt for Native apps for a better user experience and high performance. Otherwise, you can go for cross-platform app development if you are low on the budget. However, you must choose the best native and cross-platform app development company like Owebest Technology to meet your project requirements.
We have vast experienced and skilful developers at Owebest Technology to transform your business goals into reality. We value our clients' time, and therefore, we are best at delivering projects timely. Our primary aim is to satisfy our customers with a budget-friendly mobile app development approach to accelerate their business growth. To know more feel free to connect with our team of experts.