In my exploration, I have found that many developers are debating or discussion on whether to opt for Hybrid app development/Native app development for developing mobile applications.

Still, they have many questions about the options available to them, which need to be answered.

Before we jump into our discussion, here is what hybrid apps, native apps, and mobile web.

• Mobile web apps

Mobile web apps are server-side apps developed using any server-side technology that solidifies HTML that has been styled so that it concentrates well on a device from factor.

Although web apps are often oversimplified and don’t offer the same features, a native app can deliver.

• Native Apps

What is a native app?

Native applications are developed exclusively for specific operating systems/platforms with the platform SDK, languages (Java, Swift, Objective C, and many more), and tools, typically provided by the platform vendor.

A native mobile application developed for the Android platform won’t work for IOS devices, Windows, and vice versa. These apps take longer & cost more to develop.

• Hybrid apps

Hybrid apps are like native apps runs on the device, and are developed with web technologies such as CSS, JavaScript, and CSS. Hybrid mobile applications run inward a native container, and leverage the device browsers engine to process JavaScript locally and render the HTML.

• What should opt for?

It is one of the most common apprehensions for web developers new to the mobile app sector is the learning curve required for native app development or lack of knowledge on what a hybrid app is.

It’s my personal for the developers is, before committing down a single path, take consideration of user experience and what each option is providing for you.

There is no doubt that native apps will provide the fastest performance, at the cost of being more complex to write code when compared to a hybrid application.

If the user experience you want to create is a need for speed style game, options are you will not use native technology to implement the app for every mobile platform you are targeting to get the top-notch graphics information.

When it comes to the development of next Foursquare, utilizing geolocation and providing a for displaying data and updating data, a hybrid app is a perfect solution and allows you to build it once, publish it through app stores, and have it work on multiple platforms.

Like any other technology you select, deciding between native and hybrid requires you to look at the user experience and then decide on the level of investment you need to make to achieve the goal.

Native apps always require more investment because they are written with more languages that are complex, structures, and designs, and the essential thing the code to be written/rewritten for each platform you are planning to target.

Hybrid apps always allow you to build for more platforms faster if you are willing to sacrifice small amounts of performance.

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What is Hybrid App?

Hybrid is defined as anything derived from heterogeneous sources or composed of elements of different kinds.

It is a software application that conglomerates elements of both native apps and web applications. Hybrid apps are web apps that run inside a native container on a mobile device, or you can call it as living together of web technology and native execution.

Hybrid mobile apps use a web view control to present the HTML and JavaScript files in a full-screen format with the help of a native browser rendering engine. Webkit is the browser rendering engine used in Android, IOS, Blackberry, and many more.

No longer are you forced to using HTML & JavaScript for only in-browser implementations on mobile devices.

The secret behind hybrid apps is the implementation of an abstraction layer that exposes the device capabilities to the hybrid app as a JavaScript API. It is not possible in mobile web implementations because of the security between device APIs and the browser.

When the native wrapper is compiled around the CSS, HTML, and JavaScript resources, there is an interop layer added that connects the JavaScript APIs with the platform-specific APIs.

To give a clear view of that, let us take a simple example.

Imagine I build a mobile app with Apache Cordova, in which I can use JavaScript to access a native API, like the camera, using a single API call regardless of what platform the app will run on.

Under the covers, the JavaScript is making an interop call that accesses the native API for the camera. It means that on an IOS device, this JavaScript is calling into the native layer to instantiate a UII magePicker controller, and on Android, it creates an intent to use the Media store.

We need to do is call the JavaScript function and respond to the outcome.

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Features of hybrid applications

Integration with web-based services.

Integration with the mobile device’s file system

It has an embedded browser to improve access to dynamic online content.

It can work whether or not the device is connected.

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Advantages of Hybrid apps

Hybrid application development is faster and cost-effective. It is the most sought after style, thanks to the growth in the number of mobile app users, device fragmentation, app usage, and many more.

Continue reading to know more advantages

• Enhanced UI/UX

Hybrid app development provides a consistent and flawless user experience across all platforms such as IOS, Android, Windows, and many more. Hybrid applications are about building it work for mobile by embracing the web.

Moreover, the lightweight hybrid app UI helps in loading graphics and content quickly. The apps adapt faster to various screens for faster data display and seamless data streaming.

• Easy to maintain

Another advantage of hybrid Mobile App Development is its easy maintenance. For native apps, the development teams required to roll out advanced versions with each update.

Further, the customers need to upgrade their apps with every version announcement. A hybrid app bypasses versioning and marks app maintenance as simple as modernizing a web page, that too, in real-time.

• Time saver

The next advantage we are looking after is a time saver. It allows companies to leverage their existing web development talent tool to lead the mobile market.

Once we write code, we can use it for various platforms such as Android, IOS, and other platforms.

• Improved performance

Hybrid apps give you performance and speed like native apps. In fact, in some times, they are even quicker than progressive & responsive apps. Further, even apps with a higher number of users exhibit better speed on all devices.

Hybrid apps have proven their high speed and performance standards with brands such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

• Offline support

Mobile applications mostly agonize from limitations arising due to the lack of offline support. It is a challenge for organizations that cater to extend their support to customers from rural areas or places where there is no availability of internet connection.

Statistics state that 70 percent of users abandon an app because it takes too long to load. As it is a most significant challenge, end-users will have uninterrupted access to the app’s data without performance glitches.

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• Disadvantages

In my childhood, my father said whenever you are beginning a project, first of all, you have to look after the negatives rather than positives because it gives an idea of whether we need to go with or not.

Hybrid apps run slowly when compared with the native app because still, it depends on the browser speed.

Hybrid app performance can be sluggish when it accessed through a web browser.

The appearance will differ from platform to platform.

User experience may fall if the UI is not similar to and well enough designed to what browsers the user is used to.

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• Final words

I hope you got every bit of information regarding the hybrid app development.

Now it is in your hand to whether to go for hybrid mobile app development, and it is not so easy as you think.

Everyone in the mobile app development world has his or her opinion on every approach and which one is best. Nevertheless, the fact remains that every project is unique and has its priorities, which ultimately dictate how it should be completed.

Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid mobile app development allow you to make an educated decision and choose the approach that works best for you.

Are you willing to develop a hybrid mobile app, and looking out for the right mobile app development company?

If so, reach out to us.

We are going to help you, and we will sort out all your doubts.

FuGenX Technologies is one of the best hybrid mobile app development companies in the USA, India, and UAE, experience in developing and delivering custom hybrid mobile applications.