Evolution and transformation are the law of nature. We are evolving transforming and growing every day. Changes are an inevitable part of this journey. Mobile phones a few years ago considered to be a luxury element have become a necessity today. Mobile phones have become a way of life. The applications available on these smart phones today is so advanced that they can perform transactions by the click of a simple button. The mobile application segment is performing well and continues to grow, and this might just be the tip of the iceberg, where a lot more is left to be yet discovered.
Since this segment is so vast and involves an in depth and thorough knowledge of the technology used, lets break it down to the basics.
In the applications development sector, usually applications that are developed are based on native applications or hybrid applications.
What are native applications and hybrid applications:
Native applications:
An application built for specific mobile phones and that are directly installed onto the mobile phones are called native applications (applications built specifically for the android or iOS platforms, downloaded and installed via Google play or the App store). It’s an application developed to perform a precise task on a specific platform.
Hybrid Applications:
Hybrid applications are built for web use. They are commonly called as web pages.
These are operated through the native browser (UIWebView for iOS and WebView for android). These applications need not be downloaded and installed they open through their browsers.
Be it native application development or hybrid application development, both have their uses, advantages and disadvantages.
As applications need to be developed in either a native application or hybrid application, how should business and developers choose what is the best platform to build these applications is the main question.
Choosing between hybrid and native application:
While choosing between hybrid and native applications a few fundamentals such as cost to develop, the difficulty levels to code and build a software for these applications, the risk involved and the return on investing in such applications needs to be looked into.
Know your target audience:
Before an application is built or developed, we need to know at whom the application we are developing is targeted at. Knowing an audience and how would you like your application to be perceived by them, what will be your marketing strategies, all these also add into the overall approach of which type of an application you can choose. Having information about who your users are plays a vital role, once you know the audience for the application you can they help narrow down on what type of application is suitable for your target audience.
Cost of developing:
Application development is a lengthy process, as involves a lot of market survey and research. Also, to build and develop an application, you require the right tools and equipment’s along with the expertise of developers which are expensive and need a lot of investment in terms of funds. The software on which these applications are built is also expensive, thus its important to know how expensive it will be to build hybrid or native applications. Therefore, businesses and developers need to decide which to choose.
Performance:
Native applications and hybrid applications perform differently as they are built and developed differently. Based on the type of application, for example if it’s a gaming application, then it’s better to go for a native application, as the performance for gaming applications is better on native applications in terms of speed, features and upgrades. Also, native applications have the added advantage of not being dependent on other platforms except the device they are built for. Therefore, it’s important to know which application will perform how on the hybrid or native platform.
Competitor’s Applications:
Its important to while entering a market or developing an application who your competitors are and what features they offer. this gives an idea of how they have built their application, what makes them so popular and which platform they have used to build their application on. Once you get a framework of this, you can further improvise on building your application and how to better it and whether a hybrid or a native application will give you an edge over other similar applications
Therefore, while choosing between a hybrid or a native application, above factors should be taken into consideration. Based on what the business and developers are looking and how they want their application to be perceived they need to choose between the two. Both hybrid and native come with their share of risks and returns.
A new wave of technology:
React Native application development is a platform that is used to write and code applications for both iOS and android application. React native is steadily gaining popularity and momentum, as it opens a whole new world of opportunities. Not only can you develop applications simultaneously for both platforms, it also brings in the best features of native application development. This is a platform to look out for as it bridges and covers a lot of gaps. Here it’s a two-fold advantage, as it becomes easier for the developer to develop applications and the applications can be built on both iOS platform and android platform.
Conclusion
In the world of applications, where it’s a race to the top, and fast it becomes extremely important to choose correctly and more importantly to choose what fits best in the framework of your requirements. Choosing the right platform can be the difference between success and failure. Every platform has its hits and misses, no platform is perfect but how well you choose will make or break your application.
We at Octos Global look into the need’s requirements and features of our clients and develop applications be it of the hybrid, native or react native variety with detailed precision. Our aim is to convert the idea of our client into their dream application and making sure we do not miss any check mark from our end. We believe in going above and beyond our clients expectation, in delivering world class applications.