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A native app, a hybrid app, or a web app? Which one to choose?

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Aleksandra Bessalitskykh
A native app, a hybrid app, or a web app? Which one to choose?

These days, mobile apps are a business instrument that acts as another communication and sales channel with clients. Thus, it is necessary to build product that performs very well so that your app may succeed.

A native app, a hybrid app, or a web app? This question is rather debatable, as each option has its pros and cons.

The web app solution as opposed to the hybrid or native, is the least expensive option although offers minimum functionality. A web app is a software program that uses web technologies (HTML, JavaScript, CSS), it runs on a web browser, and performs tasks via the internet. Mobile web app development can be used for simple and straightforward projects. Successful mobile web app examples include: Medium, The Washington Post, Gmail, Google Docs, and Flipkart Lite.

On contrary, native apps, though they are the most expensive, provide the best quality, performance, and user interaction. A native is an app that is designed to be fully complied with the guidelines and requirements of a particular operating system. In native app development, apps are built separately for each operating platform. Native development benefits from complete unity with the device and its features, like a camera, contact list, GPS, etc. Native app examples are: Google Maps, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, PokemonGo, etc. These examples have both native Android and iOS apps.

Cross-functional applications are somewhere in between, with a native “feel & look” but with lower performance. This kind of app is a combination of a native and a web app and it is defined as a website at heart with a native app as its external sheath. One difference between a native and a hybrid app is that the latter is developed with the help of HTML, JavaScript, or CSS at its core, and then it is given a thin native shell with WebView to access the native system functionality. Thus, there is no wonder that some of the most well-known applications go with a hybrid application, as opposed to a native or web app. Examples include Amazon, Evernote, and Netflix, each with a high level of user app experience.

The general recommendation is not just to choose the affordable app variant, but rather the one that fits the market needs and provides the biggest value to the target audience.

Go with the native option if you want the best result and to create a proper professional app!

In this article you can discover more details about the differences between native, hybrid and web apps.

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Aleksandra Bessalitskykh
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