Blog Summary:

In this article, we explore the differences between native, hybrid, and web apps, highlighting their pros and cons. Discover which app type best fits your business goals and how Moon Technolabs can help bring your vision to life.

Every day, the lives of app users keep getting more intertwined with the threads of technology. From browsing social media on Instagram to listening to favorite playlists on Spotify and shopping online at E-commerce sites like Amazon, it has captured every moment of their lives.

In today’s world, if you want to build an app that people remember and keep returning to visit again, you need to offer them a great user experience. Competition is fierce, and consumer habits constantly shift, so your app needs to connect with your users.

App development has taken the global market by storm, and if you haven’t thought about building one for your business, it’s about time you did! Whether you’re just starting or have a big brand, you have three excellent options:

  1. A native app optimized for each platform
  2. A hybrid app to extend your native app across multiple platforms
  3. A web app that is the best of both worlds!

Here are some figures to give you an idea of how profitable this segment could be:

According to Straits Research, the app development market is projected to reach USD 666 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 12.1% from 2024.

This article is all about discovering the basics of native apps vs hybrid apps vs. web apps and the important factors when considering app development.

Let’s dive into the basics of Hybrid Apps vs Native Apps!

What is a Native App?

A native app is a mobile application developed specifically for a particular operating system, such as iOS or Android. These apps are built using platform-specific languages (like Swift for iOS or Kotlin for Android). As a result, they offer superior performance, full access to device features, and a seamless user experience tailored to each platform.

Let’s understand this through an example:

If the users have an Android smartphone and want to download WhatsApp, they can only download an Android version. They can’t install the iOS version of “WhatsApp” as it would create compatibility issues.

Since native apps can access all the functionalities and UIs of the native device, they will provide a highly optimized performance and user experience. In the next section, we’ll discuss the app development technologies that you can use to develop native apps.

Native App Development Technologies

During the native mobile app development process, you can use the following technologies and languages:

iOS

iOS is Apple’s proprietary operating system, which was developed solely for Apple. The most widely used language is SWIFT, an open-source, powerful, interactive, intuitive programming language first introduced to replace Objective-C. Objective-C was the original language used to develop iOS applications as early as 2007.

Android

Android is an open-source operating system based on the modified Linux kernel. Java and Kotlin are the two open-source programming languages used to create Android apps. Java (2005) is a multi-platform, object-oriented program owned by Oracle. However, Kotlin replaced Java in 2011.

Let’s discuss the Pros and Cons of native app development.

Pros and Cons of Native App

Pros:

  1. Wide Range of Features: Native apps use the primary mobile device’s features, offering a wider range of options.
  2. Rapid and Responsive: Native apps have more responsive performance since the user interface (UI) closely resembles the operating system’s user interface.
  3. Push Notifications: These apps provide push notifications, making it easier to keep them engaged.
  4. More Secured and Compatible: Native apps provide more security and compatibility.

Cons:

  1. Multiple code bases: Native apps require distinct coding for Android and iOS, respectively, because each device would have its app version.
  2. Costly – These are more expensive because app developers would need to build and manage each platform’s code base.
  3. Multiple upgrades – Every feature upgrade requires additional costs for various platforms.
  4. Time restrictions – Developing code for various platforms and upgrades costs a lot of time.

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What is a Hybrid Mobile App?

A hybrid mobile app operates across multiple platforms and follows the “write once, run anywhere” philosophy. Hybrid apps are built using web programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They function similarly to a web app while still maintaining the capability to be installed on a device like a native application.

Hybrid apps combine the best of native and web-based applications into a single, cross-platform codebase. They utilize OS-specific plugins and internal application program interfaces (APIs) to manage interactions with device features.

Hence, you can easily integrate them with the camera, file storage, and security functions like face ID or fingerprint identification. This allows hybrid apps to deliver native-like experiences without requiring separate development for each platform.

Best of Both Worlds!

The key advantage of developing hybrid apps is their flexibility. Once built, they can be compressed into a native application, enabling users to install them on any device while still having full access to the device’s functionality.

In addition, hybrid apps are generally less expensive to create and maintain than native apps since they only require a single codebase. Hence, hybrid app development remains a popular choice due to its reliability, robust technology stack, and cost-effectiveness.

According to a poll, two-thirds of the developers prefer a cross-platform or web-based approach to native tools when developing hybrid software. Many firms, after initially developing native apps, have since switched to a hybrid approach. Notable examples include Netflix, Evernote, and Instagram.

A hybrid app comprises distinct packages that may be uploaded to the Google Play and Apple App Stores. While its core operates in a full-screen web browser hidden from the user, called a web view, it gives the impression of being a native app.

In the next section, we’ll discuss the technologies used for developing hybrid apps.

Hybrid App Development Technologies

Ionic

Ionic is the most widely used hybrid app development framework, which has become the foundation for more than 5 million apps. Using standard web technologies, it provides a smooth cross-platform experience across all devices. It creates highly customized app appearances by employing CSS for styling. Ionic apps can operate in any current browser as a PWA in addition to a standard app because they are web-based.

React Native

Natively rendered mobile apps are created for iOS and Android using the well-known JavaScript-based framework, React Native. This framework lets you develop an application for multiple platforms while using the same codebase.

Facebook released React Native as an open-source project for the first time in 2015.

React Native programming powers some of the world’s best-known mobile applications, including Instagram, Facebook, and several others.

Xamarin

Xamarin is an open-source platform for creating cutting-edge, practical applications for iOS, Android, and Windows. The abstraction layer Xamarin controls the shared code transmitted to the platform’s core code.

Thanks to Xamarin, developers may share 90% of their application code across platforms on average. This design pattern allows programmers to write all of their business logic in a single language and achieve native performance, look, and feel on each platform.

Xamarin applications can be built on a PC or a Mac to create native application packages, such as a .apk file for Android or a .ipa file for iOS.

Pros and Cons of Hybrid App

Pros:

  1. Cost efficiency: It is one of the many standout characteristics of hybrid apps.
  2. Time savings: Using the same codebase across platforms saves much time.
  3. Speed: Hybrid app development is speedy because it uses web app languages.
  4. Consistency: The app’s UI remains responsive across different browsers, providing consistent performance.

 Cons:

  1. Plugin Dependency: Relies on third-party plugin updates to access native device features, creating vulnerabilities and security challenges.
  2. Weak UI Performance is due to the web view being overloaded, leading to inefficient performance, particularly with graphics-intensive or complex features.
  3. Slower than Native Apps: Hybrid apps have varying platform capabilities, leading to inconsistent behavior on devices and bugs.

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What is a Web App?

A web app is an application that runs within a web browser and is designed to fit any screen size, regardless of the device. It is a website optimized to function like an app, built using front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with back-end languages such as Ruby, PHP, or Python.

While web apps rely on web browsers to operate, they can still utilize certain functionalities of the devices they run on. This indicates that the gadget functionalities might be compatible with the Chrome browser but not with Mozilla Firefox or other browsers. Gmail, Twitter, Quora, and Google Sheets are well-known web applications.

Pros and Cons of Web App

Pros:

  1. Cost-effective: A web app is the most cost-effective and budget-friendly solution.
  2. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Web apps run on any device with a web browser, regardless of the operating system
  3. No Installation Required: Users do not need to download or install anything; they can access the app directly through a URL

Cons:

  1. Web Browser Dependency: Since web apps run on different web browsers, there can be inconsistencies in how they perform and display.
  2. Internet Dependency: Web apps usually require a stable internet connection to function properly and are not available offline,
  3. Can’t Access Native Device Features: Web apps cannot fully access all native device functionalities to the same extent as native or hybrid apps.

Let’s understand the technologies you can use to develop web apps.

Web App Development Technologies

Web app development technologies include front-end and back-end tools for developing user interfaces and server-side logic. Front-end tools like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are used to create user interfaces. Back-end languages such as PHP, Ruby, and Python,  while frameworks like Node.js, React.js, and Vue.js are used for server-side logic, database management, and API integrations.

Server-Side Script PHP

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side programming language. PHP is integrated into HTML to allow dynamic web page generation. It is used to develop full e-commerce sites and manage dynamic content, databases, and session monitoring.

You can limit user access to specific web pages of your website using PHP and encrypt the data.

The purpose of employing PHP as a server-side script is that, compared to other programming languages, it loads faster over slow internet speeds.

Client-Side Script HTML and Javascript

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the language used to create documents that can be viewed in a web browser. It operates on the user’s or client’s computer and is frequently aided by scripting languages such as JavaScript. Data processing does not involve communication with the server.

Javascript executes the code on the client side or within the web browser. This makes it possible to do calculations or data validation without having to send data back to the server. Services are automatically client-side processes that save more scalable and important server resources. Due to constant evolution, the Javascript environment is the most mature and capable of all.

What is the Basic Difference Between Web and Mobile Apps?

A mobile app is developed for a specific platform, particularly for mobile phones. Mobile apps are known as native apps, which use the mobile device’s functionalities to perform. For example, WhatsApp and Facebook. They must be downloaded and installed on the mobile device.

A web app is an application running on a web browser or multiple browsers. For example, WhatsApp is on the web, and Facebook is on the browser.

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When to Use Web Apps Vs. Hybrid Apps Vs. Native Apps?

When to Use Web Apps Vs. Hybrid Apps Vs. Native Apps

Developing web apps, hybrid apps, and native apps is a decision based on factors like performance needs, development budget, user experience, target audience, and access to device-specific features. Here are some ideal scenarios for developing an app that best suits your business goals.

  1. Use web apps for budget-friendly projects.
  2. If your business has a large customer base, you should develop a native app.
  3. Native apps are the way to go if your priority is providing a consistent user experience.

In some cases, the functionality of mobile apps may be so complicated that there is no choice but to create native or hybrid apps to meet the needs. For instance, mobile banking apps need native functionality to maintain fingerprint authorization features.

Hybrid Apps Vs. Native Apps Vs. Web Apps

Hybrid Apps Vs. Native Apps Vs. Web Apps

Characteristics Native apps Hybrid apps Web apps
User experience Consistent Consistent It depends on the browser used
Access Offline features Offline features Limited by network connectivity
Distribution App stores App stores URL
Performance High Low Moderate
Native device

features

 Accessible Accessible Not accessible
Usage App installation is required on the device App installation is required on the device It can be accessed by browser

Final Words

The battle between the three contenders is never-ending. If you aim for mass reachability and user experience, then surely Native apps are the winner. But if you aim for cost-effectiveness, maturity, and the ability to run on multiple platforms with a single codebase design, then it is a hybrid app. Lastly, if you are eyeing the web browser experience, PWAs and web apps beat native and hybrid apps.

Knowing and understanding the differences between the three facilitates the selection process. The right decision is always yours because you know the requirements and vision to achieve. Moon Technolabs is an experienced mobile app development company that can help translate your vision into an application for you.

FAQs

01

Is Hybrid or Native Better?

Hybrid vs native is a continuing debate. Your developers must completely rewrite and redesign all of the app's functionality in the native programming language for a native app. You can create the app functionality in a single codebase while creating a hybrid app. Hybrid apps offer the same functionality and user experience as native apps but at a lower price. Unquestionably, native apps perform better, but they are more expensive to design.

02

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Hybrid App, Native App, and Web App?

Hybrid and web apps require knowledge gained from prior online expertise, so they are likely to be less expensive to develop. Native apps cost much more because they require more specialized talent. On the other hand, HTML5 is a very new technology, so having a solid understanding of it and a solid grasp of programming for mobile web and hybrid apps are both pretty advanced competencies.

03

Is Facebook a Native or Hybrid App?

It is a native app, Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg stated in 2012 that Facebook’s biggest blunder was relying solely on the mobile web rather than going native. The Facebook app had previously been a hybrid app with an HTML core; in 2012, a fully native app took place.

04

What is the Difference Between Native, Hybrid, and Progressive Web Apps?

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are web apps built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that run on desktops and mobile devices. Native apps are built for a specific platform, offering fast performance but requiring downloading from app stores with minimal code reuse. Hybrid apps combine native and web methods, are accessible through browsers, and can be downloaded to mobile devices.

05

Are hybrid apps slower than native apps?

Adding a layer between the source code and the mobile target platform, hybrid apps are generally slower than native apps. Compared to native apps, they typically launch slower and crash more frequently.
About Author

Jayanti Katariya is the CEO of Moon Technolabs, a fast-growing IT solutions provider, with 18+ years of experience in the industry. Passionate about developing creative apps from a young age, he pursued an engineering degree to further this interest. Under his leadership, Moon Technolabs has helped numerous brands establish their online presence and he has also launched an invoicing software that assists businesses to streamline their financial operations.

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