Hybrid or Native Application
Mobile applications are categorized into three types as Web Apps, Native Apps, and Hybrid Apps. A native application is the software code or package that is developed to carry out a specific task in a specific environment or platform. These are the applications built for a specific mobile operating system. Hybrid applications are the software codes that are packaged in the native wrapper. These applications have the look and feel of a native app, but are fuelled by a specific website of an organization.
Mobile Application Platform Timeline
We, at OSS, provide our customers with assistance on the development of native or hybrid apps. We also provide guidance on the selection of the application type and the framework as per the needs of our clients. The primary reason behind the development and deployment of a mobile application by an organization is to gain a competitive edge in the market. Automation of the business operations and enhanced reachability to the customers are the other top reasons. All of the customers wish to have the least time to build and deploy so that the applications can be brought in use as soon as possible.
Pros & Cons
The primary step that we carry out is the selection of the application type for our customers. There are pros and cons associated with native apps and hybrid apps. Native apps are faster and reliable owing to their design and architecture. Seamless user experience is guaranteed with these apps as the content, structure, and visual elements are already present in the mobile device of the user. Hybrid apps have the native wrapper which is downloaded on the user’s device and a major portion of the data is downloaded from the server. Load balancing and increased server requests may take a toll on the hybrid app performance. User experience and platform independence are the two key qualities that we consider and explain to the customers for adequate selection. Robust user experience and visual appeal are judged on the basis of the factors as the simplicity of the layout, smooth navigation, interactivity, animation, feedback, and consistency. Hybrid apps are platform independent and are adaptable to all the operating systems and platforms. One code base is required to be maintained in these applications which make them easy to build and adapt. Native apps do not offer this advantage. User experience is the area wherein native apps have a stronger hold than the hybrid apps. Main advantages that come along with the native apps are rich user experience, best security, accessibility in the offline mode, and better performance. Hybrid apps offer enhanced portability and adaptability, faster time to build and market, and cheaper origination costs.
Primary Differences
Once the customer decides on the application type, we present the skill set and frameworks available with use to execute the project. Our team comprises of cross-platform developers that are skilled on the app development on varied operating systems and platforms, such as Android, Windows, iOS, etc. We understand that user experience is of utmost importance in the mobile industry and have deployed UI/UX Designers to carry out the tasks. Functional specifications and system qualities, such as usability, performance, scalability, availability, security, and maintainability have equal significance for mobile applications. Rich UI and responsive web design support these requirements and specifications of the user to balance the system qualities with the functional aspects. The programmers engaged with OSS have knowledge and skills on the modern programming languages covering PHP, Python, HTML5, Ruby, Objective C, Adobe Flash Lite, and Java, JavaScript, and C #. Our resources are also familiar with agile software development and management methodologies to produce flexible and scalable products in quick turnaround time.
Difference in Costs
Cost-effectiveness is the strength of the hybrid apps as lesser costs are involved in application development using hybrid technology stack. Hybrid apps also provide the ability to develop once and use the code multiple times across different platforms. For native applications, a new code is needed to be developed for every platform which may enhance the overall costs. The average costs of native and hybrid app development processes are illustrated in the tables below.
The figures in the tables above are the ball park average costs. The actual cost of the applications may vary on the basis of the application type and requirements.
Development Frameworks
Hybrid app development demands the use of an adequate framework. We, at OSS, are equipped with top Hybrid tools for mobile application development. PhoneGap is one such tool that provides the ability to compile and deploy mobile applications across different frameworks and platforms. The tool is distributed by Apache Cordova and the developers can harness the features and plugins of Cordova. The ionic framework is another tool that we use to design and develop hybrid apps using its components as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Sencha Touch 2, React Native, JQuery Mobile, Abode Air, and Kendo UI are some other frameworks available with us. Our mobile application development team has the skills and experience to build interactive and agile applications using these tools.
Design Frameworks
Our team of experts and graphic designers ensure that the mobile-friendly application development is done across the major platforms, such as Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Windows mobile platform, and Symbian. We use responsive web design principles during the development of native as well as hybrid mobile applications.