Native vs Cross Platform: Which is Better for Your Apps?

Quick Summary

• This blog deals with the comparative study of cross-platform vs native.  Native applications benefit the features of the operating system and the development environment. Cross-platform apps, on the other hand, help to reduce time to market and costs. So, which one should you go with? We have compared both for various aspects of application development to help you decide between native and cross-platform development.

• To help you decide, here is a comparison of native app vs cross-platform development with key differences, cost analysis, and use cases. Let’s start with a high-level overview.

Native vs Cross-platform app development: An overview

• The process of creating unique user experiences by attempting to engage the target customer with interactive features is known as mobile application development. However, when it comes to the development of mobile app types, the debate between native app vs cross platform is never-ending! So let’s get started with a primer on native vs cross platform apps.

Native applications:-

• The process of creating apps for a specific operating system, such as Android or iOS, is known as native development. Each operating system has its own integrated development environment, guidelines and design language. Kotlin can be used to create Android apps, and Objective-C or Swift can be used to create iOS apps. If you want to publish iOS apps, for example, you must use UIKit classes for the application’s main thread or dispatch queue.

• Similarly, you must adhere to OS-specific security requirements. Android app developers must adhere to strict security guidelines.

Pros:

• Native features enable applications to provide better performance and user experience.
• Access to native APIs enables hardware sensor integrations such as Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and so on.
• A dedicated app store for distribution aids in increased visibility.
• Because of the native design language, visual enhancements are improved.
• Businesses can operate in areas with limited internet connectivity thanks to offline capability.

Cons:

• Time-to-market increased as a result of more time spent on separate coding of two apps.
• High maintenance costs because two apps must be maintained separately.
• Increased development costs as a result of differences in environments, programming languages, and so on.

Cross-platform applications:-

• Cross-platform development entails using a single code base across multiple platforms. For execution, the codebase is combined with OS runtime environments. As a result, these environments interpret and execute the app’s code at runtime. The source code of the application is platform-independent, whereas the environment is platform-specific.

• Cross-platform app execution involves three types of environments: web browsers, hybrids of web and native components, and self-contained environments. Aside from environment-based execution, there are numerous other approaches to developing cross-platform applications, such as embedding HTML/CSS in a native shell, native app compilation, creating mobile-based web applications, and using an interpreter framework. Reduced time and costs are two of the most important benefits of cross-platform app development. It also enables the use of custom design language throughout.

Pros:

• Reduced time to market because the app only needs to be coded once.
• Lower app development costs because you don’t need separate applications for each OS Platform-independent source code allows for greater flexibility and faster changes.
• Because of shared source code, applications are simple to maintain and update.

Cons:

• Performance issues as a result of a lack of hardware sensor integration support.
• Cascade effect: A single error can disrupt service across multiple platforms.
• Inadequate user experience as a result of a lack of native UI enhancements

Both native and cross-platform applications have advantages and disadvantages. So deciding which one to select can be difficult. But don’t worry! The following is a side-by-side comparison of native app vs cross-platform mobile app development.

Which app is easier to develop: native or cross-platform?

• When talking about native vs cross-platform, it’s vital to look into the ease of development. React native vs Swift is a common topic of debate and it can be hard to choose the best platform for your upcoming project. The development phase takes up the majority of the time and money spent on app development. As a result, the greater the ease of development, the greater the likelihood of ROI. Let’s look at native app development vs cross-platform app development to see how easy it is to create a native or cross-platform app.

Time to market

• Let us get into time to market for native app vs hybrid app. Application development turns a business idea into a usable product, a user-friendly solution! However, the timing of that solution is critical. If you do not time your product launch correctly, you may lose your market advantage. The app type that is easier to develop will have a shorter time to market. Cross-platform applications naturally take less time to develop because two separate app development processes are not required.

• Walmart grocery apps, for example, had been using React for many years. However, in 2018, Walmart’s team decided to migrate to React Native for the implementation of cross-platform shared business logic. Walmart’s team first experimented with React Native mini-apps. Because of the success of these mini-apps, React Native was fully integrated.

• Finally, the Walmart Grocery app team increased development velocity and code testability while also developing a unified automation framework with React Native. Organizations can hire React Native developers from Tagline to improve development velocity and build a single codebase for multiple platforms, as Walmart did with the hybrid approach earlier and chose React Native for cross-platform application development.

Ease of testing3

• One of the important points of native vs cross-platform is the ease of testing. Before users interact with your application, it is critical to test it. You may not want to leave a bug in the application while users are using it. Native applications are difficult to test because they require separate testing for different app versions such as iOS and Android. At the same time, because of a single codebase, testing cross-platform apps is relatively simple. As a result, you must test code that can be reused across platforms.

• Consider the Allscripts Enterprise Mobility Framework. The Allscripts team wanted to standardize the experience and version development across platforms. Allscripts formed a Common Components Mobility Team (CCMT) to streamline systems, establish best practices, and develop a cross-platform testing strategy.

• CCMT worked to develop a standard set of codes for platforms such as Android, iOS, and UWP. They went with Xamarin. Forms for creating common app functionalities. It enabled the team to create controls that were native to each platform. Xamarin.Forms were helpful for  Allscripts as it was able to share 70-85% of the code across platforms. It also allowed Allscripts teams to customize, build, and test apps across multiple platforms. It resulted in a shorter development time and a reduction in repetitive activities.

Customizations in the app

• In cross platform vs native, let us now look into customizations in the app. Your applications help to engage users and connect them to your vision, which increases the effectiveness of your branding efforts. To keep the branding style consistent across apps, customization is essential. Customization is critical for maintaining the branding style across apps and for providing a personalized user experience.

• Personalization techniques, according to Salesforce, have helped marketers increase conversion rates by 50%. When comparing the ease of customization of native and cross-platform applications, native has an advantage due to OS-specific UI components. Consider the music streaming application. If you want to create a music app with high-quality audio and Bluetooth support, hardware integration is essential. It is a specific problem that necessitates hardware integration support via customized APIs.

• API integrations and customizations are made easier with native applications. For such features, you can use cross-platform integration capabilities or integrate a third-party service. Native apps, on the other hand, are an ideal solution due to their native libraries, components, and seamless integration into the operating system.

• One simple example of such integration is how iPhones display Bluetooth battery status via a widget on the phone’s home screen. With respect to native app development vs cross-platform, Native app development allows you to add such functionality and widget-based customizations. Native apps are easier to develop than cross-platform apps.

Which app type provides better performance?

Are you confused in cross-platform vs native from the viewpoint of their performance? Application performance is critical for ensuring greater availability and responsiveness for your users. A single feature flaw can cost you, multiple users! As a result, app performance is critical to the success of operations. Let’s compare native vs. cross-platform app performance.

• Native apps outperformed cross-platform apps in a performance test conducted at the Lublin University of Technology. Several tests were carried out to assess database, operational, computing, and read-write capabilities.

• The performance gap between native and cross-platform apps is 60%.
• Read-write operations in Android apps took up to 26 milliseconds.
• Cross-platform apps built with Xamarin took 22 milliseconds.
• The image was downloaded in 6.8 seconds by native apps and 7 seconds by cross-platform apps3

In the Performance of the application, Cross-platform apps are better than Native apps.

Which is best for cost saving?

• Without a cost analysis, a comparison of native vs. cross-platform is incomplete. Of course, the complexity of the features determines the development time frame for each application project. A simple login or password feature for a social media app, for example, may require 26-44 hours of development time, whereas an advanced search feature may require 530 to 810 hours.

• Increased development time means more interaction with developers. As a result, developing a complex feature will cost more than developing a simple one. Native app development necessitates the creation of two separate apps for Android and iOS, which takes time. Cross-platform applications, on the other hand, will be less expensive due to reusable code. You can use the same codebase for Android and iOS apps, which saves time and money.

• In Application development cost Cross-platform is better than Native apps.

How secure is a native app versus a cross-platform app?

• When a large amount of data is stored, retrieved, and exchanged on the app, security becomes essential. Because native applications are developed in OS-specific environments, they are more secure. When you use a non-native framework to develop an application, such as React Native, the code can become jumbled, leading to vulnerabilities. Furthermore, if you use non-native frameworks, you will not have access to native libraries that allow app encryption.

• However, when it comes to application maintenance, cross-platform applications outperform native ones. If you created a cross-platform app, you only need to maintain one app. In contrast, for native apps, you must maintain two separate applications.

• In Security, Native apps are better than Cross-platform.

• In Maintenance, Cross-platform is better than Native apps.

How can Tagline Infotech help you develop apps?

• The choice between native and cross-platform applications is driven by business requirements. On either side of the decision, however, the need for expertise remains constant. So, whether you choose native or cross-platform app development, expertise in app development aids in the delivery of user experiences.

• Tagline dedicates a team to your development needs, providing high-quality code, modular architecture, performance monitoring, excellent after-release support, and extensive testing and automation. It’s time to make a choice; select the best option. And if you’re still stuck, please contact us.

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