Mobile apps are constantly increasing in popularity. According to Statista, there has been a remarkable 82% increase in mobile app downloads between 2016 and 2022, and app development revenue in 2024 will reach 604 billion compared to 323 billion in 2020. When considering mobile app development, one of the pivotal business decisions is whether to build a native or a cross-platform app, as such a choice contributes to the whole project’s success. This article explores the selection criteria for these two options, considering all their benefits and challenges.
- Time-to-market and development cost
Time-to-market criterion can be essential for startups, as they often need to put their product on the market as fast as possible to receive the first revenue and user feedback to continue the enhancement process. Other projects, like offline businesses, may not have such restrictions when creating their mobile apps. Understanding the company’s budget is also crucial in choosing the right option for mobile app development.
Native mobile apps: If you need mobile apps for both OSs, you will have to hire two separate developer teams. They will work in parallel and coordinate to align the app’s user interface and user experience, as well as write individual code for each OS, which results in a longer and more expensive development process.
Cross-platform mobile apps: Cross-platform mobile apps are more efficient, as they have a consolidated creation process for different platforms, which speeds up the overall development time and reduces price. With the possibility of code reusability, there is a need for only one team to develop apps for both platforms and even create a web app. Based on these facts, software companies like SysGears can build a cost-effective strategy for your cross-platform mobile app development. Moreover, businesses can release their cross-platform apps simultaneously on both platforms, which is complicated for native apps, as they are created by separate teams, to gather user feedback and analyze market responses on the broader public.
- Performance and functionality
Some projects require complex features, while others need simple functionality to embody the main idea. Some mobile apps can require significant computing power, making functionality and performance essential criteria for choosing between native and cross-platform mobile apps.
Native mobile apps: Native mobile apps offer fast and efficient performance as they use the chosen platform’s APIs and programming languages. They can access all the intended device’s functionalities and features, such as voice assistance, camera, and special sensor, accelerometer, that tracks user movements, providing a highly integrated and rich user experience, as well as increasing user engagement. As native apps are smaller, they save the user’s storage space and are downloaded faster. Furthermore, creating a native app enables access to a device’s internal storage. So, if your idea requires the possibility of offline usage, native app development is worth considering.
Cross-platform mobile apps: Cross-platform mobile apps have lower performance and speed than native apps as they require an additional layer of abstraction and rendering process, as well as custom runtimes to communicate with platform-specific services. Additionally, cross-platform mobile apps must adjust their functionality and design to match specific devices, platforms, and operating systems, leading to difficulties during feature implementation. However, cross-platform apps can provide users with a consistent interface and experience across different platforms, resulting in a unified look and feel.
- Security
Security measures are crucial for businesses that deal with sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information, financial data, health records, and authentication credentials. Such data’s unauthorized access or exposure can have severe consequences, including financial fraud or identity theft, resulting in reputational damage to your business.
Native mobile apps: Native mobile apps usually have advanced and personalized security features, such as intelligent fraud detection, file encryption, and other security elements from specific OS libraries. What is more, native app development allows for tighter integration with device security features, including face or fingerprint recognition, to enhance user authentication and access control mechanisms.
Cross-platform mobile apps: Cross-platform apps may encounter compatibility issues with platform-specific security features or limitations in implementing custom security controls tailored to each platform’s requirements. However, developers can enhance the resilience and trustworthiness of cross-platform apps by including rigorous testing, code analysis, and adherence to security best practices. Integration of biometric authentication can also be possible by adding native modules to cross-platform apps.
- Maintenance and updating
Many businesses assume that resource spending ends after the mobile app is released, but maintenance and updating also require effort.
Native mobile apps: Apple and Google help create and improve native mobile apps by offering Software Development Kits, interface elements, and other crucial development tools. That’s why native Android or iOS apps offer high stability regarding updates and maintenance, resulting in a faster verification process and higher ranking on the app store. However, if the development team identifies a bug and needs to push out a significant enhancement, updating the same app for both platforms can be time-consuming and require more resources.
Cross-platform mobile apps: To update a cross-platform app, developers must work with one codebase. So, any changes can be implemented quickly, ensuring smooth maintenance. However, whenever Apple or Google releases a new update or feature for their operating system, cross-platform mobile apps must wait for an additional update to support the latest release.
Conclusion
Numerous criteria affect the choice between native and cross-platform app development, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. While native apps offer superior performance and access to platform-specific features, cross-platform development is cost-effective. By carefully assessing project requirements and considering the trade-offs associated with each approach, businesses can make the right decisions to ensure the success of their mobile app endeavors.
