Native Apps Vs. Hybrid Apps: The Difference Between Them

• By Ilmie Zhaku
• 01-12-2022
• Mobile App Development

In today's era of technology, apps have become extremely popular. They deliver more value to customers by offering seamless on-device experiences and mobile-optimized features.

However, since there are different types of apps, there's a lot of confusion about native and hybrid apps. So if you're an entrepreneur, you've probably wondered: Which should I use? Don't worry too much! This article will help you understand the differences between native apps and hybrid apps and make it easier to choose the best option for your business.

Native apps Vs. Hybrid Apps

Here are some crucial points to understand the difference between them:

• What are Native apps?
• Advantages of native apps
• Disadvantages of native apps
• What are hybrid apps?
• Advantages of hybrid apps
• Disadvantages of hybrid apps

What Are Native apps?

Native apps are a type of software or program that is created for a particular operating system. In other words, they are developed for Android or iOS. For example, most of the Native Android applications are written in Java or Kotlin, while Native IOS applications are written in Swift or Objective-C, while iPhone apps are written in Swift or Objective-C.

Native apps are known to be faster compared to hybrid apps or web apps. They can also interact with all the device's features, such as a camera, microphone, GPS, and storage. Many app developers decide to develop native mobile apps because of their ability to interact with a device's operating system.

However, if you want to build an app for more than one platform, one of the drawbacks of developing a native app is the inability of the code created for one mobile platform to be used and modified for another. This makes native applications more time and cost-consuming than hybrid applications.

Now that you know what native apps are, let's move forward and see the advantages and disadvantages of native apps.

Advantages of Native Apps

Fast and Responsive

Native apps operate more quickly because they are built specifically for the platform. One of the reasons that utilize the speed is the preloaded components that work with the device's built-in features.

Security

Native apps are secure against misuse thanks to several operating system layers, unlike hybrid apps, which rely only on the system browser's security. Moreover, each native program has its official APIs thoroughly tested across various system versions instead of depending on a third-party system.

Tend to work better offline

Another advantage of native apps is that they work better offline than other apps. This means it doesn't need to have internet connectivity to run them. Of course, not all native apps run offline, but most do. Even if users are stuck in the middle of nowhere and can't connect to the internet, they can still run some basic features on native apps.

Advantages of mobile app features

By quickly accessing mobile device features, such as GPS, camera, microphone, and address book, native apps have a significant advantage.

Superior user interface

Since native apps meet platform-specific performance criteria, they can outperform hybrid and web apps.

Disadvantages of Native Apps

Of course, native apps also have a few drawbacks you should consider. Here are some of the disadvantages:

Greater upfront costs

One of the most significant disadvantages of native apps is that the costs of native apps can be much higher than hybrid apps, especially if you intend to develop an app for your business on more than one platform.

Difficult Development process

Developing a native app can be difficult since it requires separate developers for each platform. For example, for the same application, you should hire a developer for the app on Android and then hire another for the app on iOS. In addition, developing a native app has tough challenges.

Run only on one platform

Another disadvantage of native apps is that they can't run on other operating systems, only on one platform that they're developed for.

Time Consuming

A simple native application takes at least 4 to 6 months to develop for a single system. The process requires much work, including planning, technical development, testing, and review. A company needs a specialized development team to create and test apps for both Google Play and Apple App Store if the application needs to be published in both stores. The development of a native app for both platforms could take up to a year, which is why we could say that native applications are time-consuming.

What Are Hybrid Apps?

Hybrid applications are a fused approach that uses native and web solutions well. Using various plugins like Cordova or Capacitor, developers embed web technologies - HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, into a native app.

Due to the wide acceptance of hybrid app development by many software development companies and skilled mobile developers, its popularity has increased today. Some even consider that hybrid applications are the future of Mobile app development. In order to understand why this statement could become the absolute truth in a few years, we could dive deeper into some of the many advantages of hybrid application development.

Advantages of Hybrid Apps

Like native apps, hybrid apps have their advantages as well. Here are some of them:

Run on multiple platforms

Another significant advantage of hybrid apps is that they are built and run on multiple platforms. Developers don't have to write different codes for different operating systems. They write the code once and run it wherever necessary. They have a 'one for all development that saves time and money.

Cost-effective

Since building a hybrid app requires a single code for multiple operating systems, the costs are lower than a native app. The time that is needed to make the app is reduced, so together with that, the costs are reduced as well.

Simple maintenance

Most hybrid apps use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript, which makes them easy to maintain. You don't have to build a new app whenever there is a new operating system, unlike native apps that need a new version. Hybrid apps can function without any changes in new operating systems.

Development Time

The development time for hybrid apps is much faster compared to native apps. Since the code needs to be written only once, a significant amount of time is saved. While developing a native app may take months, creating a hybrid app might take several weeks.

Disadvantages of Hybrid Apps

Along with the pros, hybrid apps have their cons too. Here are some of them:

Performance

One of the disadvantages of hybrid apps is that they're slower than native apps in every aspect. This is because there is a layer between the source code and the operating system.

Functionality

As mentioned, hybrid apps are built for multiple platforms, and since the code is common to all platforms, some native features are missing. Thus, the user can't expect maximum stability and quality in a hybrid app, especially if the app is complex.

Native apps vs. Hybrid apps: Overview

Native apps perform fast, have better functionality, and fit into the device's features. They're also more secure against misuse. However, native apps have a complex development process, and the costs are higher and time-consuming since you need different codes for each platform.

Unlike native apps, hybrid apps need only one code that works on multiple platforms, which makes them cost-effective and time-saving. But, they don't have native's performance and can lead to poor user experience.