Today, we are fully dependent on technology for our daily tasks from reminders to decision-making. All are using mobile apps and the internet. Apps have been launched for almost everything available on the Google play store and Apple app store.
Business owners around the world have understood that nothing can bring and engage customers better than mobile phones. Mobile apps can increase the level of businesses at a higher rate. That’s why they are moving towards designing and launching a mobile app of their own.
When it comes to launching a mobile app of your own, the most difficult task is to choose the right platform. Everyone is in the situation of whether to choose Native vs. Cross-platform building approaches.
What is Native App Development
A Native app is a software program or an application written for use on any device or a particular platform, such as iOS, Android, or Windows. Since Native apps are developed for a specific platform and OS, they can use all the hardware and software for that device. Their biggest advantage is that they can optimize and use the features of the latest technology of the device, like GPS, camera, and gravity sensor.
When comparing Native and cross-platform applications, Native applications provide better interactions due to their responsiveness and ability to leverage resources from operating systems and other components. Native apps have proven to be better at providing an enhanced user experience because their performance is high. Since a native app can be written for a specific platform, the programmer must write it for both platforms’ iOS, i.e. Apple’s iOs app development platform and Google’s Android app development platform.
So, companies developing a mobile app on a Native app platform will need to create two visually similar apps using different programming languages for different mobile app platforms. Both applications will have the same features for both iOs and Android app development.
Companies that are small-scale or startups are concerned about the cost of Native App development as they need to develop and accelerate both platforms simultaneously. Uber, Netflix, Google Maps, Spotify, Whatsapp, Pinterest, etc. are various applications that already use Native Apps and consist of many services and use them continuously.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Native App:
When comparing Native and cross-platform apps, the advantages and disadvantages of the two mobile app platforms are of utmost importance. Below are the advantages of native apps followed by their disadvantages.
Advantages of Native app
Broad functionality:
As mentioned earlier, the biggest advantage of Native apps is that they can access all the resources and features of the platform as they are responsive in nature. This ultimately improves the customer experience and speeds up deployment. Programmers can work on the platform without any limits. It is the best choice for advanced and complex mobile apps as it works without an Internet connection.
High speed and performance:
Apps built on Cloud Native are very fast due to their platform-specific characteristics and have high performance in terms of responsiveness and functionality. This is only possible because they are built using basic programming languages and APIs. The processing speed of the device is fully utilized, which results in less loading time.
Fewer errors:
Unlike cross-platform apps, Native app uses a single codebase which is easy to maintain and use. With a single codebase, the developer can easily manage the code smoothly, resulting in less or no bugs and errors in the coding. It saves time and effort for developers.
High security:
Native applications have proven to be more secure compared to other platforms. They are based on basic programming languages of the platform like JavaScript, HTML5, etc., which makes them more secure and reliable than others. It has several features like multi-factor authentication, control over platform management, and proactive security upgrades that make it extra secure.
Better Store Support:
Native apps have better compatibility with iOS and Android apps, making it easier to launch in the App Store. Google Play and Apple App Store prefer Native apps as most of the apps in their stores are Native-based apps. So, developing a Native app can help you get it into the App Store easily, which ultimately leads to more downloads and more promotion for your brand.
If you want to publish your iOs app in the app store, you should hire an iOs app developer from a popular mobile app development company to get better services and prices.
Great UI \UX:
Designing an app with Native software development kits (SDKs) provides a better user experience and interface by creating more attractive and engaging app designs. Native mobile apps provide a better and more natural flow of apps, leading to an ultimate user experience.
Disadvantages of Native Applications
High Maintenance Cost:
The biggest disadvantage of Native Apps is their high maintenance costs. Native app developers are very expensive, unlike cross-platform app developers. Due to the high development cost, the maintenance cost automatically increases. Another reason is that it is a platform-specific solution that requires a team of developers to develop apps for both Android and iOs, which leads to high costs.
Time-consuming:
As mentioned earlier, different apps need to be developed for both platforms (i.e. Android and iOs) with similar looks and feel, and features. This not only requires more employees but also takes a lot of time to develop. So, this is another disadvantage of native apps over cross-platform apps.
Difficult to Maintain:
It is quite difficult to maintain different platforms and coding. Updating and improving new features in native apps is tedious and time-consuming as developers have to add features for both Android and iOs app platforms separately.
What is Cross-Platform?
Cross-platform app development is accessible to multiple platforms because it uses a common language for creating apps on Android and iOs app development platforms. The main feature of cross-platform is its reusability which makes it preferable as it makes the entire development procedure easy to go.
As the name suggests, cross-platform apps are written with HTML and CSS using Javascript, and all the apps are built on the same foundation, after which they are made compatible with different platforms with the help of special tools. React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter are used for cross-platform mobile, but mostly Flutter framework is used by software developers.
In the battle between Native and Cross-Platform, Cross-Platform is a step forward as it does not require different code bases for the two mobile app platforms. There is a single code base for creating a mobile app that will work on both iOs and Android app development platforms. These apps are built using cross-platform frameworks that draw their APIs from a single platform-specific SDK (such as the Android SDK or the iOS SDK). You can now quickly access the libraries and SDKs for different platform types.
Cross-platform apps are best for straightforward applications that need to be deployed quickly or developed on a tight budget. If you have such an app idea and are thinking of creating an app with cross-platform app development, look for the best mobile app development services that can meet your limited budget and provide you with a fully functional app along with maintenance and support.
Advantages and disadvantages of cross-platform applications
As with native applications, there are several advantages and some disadvantages to cross-platform applications. Let us take a look at the pros and cons and find out which is better: Native or Cross-platform.
Advantages of cross-platform applications
Cost-effective:
The biggest advantage of cross-platform apps is that they are written with a single code base and used on all app platforms. This makes development faster and less expensive. It also reduces the cost for developers as a single development team is enough to create and manage the app’s codebase.
Fast development speed:
When comparing native and cross-platform apps, cross-platform development wins the race due to its reusability, as it uses a single codebase for multiple platforms. When you write for one platform, it is automatically prepared for other platforms, which reduces development time and speeds up the deployment process.
Ease of maintenance:
Due to different code bases, it becomes difficult for developers to add new features and update the app. When it comes to maintenance and updating, cross-platform app development is preferable as it takes less time as a single code base makes it easy to update all the apps on other platforms simultaneously, resulting in hassle-free maintenance and quick updates.
Time to market:
Code reusability between platforms leads to quick deployment across all mobile app platforms, and rapid development leads to a shorter time to market for the app. Cross-platform development is the right choice if you are looking for faster results and implementations.
Maximum Audience Engagement:
Requiring a single codebase for all app platforms makes it easy to distribute the app to a wider customer base. With Cross-Platform, one codebase can run on all operating systems, including iOs, Android, and Windows, so an app developed for one platform is available to the audience of all operating systems.
Disadvantages of Cross-Platform Apps:
Limited Functionality:
The lower cost and faster development pace of cross-platform apps come at a price, as they unfortunately have fewer features than native apps. Also, some Android/iOs-specific features may not be accessible.
Performance Issues:
More work is needed to make a cross-platform program run as smoothly as a native app since the code is tailored to many operating systems and devices. It is also advisable to test the software more thoroughly, as using it on different devices can lead to compatibility issues or malfunctions.
Difference Between Native vs. Cross-platform:
| Framework | Native apps | Cross-platform apps |
| Tools | Java, Kotlin | Flutter, Xamarin, and React Native |
| Developers team size | Big team (separate for all platforms) | A small team(single team for all platforms) |
| UI consistency | Fully consistent with all UI elements. | Limited consistency |
| Availability of third-party SDKs | Excellent | Average |
| Exposure to audience | You can lose around 50% of your audience if you go for one app for one platform. | A large amount of audience due to one app via different platforms. |
| Launch on App Store and Google Play | Easy | Time-consuming |
| Programming expertise | Native developers are expensive and tough to hire. | Easily available and cost-effective developers. |
| Language adaptability | Specific languages are used for different platforms like Objective C and Swift for iOS, and Java or Kotlin for Android. | Developed using Javascript adaptable to multiple mobile app platforms. |
| User Experience | Better User experience | Relatively low UX |
| Development time | High | Low |
| Development cost | High | Low |
| Dependency | Less dependent. | Comparatively more dependent on other libraries and tools. |
| Security | Less secure | Better security. |
Who Wins the Battle?
Admittedly, when comparing native and cross-platform app development, there is no good or bad choice. An organization’s budget, timeline, desired presence and resources, and other considerations can be important decisions depending on the nature and goal of the app. Choosing the most appropriate strategy is therefore more important than making the right choice.
To do so, one must carefully weigh each of the options.
If you are looking for help regarding native and cross-platform apps, we are here to help you solve your problems and provide you with the best mobile app development services at budget-friendly costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you mean by a cross-platform app platform?
A cross-platform app is a mobile app development platform that consists of a single code base that is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Android and iOs app platforms.
Which is the preferred native app framework?
React Native is the most popular and best Native app framework.
What is the main difference between Cross-Platform and Native Apps?
The main difference between Native and Cross-Platform is that Native uses different platform-specific code bases for different operating systems, while Cross-Platform allows you to distribute a single code base across all operating systems.
Read More:-
