When should you develop separate native iOS and Android apps? And when is it better to create a single hybrid app that will run on both platforms? In this article, we’re talking about native vs. hybrid.
Native vs. Hybrid App Basics
Before diving into when it’s better to use native vs. hybrid apps, let’s start from 0 and briefly explain what native and hybrid mean. Native apps are built using the respective languages for Apple and Google (Android). For Apple, the native programming language is called Swift. It’s now an open-source language created by Apple when the language they were using, basically got old. Apple created Swift to meet the needs of the evolving iOS ecosystem while still being compatible with a lot of C languages like C, Objective-C, and C++. To learn more, read about Swift.
For Android, most people tend to use Java, but there are other languages you can use as well: C#, Kotlin, Python, and C++. Native apps have direct access to the native features of the device (like GPS, notifications, camera, etc.).
In contrast to native mobile apps, web apps are products built using web technologies like Javascript and PHP (among others). These products typically run in a web browser and can therefore run on both devices. Web apps do not have access however, to the native features of the device as mentioned above.
Hybrid apps are built with a mix of web and native technologies. The most popular language used to build hybrid apps is React Native. It takes the compatibility of the react javascript, but combines it with a layer of native functionality which allows access to the native features of the device.
With that background on native, web, and hybrid, there are three areas to consider when choosing the language: performance, effort, and budget.
Native vs. Hybrid Performance
When you look at an app, you want to make sure that the look and feel of the app create a memorable user experience. This is, of course, to say not only is the app “bug free”, but that the app’s features run smoothly on the device.
One advantage of building with Native is that you’re working with a language that already integrates seamlessly with the hardware and operating system of the device. Not only can a native app take full advantage of what the device has to offer (looking at compatibility and interactivity), it can also offer smoother performance. That can affect speed and user experience.
This is becoming less of an issue now, but hybrid apps used to be a lot clunkier. They didn’t perform as well as native apps, and got worse with large data sets. But recently, hybrid apps have become more high performing, and new ways were discovered to address the “clunkiness” (like changing your architecture, and tweaking how you store data). Looking at React Native, it was developed by Facebook and became open source back in 2015. Since then, there has been much improvement. As a side note, when you have big tech companies coming up with new languages and technologies, pay attention. It means they are solving real problems, and you can ride the wave of innovation and benefit from it.
The winner for this category is … native, but not by much. Yes, the performance might be smoother, but that probably isn’t going to be a significant factor in your user satisfaction, especially in an MVP. But yes, when looking at performance, the native apps come out on top.
Native vs. Hybrid Development – Duplication of Work
When you make native apps, you should know that you are going to make two similar but different apps. While you might be defining features and designing only once, you’re coding everything twice. Not to mention any change or addition to the features would need to be done twice, once for Android and once for iOS.
The workload with hybrid apps is less. You are only making one app and any changes or additions only need to be done once. So up front there is not as much work required. You will also only be working with one team, so communication may be less of a headache and flow easier. Looking at testing, you will need to have several people testing the iOS and Android versions regardless of whether you have one code base or two. Going with hybrid won’t save you on testing time because they are going to have different bugs.
For the category of duplication of work, the winner is … hybrid. The time and work saved with only having to make one app and updates only need to be made once is a game changer. Especially when it comes to the bootstrapping software entrepreneur, this will save a lot of time that you can direct elsewhere.
Budget
Depending on how much money you set aside for the app development, this may play a major role in deciding what is best for you.
As mentioned earlier, you need to make two apps with Native, and so you may have one team or two teams working to develop the app. In which case the changes and additions will need to go through the team(s) and require around twice as much time, time that you will need to pay for. Essentially, in both up-front development and any ongoing operations, support and changes that are made, you will need to be paying two times the price.
Because you don’t have to develop the app twice, or make the changes twice you will be, in effect, “saving” money.
The winner for this category is, hybrid. For a software entrepreneur, saving money is essential! When building an MVP, it would be smart not to incur more expenses than you need. Your purpose is to get your product to market, test, and refine.
If you’re a leader in an established enterprise, the budget may not play as big a role in the decision. If you are striving for optimum performance and the money fits the business case, you may decide to go with the native apps as opposed to hybrid apps. Remember, building an app is an investment, and if you do it right, you should get an ROI.
To learn more about app budgeting check out these two articles: App Development Funding and Building An App On A Budget.
Native vs. Hybrid Apps Pros and Cons – Personal Experience
I once worked in an enterprise where we built a hybrid app. The developers were always complaining about how they couldn’t get it to perform the way they wanted it to. They were constantly citing the limitations of the hybrid model. So, when I ventured out and built my first app, I was determined not to have those problems. So when I opened my business, formed a team, and we built our first app, it was a native app … on iOS only. My reasoning was, “We’ll build our MVP on iOS, prove it out, and once it gets some traction, we’ll build out the Android version.” That’s what we did. But in the first sales meetings, customers asked, “So, is there an Android version?” I had to say no. The customers didn’t buy. We’ve been building for mobile with React Native for years now and we love it!
If you’re building out an MVP, my recommendation is to start with a hybrid model. Especially if you’re bootstrapping, meaning paying for your initial development out of your own pocket, building hybrid means you can build it once for both platforms, add enhancements only once, and iterate on what your app does for your users. Once your company has annual recurring revenue (ARR) and the benefits of developing native apps become clear to you through bumping up against your own limitations within hybrid, then plan to go native.
You ultimately will decide on what to do, but consider how the app language will affect the performance of your app, the work and time it will require, and the overall cost. Building apps can be a complicated process, but it doesn’t need to be that way, whether it be a hybrid or native app, what is important is that you get started and stay committed. Go build your app and change the world.
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