WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATIVE AND HYBRID MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT?

Platform-specific Apps (iOS, Android etc.) are known as Native Apps and they require unique development expertise. When building using Native SDKs, the platform can be fully leveraged, pushing towards a great user experience, larger app capabilities, and overall performance. Because these Apps are built for specific platforms and require specific development skills, this can present challenges of maintaining multiple codebases for the same app. Various Tools are used to build Native apps and the list is ever expanding, but those closest to the mothership are Xcode for iOS and Android Studio for Android. Let's see how iOS and Android compare with each other. 

1) PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES: 

In this category, Android App development wins over iOS App Development. Java is much easier to program as compared to Objective-C. In order to do the same thing in iOS, you must write a lot more code as compared to Android, and the advanced data structures available to Java developers are well ahead of those in Objective-C. 

2) DEVELOPMENT TOOLS: 

Android development is achieved using Android Studio and iOS development is done by Xcode. Both tools are free to use. Android Studio is superior to iOS because it has background compilation and the IDE highlights errors quickly whereas, in iOS development, Xcode needs an explicit build stage. You have the option to debug on either real hardware or emulator in both the tools. On comparing the features of both IDEs, we see that both tools offer navigation, refactoring, debugging capabilities and much more. Android Studio stands upright in its features department, but this is balanced by the GUI design tools in both the IDEs. 

Also Read: Why Businesses should invest in Mobile App Design for their Apps?

3) DEVICE FRAGMENTATION: 

There are a plethora of Smartphone manufacturers producing phones with different screen sizes. On Android, you must support all screen sizes such as mdpi, hdpi, xhdpi, xxhdpi and xxxhdpi. A folder needs to be created for each resolution, and the graphics which are being utilized should be pre-scaled accordingly and then dropped in the correct folder. Android will try to scale the graphics If you don’t pre-scale them for a given resolution, and that may not look so good. With just three sizes of graphics, iOS is better in this respect and the lowest resolution is not needed nowadays. 

4) SIMULATORS: 

Apple takes home the Trophy here. Due to the availability of only a small range of iOS devices, they provide you with just one simulator that you must use for the appropriate model. In Android, you must choose through several options like operating system versions, screen sizes, and different types of Devices in order to ensure compatibility. 

Right now, there tends to be a greater Return on Investment in iOS App Development versus Android App Development. What I’m talking about here is the cash inflow. Google Play Store might be growing faster than ever but iOS seems to be making more money in monthly revenues. iPhone users have a high loyalty rate and they tend to spend more money on mobile apps than Android users, whether it be buying an app or an in-app purchase. 

So, does that mean you bail on the Android Market? Not before you see the numbers below!  

One can clearly see that iOS is more favorable in predominantly English-speaking countries, and Japan. For example, Sweden's iOS market slightly leads with a 2% difference over its Android counterpart. Relatively, for the rest of other countries Android Market enjoys a distinct difference caused by the abundance and variety of budget-friendly Android devices.  

This is clearly indicative of the fact that there is more to Mobile Application Development than just focusing on Operating Systems and their Developmental Differences. One Must consider their Target Audience because, in the end, they are the ones who would be using the App. Keeping all these things in mind, let us look at Hybrid Apps and see how it makes a difference in the Development Process.

When a developer augments web code with the native SDK, the result is a Hybrid App. This means that JavaScript, HTML, and CSS are utilized to create an embedded web application experience. Because of this, the development is more rapid, simpler and the application is easier to maintain. Some tools which are used to build Hybrid apps are Cordova, Ionic (based on Cordova) and PhoneGap, to name a few. Xamarin app Development is one such tool that delivers results beyond any development boundaries. One of the perceived issues with Hybrid App Development is that they still depend on the native browser, which means that they might not be as fast as native apps. But the plus point is that it doesn't matter anymore. Want to know why? Read on. 

So, which Platform should I choose? Time is of the essence! 

Well, the best answer we can come up with is…...Hybrid App Development! 

If you want to build mission-critical apps, with performance intensive features, highly fluid animations, multi-touch support, quick market time, while maintaining the ability to make quick updates, all on a smaller budget while enabling cross-platform compatibility, you need to build a Hybrid App, hands down. 

The versus debate between Native Application Development and Hybrid Application Development is a thing of the past. There are a lot of factors and technological advancements over the years which contribute to Hybrid Application Development getting the Upper Hand in Present time. 

In earlier times, processing was done locally on the device and the internet was only used to parse the data from the server. This meant that building Apps in a Native Environment using Native SDKs was the best choice at that time. 

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Now, the tables have turned, and the processing is completely leveraged using Cloud Platform capabilities. With Increased Data speeds like 4G/5G, the need for code to be Executed at the Device end has reduced to a large extent, which means you can now use Hybrid App Development to increase efficiency and ease of use (the apps are just web pages, and the encompassing browser is like a custom wrapper). This allows you to update the backend of the Apps without requiring the customer to download and reinstall the updated Packages at their end. 

At Zenesys, we can you help you develop the next best cross-platform app by providing Xamarin App Development Services at unbeatable prices. Talk to our experts today to find out how can it benefit you.