You are a business owner / want to start a new business and you want a mobile app to be developed for your business. There comes the confusion between the type of app development method. Even though both can solve your need, we have to decide this based on the business need. Because, it has a direct impact on time, cost and performance.
To choose between native and hybrid, we have to understand the fundamentals of these two. Then only we can choose wiser.
Native App:
This is written specifically for the platform. i.e., separate code should be written for Android and iOS from the scratch, we cannot reuse it. The code which we are writing can directly access the core functionalities giving better performance and stability. As it is written specifically for the chosen platform the compatibility issues will not be a problem.
Hybrid App:
Unlike a native app, the same code base can be used for multiple platforms. You need not write the code from scratch for every platform. We can reuse the code by modifying slightly. It is just rendered in web-view (like a website you see in browsers) but with a more app-like experience. Plugins are used to communicate with hardware like camera, mic, etc.,
In common, you can’t differentiate them easily. Both work the same way. But, below are the few things to consider before choosing it,
Development Time:
As discussed earlier, a native app has to be developed for each platform separately. So, it is time consuming compared to the Hybrid app. If you are concerned about a long development time, you can choose a hybrid over a native.
Economical:
Hybrid is economical because the cost is directly dependent on the time taken to develop the application. If you are going to build the application for multiple platforms, then this approach can save a lot of costs.
Performance:
The native will perform better when compared with hybrid as SDK is specific to that. Interacting with device hardware will be much powerful in native than the hybrid. Because it directly accesses the underlying functionalities and not with external plugins. But, the performance of the hybrid app can also be maintained at a very good level by maintaining the quality of codes and approaches used while developing the app.
Expert Opinion / Take away:
It is purely based on the business process. If the app is going to use extensive hardware resources like., gaming, image/video manipulation, VR, etc., then, it is advisable to go for a native application instead of a hybrid.
If you are developing apps to communicate with the webserver to do the business process like learning app, quiz, HRMS app for field staff, delivery executives, hotel booking etc., can be done efficiently with hybrid technology in a short period.