A Guide to Mobile App Development: Web

vs. Native vs. Hybrid

Source: https://clearbridgemobile.com/mobile-app-development-native-vs-web-vs-hybrid/

There are three main mobile app types you can explore for your mobile app development
project: web, native and hybrid. All three development paths hold intrinsic value, but which
approach is right for your project?

Web App Development

How are web apps different from websites? A website typically offers more
information than a web app can display, therefore web apps condense website content to
improve functionality. A web app loads in browsers like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox, and
doesn’t need to be downloaded from app stores like native mobile apps. Web apps also don’t
take up storage on the user’s device.

If your goal is to offer mobile-friendly content to a wide range of users, a web app
might be the appropriate development path. Web apps are a cost-effective way to put your
product in the hands of a lot of users. Keep in mind, users have incredibly high user
experience and functionality standards that web apps sometimes can’t deliver. Users are easily
frustrated with performance and usability issues like load times, small images, and network
availability.

How Do You Build a Web App?

Typically, web apps are built in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5 and run inside a web
browser. There is no software development kit for developers to use; however, there are
templates for them to work with. If you choose to develop a web app, it can be straightforward
and quick to build. Although, web apps are often oversimplified and don’t offer the same
features a native app can deliver.
What are Progressive Web Apps?
Progressive web apps (PWAs) are hybrids of regular web pages and native apps.
Overall, web apps lack the functionality of native apps, such as sending push notifications or
working offline. Browsers and web apps, however, are becoming more advanced. Now,
PWAs can leverage features similar to native apps. Improved functionalities include:

 Sending push notifications

 Access to device hardware like vibration
 Improved touch gestures

Despite these improvements, PWAs are only compatible with Google Chrome. This
means iOS users can’t use this type of web app. Depending on your business goals and
monetization strategy, excluding iOS users can be a huge disadvantage because iOS users
spend the most money on apps and on in-app purchases.

Advantages of Web Apps

 Web apps are relatively easy to maintain because they use a common code base across
multiple mobile platforms.
 Web apps can be built for all platforms as long as they can run in an appropriate web
browser.
 Compared to native apps, web apps are less expensive up front.
 Web apps don’t adhere to standard operating system protocols and don’t require
approval from the app marketplace; they can be released at any time and in any
format.
 Updates to web apps don’t need to go through an app store meaning the user doesn’t
have to manage updates manually. The newest version always loads when a user opens
a web app.

Disadvantages of Web Apps

 Web apps have a much smaller scope when it comes to leveraging device features and
hardware.
 A browser is required to run a web app. Users have to take more steps to use a web
app, whether that’s searching for the page or typing in a URL. Either way, more effort
complicates the user experience.
 Users interact with different web browsers and as a result, the usage patterns and
performance metrics used to create a product roadmap are more difficult to collect.
 Unless a web app marketed well, web apps have poor discoverability because they’re
not listed in the app store.
 Web apps are slower and much less responsive than native apps.
 Web apps are less interactive and intuitive compared to native apps.
 There are fewer branding opportunities with web apps. An app store listing presents an
invaluable opportunity to convey an app’s unique value proposition.

Native App Development

Native mobile apps are the most common type of app. They are built for specific platforms
and are written in languages that the platform accepts. For example, Swift and Objective-C for
native iOS apps and Java or Kotlin for native Android apps. Native apps are also built using
the specific Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the selected operating systems.

Both Apple and Google provide app developers with their own development tools, interface
elements, and SDK. Most companies will invest in native mobile app development because of
the multitude of benefits offered in comparison to other types of apps.

Advantages of Native Apps

 Native apps deliver the best performance of all three development approaches.
 Native apps receive complete support from app stores and the overall app marketplace.
Distribution in app stores helps with discoverability.
 Native apps are interactive, intuitive, and run more smoothly in terms of user input and
output.
 Native development allows developers to access the full feature set of the selected
operating system.
 The user experience of native apps is far superior to web apps or hybrid apps. To the
user, the flow is more natural because of each mobile operating system’s specific UI
guidelines and standards.
 A native app must be approved by its respective operating system which assures
quality, security, and device compatibility.

Disadvantages of Native Apps

 Native apps use difficult programming languages which require experienced
developers.
 Expenses are more costly upfront for native apps compared to web or hybrid apps.
 Native apps are not the best option for simple applications.

While the initial cost of native mobile app development may be higher than other options, this
development approach will save money over time. By offering a great user experience, better
performance and accessibility, native apps are able to offer users a more personalized product.
The multiple advantages of native apps will result in higher conversion rates and long-term
customer loyalty.

Hybrid App Development

Hybrid apps work across multiple platforms and behave like native apps. A hybrid app is
essentially a combination of a native app and a web app. Although this type of app can be
installed on a device like a native app, it technically is a web app. These types of apps are
built with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and run in a webview.

Hybrid app development is essentially a web app that incorporates additional native features.
Including native features is possible when you deploy a wrapper to act as a bridge between
platforms. A hybrid app consists of two parts:
 1. The backend code. Hybrid code is written in languages like HTML, CSS, or
JavaScript.
2. A native shell. This shell is downloadable and loads the code using a webview.

Advantages of Hybrid App Development

 Hybrid apps don’t need a web browser like web apps.
 Hybrid apps have access to a device’s internal APIs and device hardware.
 Only one codebase is needed for hybrid apps.

Disadvantages of Hybrid App Development

 Hybrid apps are much slower than native apps.
 With hybrid app development, you’re dependent on a third-party platform to deploy
the app’s wrapper.
 The more customization the app requires takes away from hybrid development, which
costs more money that can be saved with native app development.

With hybrid app development, you have to contend with issues that stem from both native
systems and hybrid systems, which makes bug fixing more difficult. Performance is also a
disadvantage because hybrid apps load in a webview. The user experience is often sacrificed
with a hybrid app as you cannot customize the app based on the platform.

Customizability is a significant disadvantage to hybrid apps. The more customization you do,
the more you’re steering toward a native solution. If customization is important to you, taking
the native approach to development will be more beneficial. In fact, the more customization
you want in your hybrid app, the more expensive the project will be, and therefore a native
solution will end up being more cost-effective.