In the process of creating an app to your business it can be challenging to pick the most suitable framework out of many. One of the most important choices when developing a mobile app for your business is choosing the right app development model for your particular business. There are also other important things to think about, in addition to the design of your app, which affect the final results, such as the time you have for marketing of the app, development cost, maintenance or maintenance costs or if you've got an in-house team of expert developers or you hire expert developers etc.
This blog will give you an in-depth understanding of different types of mobile apps with distinct development models as well as technology so that you are able to make the best choice.
There are 3 different types of mobile app development . These include native, web and hybrid application development. The primary difference between these three kinds of mobile apps is the platform or operating system on which they are designed. In turn, the programming language utilized, the technology employed differ and so do the respective applications.
Let's begin with a brief outline of the various forms of mobile apps development models.
Overview of 3 types of mobile apps on the basis of app development
Native app development
First-party native apps are the apps that are developed using the tools made by the developer of iOS or Android, which refers to either Apple or Google in turn. First party native app development tools are:
For iOS: Xcode, the programming language in which it is written in Swift / Objective-C
Android: For Android: Android Studio in the programming language Java/ Kotlin
Since native apps are built using the native platform for one platform, they have the benefit of optimizing the user experience. For instance buttons, gestures and swipes can be customized for each platform.
Hybrid app development
Hybrid applications (also known as cross-platform native apps) can be created to be a single app that can run on several operating systems and platforms. Therefore, there is no need to create special apps specifically to cater to iOS as well as for Android users. One codebase is used to create a mobile application to Android or iOS users using developing hybrid applications.
The main advantages of hybrid app development is its low development cost and time because it does not require two separate teams of developers to develop for two different operating systems, i.e, iOS and Android.
A few of the most popular tools for developing hybrid apps using various frameworks include Xamarine, React Native, Flutter, Uno, Kotlin native.
Web app development
Web applications are those apps that are run using a web browser on an device. The UI of web apps is similar to that of websites. The speed of development for web apps is extremely fast due to the use the same code for various platforms. The most popular web app development frameworks are Microsoft blazer, Native Script and Angular js, React, Ionic.
One of the downsides of creating web-based apps is that should you need to update the elements of your UI of your web application then you'll have to change the UI in your web app entirely unlike native apps where you need to rebuild your web app's UI.
You're acquainted with the different kinds of mobile apps and their key distinctions, so let's examine how the technology or framework that is used affects the characteristics of overall app development. Another thing to keep in your mind is that they're developed differently, so which one is the most suitable of the three different types of mobile applications will be different depending on the business requirements and resources available.
3 distinct types of mobile applications and their framework and technology
Native apps
Native applications are extremely intuitive and highly efficient. The native app development tools provide their own operating system's UI/UX, updates etc. They are distributed through apps stores, Google Play Store and the App Store. The development process of native apps is slow due to the fact that it is necessary to create the same application on different platforms with different codes and teams of developers. These are the major characteristics of native apps on the basis of the technology utilized.
Framework owner: Apple/Google
UI/UX: Native
Development speed: Slow
Maintenance cost: High
Performance: Very High
Programming language: Swift/Java
Maturity: Very Mature
Feature Access: Complete
Open-source: No
Pros:
Native applications have high-performance and speed.
The hardware resources needed are few because of the efficient coding.
They have optimized UI/UX because of the native environment used in the development
They can boost app use through the power of push notifications based on your desired requirements.
Native apps work offline.
Cons:
Additional development costs and more time.
Likely, maintenance and updates can take longer.
No code flexibility to accommodate different operating systems
Hybrid apps
Hybrid apps, also known as cross-platform native apps are basically a blend of both native and web application technology. There are a variety of technologies and frameworks that can be used to create a hybrid application. The foundation of a hybrid application is created using web-based programming languages such as HTML, CSS and Java and runs within the native application. The development speed and price are lower than native apps. There are many modern hybrid frameworks such as Ionic, Native Script, Xamarin, React Native that offers strong UI elements closer to that native applications.
Framework owner: Multiple
UI/UX: Native
Development speed: Fast
Maintenance cost: Low
Performance: High
Programming language: Multiple
Maturity: Mature
Feature Access: Complete
Open-source: Yes
Pros:
Lower development costs and time than native.
Able to access native functions of the device.
Supports multiple platforms with the single codebase.
The easy deployment of updates.
Ability to work without internet access in instances where database support is not needed.
Cons:
Lower in performance than native applications.
Certain features may be missing on a specific operating system.
Some customizations may incur additional costs.
You must adjust to two different platforms at once, which can affect the UI of the one or the other.
Not compatible with older devices and web browsers.
Web apps
Web applications are accessible through the web browser of devices on mobile. Web apps are written using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They don't need the use of app stores and therefore avoid restriction on access to regulations that exist in app stores. They can also be used across various devices. In the year 2017, Google launched Progressive Web Applications(PWA) that added more features reminiscent of apps than the traditional web apps.
Framework owner: Multiple
UI/UX: Bespoke
Development speed: Fast
Maintenance cost: Medium
Performance: Medium
Programming language: Multiple(Web)
Maturity: Adolescent
Feature Access: Limited
Open-source: Open Source
There are certain capabilities that are accessible to PWA however, there are some that are not and they include the following:
Bluetooth
Local notifications
Touch gestures
Geolocation
Camera
Device Motion
Offline storage
Features that are not available in web apps:
Push notifications
Battery Status
Vibration
Geofencing
Augmented reality
Pros:
Faster development time and lesser cost
Simple distribution of app due to the lack of restrictions on app stores
Supports multiple platforms with the same codebase
Faster updates in the absence apps stores
Cons:
Does not fully utilize the capabilities of the device
Slower speed than native
It isn't working without the internet
How can you determine the ideal choice for app development for your business?
You should choose native app development if you need high performance and usability for your application. Additionally, the high quality user interface that is also intuitive and provides a great experience is a big plus advantage that comes with native app development.
If you are looking for third-party integrations and high-speed for your application, native apps might be the best option. If you want standard usability and a smaller budget then hybrid apps may meet your requirements. Hybrid apps also support large numbers of users.
It is recommended to choose web-based application development when you need fast deployment and less expensive costs and also if your application requires network connectivity.
However, the speed of web applications is lower than native apps. For example, if the native app's response speed is 10 milliseconds, then a hybrid app's response time will equal 100 milliseconds. This is still below the threshold for a person to be able to tell, however if you require apps with the most efficient performance, such as for gaming, then native apps are better suited.
5 questions to ask before making the decision between hybrid and native application development
Before you begin to build your app it is crucial to start from the basics and ask yourself these questions:
What's the main goal of the application?
What features are required in this application?
Who are the potential customers of your company?
Should you go for in-house app development rather than outsourcing?
What kind is the user's experience you hope to offer?
A trusted 6 step approach in building applications through hybrid app development
We follow a complete 6 step process for hybrid and native application development for our clients. Have a look at the following:
Analysis & planning
UI & UX design
Mobile application development
Mobile application integration
Mobile application testing
Mobile application maintenance
In the end, there is no universally-fit-all solution for application development for mobile devices. There is a range of frameworks and plugins available to create the best application for your company. We've provided details about hybrid, web, and native app development and how to select the appropriate. However, the final decision depends on your particular business goals and requirements.
When deciding on the different kinds of apps that you can develop for your business, take into consideration the pros and cons of every kind of mobile application. The initial step should be to identify your business's specific requirements. Consult our specialists and developers from Markovate to guide you through developing the apps of your dreams and your clients' requirements.
Markovate offers a range of frameworks that allow hybrid app development such as Xamarin, Flutter, Mobile Angular UI, Ionic, and React Native for native app development. We can help you with choosing the best one for your needs. Contact our experts to learn more.
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