Mobile Applications are the most dynamic business tools in contemporary time, and most businesses are embracing mobile-first solutions. The current time seems appropriate for investing in a mobile app for businesses as per the studies’ prediction.
I find them an efficient connection-building tool bridging the business and customer gap. Its myriad functions are unparalleled. It facilitates both users and companies a convenient experience.
As per Comscore, 90% of the time on mobile is spent using applications, whereas the remaining 10% is surfing the websites of varied users’ interests. Statistical data predict that mobile apps will generate an estimated revenue of $935.2 billion approximately in 2023.
Conceptualization and building a mobile app is not a cakewalk and is a journey of making choices. One should choose the type of App, the complexities, features, the UX/UI design, etc.
The most crucial decision is deciding which technology one must choose for mobile app development. Each alternate is evaluated and reasoned based on its alignment with the business or service objectives and in-depth market research. The success of it, either way, will rely on an astute well-developed business plan and the execution of the project.
Mobile development technologies can be divided into Hybrid apps, Native Apps, and Cross-platform Apps.
Any of the three approaches can be a good fit depending on the kind of App you want to develop, target audience, budget, native features, etc.
Let us dive deeper into three categories to see what they have to offer:
Hybrid Apps
- A hybrid app is developed as a single app but can be used on multiple platforms like Android, iPhone, and Windows. They are written using standard web technologies (HTML5, CSS, JavaScript) and web view to render the App. Hybrid apps talk to the underlying platform using a native wrapper and leverage the device’s browser engine (but not the browser) to generate the HTML and process the JavaScript locally.
- Since hybrid apps are built using standard web technologies, they can be developed quickly and works on all platforms. The downside is performance and non-native look and feel. The most popular Hybrid app platforms today are.
- Ionic
- Cordova
- NativeScript
Native App
Native apps are built specifically for only one platform; thus, the applied technologies will differ. To handle the development of Android mobile apps, the engineers can apply Java or Kotlin. For iOS development, Swift or Objective-C programming languages are used.
Since the two platforms are separate, code cannot be shared. This means the development process will take longer, and the App will need to be developed separately on each platform. Since the App will be using the native libraries and platform, the functionality is only limited by the platform. The App will be more responsive and have better performance and native user experience.
Cross-Platform App Development
You may be wondering what a cross-platform application is.
A cross-platform application runs on multiple platforms through one source code in the simplest language. It is possible to provide a native-like experience on particular platforms with a cross-platform application.
For example, one cross-platform application can function on Android and iOS smartphones. There’s no need to produce two different source codes for this.
The complexities of developing native apps and developing for both platforms have a considerable cost associated with mobile app development. Not all apps require native features and do not need the best performance offered by the native platform. Cross-platform apps give the native look and feel of the App (which is hard to get in the hybrid App) and provide good performance (much better than hybrid apps and quite close to the native App).
The Cross-Platform development approach uses a native rendering engine. The codebase in JavaScript/JSX/C# connects to native components via the so-called bridges. This provides the close-to-native UX. Cross-platform apps are free of platform hook, offering seamless functionality, easy implementation, and cost-effective production. The most popular platforms today to build cross-platform apps are
- Flutter
- React Native
- Xamarin
Hybrid vs. Native vs. Cross-Platform ? Which one to Choose?
The debate surrounding which app type is best is still relevant today as the lines between the three approaches are becoming increasingly blurred. While the discussion to differentiate the three mobile apps continues, it is essential to remember that you should not choose a strategy for the technology but choose based on what you want your App to do. If you choose the wrong approach that does not allow your App to utilize device features, you will waste a lot of time and money when you decide to add features.
The choice between Native, Hybrid, and Cross-Platform App development depend on specific features and factors, including business needs, app requirements, developer skills, and timelines. The bottom line is that each type of App offers an entirely different experience, and it is vital to know the strengths and weaknesses of each before jumping into development.
Why do SME’s Prefer Cross Platform Apps?
A cross-platform app, without a doubt, is the best option for startups and small to medium enterprises.
The emergence of cross-platform development has allowed developers to shift and use tools like React Native or Flutter to develop a Mobile App targeting multiple platforms from a single codebase.A cross-platform application allows startups and small to medium enterprises to re-size, scale, and improve their working models over time.
Let’s understand here how cross-platform app development benefits startups, firms, and small organizations.
Here are some dedicated reasons to choose cross-platform app development to improve your business presence online.
1. Quick Development
App development is not a simple and quick activity. You need time, skills, focus, ideas, and the right tools.
Contrary to this, startups and small to medium enterprises don’t have this time. They want their product, website, or online presence quickly. They need an application that they can launch in the market in the shortest time.
You need time to make native applications for iOS and Android users. In cross-platform app development, you can create the application in much less time because you can use the single code base and target it for multiple platforms. The time freed up for development can be utilized in new and cross-platform applications.
Overall, it is a winning situation for everybody: developers can reduce the development time by almost half, and startups and small to medium enterprises can launch the product sooner than later.
If you look at it, then as a startup or small to a medium organization with a restricted budget and limited resources, cross-platform development gives you invaluable benefits. You can reduce time, decrease costs, and improve resource utilization.
2.Reusable Codes
In cross-platform app development, code can be reused. In any application, code is the building block that determines the App’s design and programming style.
Usually, you require too much code to build a feature-rich application. To offer this experience, your developers work hard and create a bug-free application.
However, if you don’t use a cross-platform application, you need multiple development teams for each platform you are targeting. Today, iOS and Android are the most popular platforms, meaning you need two development teams – twice the efforts if you target both platforms.
When cross-platform app development tools were launched, this time-consuming task was eliminated. Now, developers can utilize the same reusable code for multiple applications. It is known that approximately 80% of the code can be reutilized in different applications. This eliminates repetitions and allows developers to save time.
Your cross-platform app development team also has the power to save these reusable code snippets in the library and keep using them repeatedly; for as long as the code is relevant.
3.Lower Costs
There’s no doubt that cross-platform app development is cost-effective – exactly what startups and small to medium enterprises need.
The logic is simple when you can use one application and run it on various operating systems, you save money and resources on the development front. Therefore, you are getting apps for multiple platforms in a much less amount when compared to native development.
4. Time-Efficient Testing
Your application has the same codebase on every platform, so you can quickly make changes. You get the power to roll out important updates to various platforms in one go. There’s no need to work on updates of different apps separately.
For this reason, cross-platform app development also allows quick patches and feature upgrades for iOS and Android versions.
When you utilize unit testing for cross-platform applications, you only need to write the test in standard code once. This code can be used for every platform your application will function on. This saves not only your time but also resources.
5.No Need for Platform-Specific Features
Most mobile Apps today do not need to use platform-specific features, which means that a cross-platform App will work for most the use cases/business. Check your App’s requirements before building a separate App for each platform.
Developing cross-platform applications doesn’t mean that you need to implement platform-specific features separately. You don’t need that, as cross-platform functions for many types of applications. Hence, you must develop one cross-platform App and utilize it for various platforms, such as Android and iOS.
A few games are an exception due to licensing requirements between game consoles and developers. Therefore, a cross-platform App might not be ideal for these cases.
Conclusion
The concept of a cross-platform application is gaining importance, which is why it is logical to develop one App that works seamlessly on various mobile platforms. In fact, with the new popular development platforms, like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin, you can get the best outcomes from this investment.
From rapid development to time-efficient and high-performance testing, cross-platform applications are less hectic, hence, a perfect match for startups and small to medium enterprises.