Native apps vs Cross platforms has always been a hotly debated topic. In today’s article, we will see the main differences between the two and the pros and cons of each.
Before the birth of an app, you have to choose which platform to do it for. Android and iOS are the most used, but there are smaller platforms to consider. In general, you should choose the one where your target audience is.
Let’s start by understanding what is the main difference between Native apps and Cross Platforms app.
Native apps are applications made exclusively for a platform, therefore, for example, apps that exist only on Android and not on Ios, this allows developers to take advantage of all the features of the platform. Cross-Platform applications are made for all platforms, generally, they are made for the two main platforms, Ios and Android using HTML or CSS.
Native Apps:
Performance: Certainly the performance for native apps is fantastic, as the app is made for a specific platform, taking advantage of all its peculiarities. The app is therefore faster and with very few errors.
Features: The developers in this case have the advantage of being able to exploit all the potential of the platform that they will use.
Practicality: In this case, the Native apps are not very practical. They are more expensive to maintain and develop, moreover, often more apps must be created for the different platforms, therefore the costs for updates and maintenance increases.
Creating a Native app has many advantages, but it can be an expensive choice which is why sometimes the cheapest option is chosen, i.e. the cross platforms app.
Tool For Native apps
For IOS the tool to use are:
- XCode: It includes everything you need to build incredible apps
- AppCode: AppCode takes care of routine activities and saves you from additional typing
For Android among the options there are:
- Android Studio: It offers the fastest tools for creating apps on any type of Android device.
- IntelliJ IDEA: intelligent coding assistance and ergonomic design make development not only productive but also fun.
Cross-platform apps:
Performance: Having been built for all platforms, this type of app may have problems on some devices.
Features: Despite the convenience of having the app on multiple platforms, you cannot use all the potential of all the platforms, as the apps would risk not working on many devices.
Practicality: Cross-platform apps are the cheapest to develop and maintain, you have to be careful of the bugs that may arise on some devices.
Cross-Platform Tool:
- React Native: It is used to develop applications for Android, iOS, Web and UWP allowing developers to use React together with the functionality of the native platform.
- Xamarin: A platform for developing Android and iOS apps with .NET and C #.
Case studies
- A Case Study of Cross-Platform Web Application Capability: From the abstract: ”This study applies the existing knowledge on native and web applications to a specific case study. We compare the strengths and drawbacks of native applications versus web apps with emphasis on cross-platform functionality.
- Comparison of Native, Cross-Platform and Hyper Mobile Development Tools Approaches for iOS and Android Mobile Applications: From the abstract: “To take a position in the competitive mobile application market, most of the Information Technology (IT) companies have to develop the same application for various mobile operating systems. To solve this issue, Cybercom provided a thesis topic and a project which decreased development time by sharing the same core functions between Android and iOS applications.
Which option to choose then?
Choose to develop a native app if:
- The application requires access to phone services
- The application must be fast
- The application must be updated and must remain valid over time.
Choose a cross-platform app if:
- It’s okay if the app is a bit slow
- The application does not have too complicated features (for example animations)
- You have little time and budget to develop the app
In any case, the choice must be made in view of the end-user, as each market has its own peculiarities.