Mobile App Development?

Should I Choose Cross-platform Mobile App Development Over Native Apps?:

There is constant debate about Cross-platform vs. Native mobile application development. This debate has divided the tech community for years. There are different opinions by various people, but the matter of fact is that both of these technologies are evolving with time. Therefore, due to the developing behavior of both technologies, it is necessary to revisit these topics from time to time to know the current best option.

Both of these technologies offer different pros and cons. However, these factors affect everyone involved with the application, including the users, owners, and developers.

Difference between Cross-Platform and Native App :

Apps that are fully developed for a specific platform are called Native apps. These apps can be developed with the language compatible with the platform. For example, Android app developers use Java for Android development, and Apple app developers use Swift and Objective C for iOS development. A native app is only compatible with a specific platform.

Cross-platform is a modern way to develop apps that are compatible with multiple platforms. However, most of the cross-platform apps are limited to Android and iOS due to the market share. These apps can be developed by using HTML and CSS because these web technologies are platform-independent. There are various development tools available in the market that developers use to create apps.

Difference between Cross-Platform and Native App :

Native apps are high-performing apps as they are responsive, fast, and less likely to crash. These apps can be optimized by the developers easily. Whereas, Cross- platform apps often encounter performance issues. These are developed using a one app fits all approach; therefore, it is not unusual for such apps to act out on few devices.

Features :

Native apps can use the native feature of a device, especially in iOS. It runs only on Apple’s exclusive devices. Another great feature of native apps is that they offer offline features. This is something not easily approachable for cross-platform apps.
Cross-platform apps are unable to use the device’s native features because of their limited access to the API.

Feasibility :

Development of Native apps can take more development time than cross-platform apps. Moreover, the cost of native apps is also higher. Maintenance is another factor that takes time to identify problems and bugs for each platform individually and then create different updates accordingly.
A cross-platform development company for US can build apps at a lower price than a Native app Development Company. However, in some cases, the higher number of bugs and issues can offset this advantage.

User Experience :

User experience is the most important thing to consider in your app. In such a case, native apps are capable of providing great user experiences due to their capability to provide better speed, higher performance, and optimized device utilization.
Cross-platform apps are intuitive, but they don’t offer good speed. It is hard for the designers and developers to meet all the UX requirements of several platforms. Overall, cross-platform apps can’t provide a desirable user experience.

Conclusion :

According to the above comparison, native apps are superior to user experience and performance. However, the choice of a platform is truly according to the needs. An app development agency can usually develop simple apps like content distribution apps and games on cross-platform.
Moreover, cross-platform is also suitable for B2B apps where less development time is the key. Many small businesses mostly choose cross-platform because of the time and budget. It is always important to choose a platform that fulfills your requirements, needs, and target audience.