In 2017, there were 178.1 billion application downloads on mobile devices (According to Statista). Compare it to 2012, when there were 57.33 billion downloads and you’ll find that the application development market has drastically expanded.

In this ever-growing technological world, applications have become the primary interface for millions of users worldwide. Developers understand that offering a great user experience is crucial to sustaining in this market. This requires making a key decision – should the app be built using native development, custom web development or should the company opt for hybrid app development?

Distinguishing Between Native, Web & Hybrid App Development

Selecting the best application development platform depends upon various factors including, budget, timeline, in-house capability, objective & the features that are required. Differentiating the three developments services will offer a clear picture of how to go with application development.

Native App Development:

Native apps are platform specific that utilize the operating system of the device. Android native uses Java programming language while iOS native apps are built on Objective C. A major advantage of native development platform is that it provides a faster & smoother experience than hybrid or web-based applications. They work without any network connectivity and incorporate the in-built features of the device for performing the tasks.

Web Application Development:

Web development mostly incorporates HTML5, CSS or JavaScript. However, these are not applications but websites that behave similarly to native applications. They are accessed using the browser and with the help of JavaScript, an application like look & feel is developed. They require internet connectivity as the data is stored on the servers. Web development is slower compared to native development but web apps will save you huge on device memory as they need not be downloaded. The users can access them whenever they want without compromising storage space.

Hybrid App Development:

Hybrid apps utilize the elements of both native & web application development. These apps can be downloaded from the app store and are also accessible on the browsers. They have cross-compatible web technologies that allow developers to execute the same code on different OS. Hybrid app development is faster than native development. However, the speed of your application will depend on the speed of the user’s browser.

Application development is not an easy task. Deciding the platform for building the application is crucial for every business. iOS users have multiplied in recent times and it makes sense to build an application using native development. However, millions of Android users still await the perfect application and Android native development seems the way to go.

Yet, before developing the app, several key points must be accounted for. User Interface, Device feature accessibility, Performance, Cost, Maintenance & Distribution channel play an important role in making the right choice. Each platform has its own strengths and lags in certain aspects. The important thing to understand is that even though companies try to be efficient & cost-effective, the best application development platform is the one that never compromises with the quality of its user’s experience.

At BoTree Technologies, we build web and mobile applications to add value to our client’s business. We align ourselves to ensure that our client benefits the most out of our engagement.

We work in Ruby on Rails, Python, Java, React, Android and iOS.

Drop us a line to discuss how can we help take your business to the next level.