The native vs. web debate is old fashioned, a native vs. hybrid is the current trend amongst experts. So, which one has the upper hand? Which one wins the debate? The answer is which one serves the purpose right, emerges as the winner. In this blog post, let us throw more light so that you can make smart and informed decision on mobile platforms.
Native
Smart device applications designed and developed to reside on the device which is,
1. Developed specifically for a mobile operating system (read Objective C or Swift for iOS or Java for Android operating systems)
2. Developed to take full advantage of all the device features — they can use the camera, the GPS, the accelerometer, the compass, the list of contacts, and so on
3. Capable of incorporating gestures (either standard OS gestures or new, app-defined gestures)
4. Able to use the device’s notification system and can work offline.
Hybrid
Hybrid apps are cross-platform apps those are a right blend of native apps and web apps. They are websites packaged into a native wrapper,
1. Developed using unified cross-platform tools like Ionic, Phonegap, Xamarin, etc. These apps can be run on iOS, Android and Windows platforms, downloaded from their respective app stores
2. They can take full advantage of most of the device features
3. Apps that work effectively work in online mode.
So which one to choose?
Advantages of choosing Hybrid over Native will be,
• Portability – one Code (Apply to multiple platforms – iOS, Android, Windows, etc.)
• Code reusability – Reuse code between Web and Mobile
• Less development time (so is Go-to-Market time)
• Access hardware and software capabilities of the smartphone using plug-ins
• Same UI and UX with minor changes for different platforms
• Lightweight apps.
References:
1. https://ymedialabs.com/hybrid-vs-native-mobile-apps-the-answer-is-clear/
2. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mobile-native-apps/
