Cross-Platform vs. Native Mobile App Development – Which one is better?

At present, you will come across lots of applications intended for numerous smartphones across the globe. There are two methods of developing mobile apps, namely, cross-platform and native, and it is vital to figure out which one will be appropriate for you. Below, we have talked about both of them, including their benefits and drawbacks.

What do you mean by Native App Development?

At times, we use only one platform, and in such cases, native app development will be appropriate for us. This can be achieved by using some specific programming languages and technologies. For instance, Swift or Objective-C has to be used for developing an iOS application. On the other hand, Kotlin or Java can be used by Android programmers.

Native app development tends to bother startups mainly because of their high expenses. However, apart from providing improved performance, native apps are also known to provide excellent UX.

Pros of Native App Development

1. Better support for the store

A native app is known to deliver enhanced speed and performance, and therefore, it can be published easily and ranks quite high on the app store of the platform.

2. Are more secure

The data of the users will be protected, thanks to the development of a native mobile app.

3. Extensive functionality

It will be possible for the developers to use the app in various ways. Every API that the platform provides will be accessible to you.

4. Enhanced scalability

The tools available are quite flexible, which makes the apps created for the native environment more scalable.

Cons of Native App Development

1. Consumes a lot of time

In case you are dealing with another version, you need a different team for that. This is because it is impossible to repeat the work performed for one particular platform when working with another platform.

2. Expensive

If you like to use native apps for Android and iOS, two separate teams have to be deployed out there. It can prove to be expensive in the long run.

Must Read: Top 12 Benefits of Native Mobile App for Business

What do you mean by cross-platform app development?

Given that native mobile apps come with so many benefits, it is hardly surprising that they’re quite powerful and scalable. Nevertheless, cross-platform mobile app development will prove useful if we want to have something faster and less expensive. Moreover, they’re capable of running on several OS as well, unlike the native mobile apps.

Despite having all these advantages, one cannot deny that cross-platform mobile apps happen to be less powerful than their counterparts. Moreover, customizing the application can also be somewhat challenging for the developers rendering cross-platform app development services.

Pros of Cross-platform App Development

1. More inexpensive

It is a fact that you will require only a single team of developers to create a cross-platform mobile app. In this way, it will prove to be less expensive in the long run.

2. Faster development

The development process is extremely fast since cross-platform mobile apps can support various devices despite being created as single projects. Only a single codebase can handle both Android as well as iOS.

3. Wider audience

You can easily develop your code using only one framework, which can be run on Windows, iOS, Android, etc. In this way, cross-platform mobile apps will provide you with a wider market reach.

Cons of Cross-Platform App Development:

1. Inadequate UX and UI design

It is a fact that cross-platform mobile applications provide a poor user experience since it is not possible for them to make use of all the inbuilt features those mobile devices provide these days. Therefore, the developers must make the features simplified on each mobile gadget. They achieve this by making the graphics and screen layouts appear identical on every device.

2. Poor customization

Development frameworks can’t support every feature required by you. This can lead to the blockage of the application’s operation as a whole.

3. Slower app

The cross-platform application becomes quite slow, given that an additional rendering process and abstraction layer will be required.

Must Read: Top 8 Best Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks in 2021

Cross-Platform or Native App?

It will be sensible to consider all the information mentioned above while deciding which one is appropriate for you, native app or cross-platform app. However, we have mentioned some guidelines for you if you find it difficult to make a decision.

Native development should be chosen by mobile app development companies if:

• You have the intention of creating a highly responsive application.

• You like to have an app that can be updated very easily.

• Your app needs comprehensive access to all services and phone resources.

• You like to use the hardware of your mobile device to the fullest.

Cross-platform development should be chosen by mobile app development companies if:

• You don’t have any issues while using a less responsive app.

• It is not imperative for the app to deal with complicated animation and logic.

• You want to test a concept in the app market using a short window.

Conclusion

It is the necessities of the project and the expertise of the programmers that will figure out your decision to use a native app or a cross-platform app. Given that both of them come with different advantages and drawbacks, native apps will be ideal for you if you like to emphasize performance and UX. However, one cannot deny that they happen to be somewhat expensive as compared to their counterparts.

On the contrary, even though cross-platform apps will not provide you with an outstanding UX, they are more beneficial in other aspects. They’re also quite easy and inexpensive.