Native vs. Cross-Platform App Development - A Comparison. Mobile apps have been continuously revolutionizing several industries and have also helped businesses grow at an alarming rate.
With every user having a smartphone, nowadays it gets difficult for businesses to decide on what kind of mobile app they will be developing for their business, which not only fits their budget but also their requirements, alongside catering to their customer needs as well.
Read more: Types of Mobile App Development
So, in this blog, we will be comparing two different types of mobile app development, i.e. native vs. cross-platform app development to help you make an informed decision for your business.
What is Native App Development?
Before comparing the two native vs. cross-platform app development, let us first know what native app development is.
Native app development refers to the process of developing mobile apps only for one platform either for Android or iOS, thus leading to the development of two distinctive apps for two different platforms.
Read more: iOS vs. Android: What to Choose for Your Business?
The pros of native app development are -
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It helps in developing platform-specific designs which helps in enhancing the user experience.
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It facilitates a huge community of developers and support who help in resolving issues, while developing an app, in case you get stuck during the development process.
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It also helps in eliminating all the possible cybercrimes like identity theft, data theft, ransomware attacks, frauds, and many more, as native apps are isolated from other apps and system resources.
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In addition, it also helps in developing device-specific features, which help in leveraging the features and functionalities of an app, leading to the development of appealing and innovative mobile apps for your business.
The cons of native app development are -
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It can highly impact the development time and cost as the native apps require two distinctive apps for two different platforms, which in turn also increases the development time as well as the cost of development.
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It also requires platform-specific expertise, which implies that you might need a separate team of Android and iOS developers working on the respective applications.
Read more: 8 Reasons Why Your Business Should Invest in Android Development
Now that you know what native app development is, let us also brief you about cross-platform app development, before comparing native vs. cross-platform app development.
What is Cross-Platform App Development?
Cross-platform app development refers to the development of mobile applications with the same codebase, thus implying that the same app can run on multiple platforms like Android and iOS. It facilitates the WORA principle, i.e. ‘Write Once, Run Anywhere’, which caters to innumerable business benefits.
Read more: Top 5 Frameworks for Cross-Platform App Development
Some of the advantages of cross-platform app development are as follows -
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It facilitates your business with a broader target audience, as the apps can run on multiple platforms, thus enabling you to target a wider audience range, i.e. both Android as well as iOS users.
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It also helps in saving time, effort, and money as the app developed can be operated on multiple platforms, which in turn helps in saving development costs alongside catering to faster time-to-market.
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Cross-platform app development also has an extensive set of libraries and plugins which facilitates and eases the mobile app development process for your business.
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Another benefit of cross-platform app development is that it is easy to maintain, as the updates and changes made in the code can be easily applied on both platforms.
The cons of cross-platform app development are -
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Considering cross-platform mobile app development, for your business can be challenging sometimes, as it might lack behind in terms of performance on either or both the platforms, specifically those apps that require high-format animations, and other additional integrations like AR/VR, and many more.
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It might also influence the UI and UX of the app, as it might not ensure consistency of design on both platforms, thus impacting the browsing experience of the users.
Read more: How to improve user experience for mobile and web applications?
Moving ahead, now let us compare native vs. cross-platform app development.
Comparing Native vs. Cross-Platform App Development
When developing a mobile app choosing between native vs. cross-platform app development is a tough decision to make. So, here is a comparison between the two based on several factors, to help you make informed decisions for your business.
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Summing It Up
In this fast-paced and continuously evolving landscape, it is important to choose the right mobile app development approach that can significantly impact your business. When comparing native vs. cross-platform app development, both these approaches have their specific set of pros and cons.
Read more: Mobile App Development Cost - A Comprehensive Guide
To sum it up, the choice between the two relies on your budget, a specific set of business requirements, alongwith market trends and consumer demands. Regardless of whatever approach you choose to move ahead with mobile app development, the development of a successful mobile app for your business highly depends on thorough market research, proper planning, and execution, as well as a skilled development team.
So, if you are thinking of developing a mobile app for your business either through native or cross-platform app development, then connect with us, or hire a developer, and get the best solutions developed for your business at market-friendly rates.
FAQs: Native vs Cross Platform App Development
What are the top native app development frameworks?
The top native app development frameworks include Kotlin, Swift, Java, jQuery, and many more.
What are the top cross-platform app development frameworks?
Flutter, React Native, Xamarin, Ionic, PhoneGap, and Cordova are some of the popular cross-platform mobile app development frameworks.
What are some of the best mobile app monetization strategies?
The best mobile app monetization strategies include -
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Freemium Model
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In-App Advertising
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In-App Purchases
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Pay-Per-Download
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Subscription Model, and many more.
How much time does it take to develop a mobile app?
Developing a mobile app typically takes up to 4 - 6 months depending on the project size alongside several other factors like the budget, number of resources working on your project, features and its complexity of integration, and many more.