Native vs. Hybrid Mobile Apps: Differences, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Despite the fact that the software is then developed by external companies, decisions regarding the types of mobile applications are often made by the clients themselves. But what solutions can we choose?

The most popular types of mobile applications

Currently, we can distinguish at least several types of mobile applications. However, two extremely popular types are certainly worth noting: native and hybrid. So let's take a look at each of them, point out their strengths and weaknesses, and explain in which situations they will work best.

What are native mobile apps?

Native mobile apps are a solution whose specifics are easy to understand. They are simply a type of software that is created with a specific platform in mind. A native app is created in a programming language adapted to a given system (e.g. Android or iOS) and can only run on devices equipped with that system.

What languages ​​are these types of mobile apps programmed in? These are primarily programming languages:

• Java/Kotlin – for applications created for Android;
• Swift/Objective-C – for applications created for iOS. If a company decides to choose a native mobile application, but wants to receive solutions supported by both Android and iOS, it will be necessary to create two separate versions of the software using two different languages.

Native Mobile Apps: Pros and Cons

Like all types of mobile applications, native solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. When discussing this type of software, it is worth starting by listing its strengths. These include:

• very high performance – native solutions are the smoothest type of application and maintain their performance even when equipped with the most demanding features; according to zartis data presented in the article Native vs Hybrid Mobile App Development: Choosing the Best Approach (2023), native applications can be up to 25% faster and more responsive;
• ease of use – native applications work seamlessly with device resources, and all their elements are adapted to the guidelines of a given platform;
• wide expansion possibilities and access to updates – native applications can be easily improved and expanded with additional functions in the future;
• high level of security – native software is usually less susceptible to failures and attacks.

However, we must be aware that there are also some drawbacks and limitations associated with creating native applications. These include:

• exclusion of some users – if we create an application that works only on one platform, some users will not have access to it;
• higher costs of creating and updating – if we decide to order two separate versions of the application, the costs of designing and making corrections will be higher;
• longer creation and updating time – in the case of building two versions from scratch, we also have to be aware of the longer waiting time for the product;
• potential differences between different versions of the application – some of the elements and functions used may only be available on one platform.

Hybrid Mobile Apps – What Are They?

Now that we know how native solutions work and what their advantages and disadvantages are, we can discuss the second important type of mobile applications: hybrid applications. So what makes them stand out?

Hybrid mobile apps are software that works the same way on multiple platforms, despite being created using only one code base. The entire process of creating them takes place only once, and updating them and introducing new functionalities also requires working on only one version of the application. The most popular frameworks that allow you to build such cross-platform solutions are Flutter and React Native.

Advantages and disadvantages of hybrid mobile applications

What are the benefits of the specifics of hybrid applications discussed here? We should pay attention primarily to advantages such as:

• cheaper and faster development – ​​since the coding process takes place only once, the application will be ready faster and the costs associated with its development will be lower;
• easier to implement changes – updates implemented in one code will improve the performance of all software versions;
• User experience consistency – all interface elements and application features will work the same on every platform.

If we are wondering what types of mobile applications will work for our project, we should also consider the weaknesses of specific technologies. In the case of hybrid solutions, these will be:

• lower performance – the smoothness of operation of hybrid applications is quite high, but in some cases it is not equal to native applications;
• less effective debugging and profiling tools – these tools are still being developed and may not work as well as native solutions for iOS or Android;
• inability to use some native features – hybrid applications may have limited access to some device resources;
• lack of applicability in the case of very complex projects – both performance issues and access to functions mean that in the case of some projects the hybrid application technology will work worse, or it will not be possible to use it at all.

What type of mobile app should I choose?

The specificity of each type of mobile application means that given technologies will be better suited to specific projects. So when is it worth deciding on one or the other solution?

Native applications will certainly work better if we want to create software that works exclusively on one platform. They will also provide better performance in the case when the software uses more demanding functionalities.

Hybrid applications will be a great choice when we want to create cross-platform software quickly and cheaply. Although their performance may be slightly lower, in many cases the difference in fluidity will be almost imperceptible.

If you are still wondering what type of mobile app will be better suited to the requirements of your project, we encourage you to contact our experts. Ideo specialists create both high-quality native and hybrid applications, so they know which technologies will be the best choice for specific expectations.