Native vs Cross-Platform- what to choose?

There are millions of smartphone users in the world and numbers are going to increase with every passing second. Even for well-built organizations, taking the count of the total number of mobile phone users cannot be overlooked. This constant demand for mobile phones is also opening great opportunities for mobile app development companies also.

To this, organizations are also adopting the idea of mobile apps for expanding their business along with being always available to the users irrespective of time zone, location, etc. And on the other hand, mobile app development companies are continuously experimenting with mobile apps to provide enhanced and better than before experience that too effectively and efficiently.

Taking the same thought regarding mobile application development, there are two approaches to give life to an app idea- Cross-platform and Native. Those who are into the app industry for many years must have some idea about the two approaches, whereas those who are just venturing into the app world might find it difficult to understand which way to go first, thus, we have simplified the two approaches for better understanding.

So, without further ado, let's get into the depth and decide what to choose first-

Cross-Platform applications

The approach is meant for developing an application for once and deploying it on various platforms. Also, the user interface that is created on it is used by standard web technologies like HTML, CSS while the application logic is driven by JavaScript.

Furthermore, the structure and logic of cross-platform applications are created with the help of tools like NativeScript, Xamarin, PhoneGap, etc.

Native Approach applications

Native apps development implies building an application for a particular platform, it could be for Android or iOS. The users can download the apps via the Play Store or the App Store.

These applications are built using platform-specific programming languages like Java for Android or Objective-C/C++ for iOS and development environments like Android Studio for Android or XCode for iOS.

As we are done with the basic introduction of both approaches, let us know check out their advantages and disadvantages to finalize the one for the upcoming mobile app development project.

Benefits of Native approach over Cross-Platform

Best performance

The native mobile app development is aimed at creating and optimizing apps for a specific platform. Due to the dedicated platform, the app demonstrates a high level of performance.

Furthermore, these apps are fast and responsive because they are built for a specific platform and developed using platforms core programming language and APIs.

More secure

Developing a native mobile application is a great way to guarantee users reliable data protection.

These apps are more intuitive and interactive

Native apps inherit the devices’ OS interfaces that make them look and feel like an integrated part of the device. This is the reason, these apps run way smoother.

In addition to this, native apps offer enhanced and superior user experience by adhering to the guidelines that automatically enhanced user experience with the specific operating system. As a result, the flow of the app looks more natural which allows users to learn and use the app easily.

Set of devices

Because of developing an app for a particular platform, the app takes full advantage of software and operating systems’ features. The apps can access the hardware of devices like GPS, camera, Microphone etc, in order to enhance the overall experience.

Furthermore, choosing native app development gives another advantage of push notifications.

Fewer bugs during the development phase

Due to not being dependent on cross-platform tools like Cordova, Xamari, there are very few chances of getting bugs in the development phase. Also, Native app developers do have access to new software development kits in order to start developing the app with the new updated and recent features.

Cons of developing Native apps

Costly and time consuming

Creating native apps for more than one operating system can stretch the development process. Also, the same code cannot be deployed for different platforms thus mobile app developers will require more time to convert and again re-write the code. And the whole process will simply lead to increasing cost and development time.

Also, if the organization is willing to develop a native application for various different platforms, the mobile app development company would require additional specialist programmers and in such a situation an effective RFP can work wonders.

Missed opportunities

Well, though native apps do have their own advantages but developing apps for a particular platform can result in missed opportunities especially when other platforms are not taken into consideration. Thus, not targeting multiple audiences at a time will result in revenue losses.

When this was all about native apps, let us quickly look at the cross-platform arena too.

Pro of using cross-platform

Affordable and time-saving

Cross-platform is all about write once, run everywhere approach, the platform allows developers to utilize single code on multiple platforms. Compared to native applications, the cross-platform greatly reduces the cost while shortens the overall mobile app development time.

Easier and faster deployment

The mobile app developers who deals with cross-platform app development are not necessarily required to learn multiple technologies before developing the application. What they have to do is to master a few of the technology and they are ready to go.

Furthermore, cross-platform does not require creating different codebases, thus the initial deployment on the target platforms is way faster than expected.

Wider audience reach

By developing an application for cross-platform, it gives one access to a wider target audience that will ultimately lead to increased revenues.

Cons of developing cross-platform apps

Glitches

As compared to native applications, cross-platform applications do not integrate flawlessly with the targeted operating systems.

Not being able to blend flawlessly with operating systems, most of the apps fail to perform optimally due to inconsistent communication between the non-native code and native components of the device.

User experience

Most of the time apps that are developed using shared code fail to offer robust user experiences. Though cross-platform does target a large number of audiences but mimicking native features is not enough, that’s why cross-platform apps cannot take advantage of native-only features.

So, this is all about both the approaches and there are many other things waiting to get explored in the list.

If you are willing to develop an application for your business, make sure to first ask a few questions before finalizing the app development company in order to get a clear picture of what you are going to get and what will they be delivering you.

Nishtha Kumari is the Content Specialist. She writes well-researched content over the latest topic trends in various industries. Her priority is to cover up new technologies.