--- title: Native or Hybrid: Which Solution Should You Choose? description: When developing your project, understand its features to decide whether to build it using native or hybrid app technology. source: https://vitaminaweb.digital/en/blog/native-or-hybrid-which-solution-should-you-choose lang: en --- ![Native or Hybrid: Which Solution Should You Choose?](https://vitaminaweb.digital/storage/blog/dzSgjpfUWs61bJmOCrNt6KoTMv0IEX4btAzfv4yh.webp) Mobile apps are being used more and more every day. People are increasingly connected, and smartphones are becoming an extension of the human body. We use apps for everything: to communicate, have fun, search, shop, and even flirt. Given this, developing an app today is a great business opportunity, but which solution should you choose? A native or hybrid app? ## Is a native or hybrid app better? The first thing we need to understand is that no rule is always true. An app isn't always better or worse just because it's native or hybrid. We need to understand what our application does, what we expect from it, and how far it can go, and then decide which technology model is best to adopt. There are pros and cons to both development approaches, native and hybrid. In this article, I'll try to clear up some myths and point out important characteristics of each technology. In addition to **native** and **hybrid** apps, we also have **web apps**. Let's now look at the difference between them. ## Native apps Native apps can be installed on mobile devices (smartphones and tablets). In most cases, they are installed by downloading the app from the relevant app store. For iOS, that's the Apple Store, and for Android, Google Play. They are developed using each platform's native programming languages, along with one or more SDKs. SDK stands for *Software Development Kit*, which, in our case, means a software or app development kit. The native languages for each platform are: - iOS can use **Objective C** or **Swift;** - Android uses **JAVA**; and - Windows Phone uses **C#**; They provide easy access to the device's operating system features, such as GPS, camera, accelerometer, and more. ## Hybrid apps Like native apps, hybrid apps are also installed on mobile devices and can be downloaded from an app store. The main difference from native apps is that hybrid apps are built using web languages and technologies, and use frameworks (such as Cordova) to be converted into the device's native language. To access operating system resources, frameworks use libraries and may also use SDKs. The programming or markup languages commonly used in hybrid apps are: - HTML5; - CSS3, often using Bootstrap and/or similar tools as a foundation; - Javascript, often used alongside other front-end frameworks, such as Jquery Mobile and Angule; ## Web apps Web apps are simply internet pages that can be accessed through any browser. They are not installed on the device and therefore do not have access to operating system features. A web app is limited to having a design similar to that of an app to improve the user experience. ## Which type of app should I choose, native or hybrid? Below is a list of questions to answer to determine which type of solution is best for you: 1. How much time do you have to develop your app? 2. Do you have a budget to invest in development for each platform? 3. How often will your app be updated? 4. Is this app an MVP? MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product. 5. Do you need users to have the best possible experience? 6. Will you use many operating system resources? Do you want your users to have the best possible experience? Once you have these answers, you can look at the comparison table below and decide which solution is best for your app. ## Comparison table | | ##### **Native** | ##### **Hybrid** | ##### **HTML5 (mobile web)** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Skills required for Android and iOS** | Objective-C, iOS SDK, Java, Android SDK | HTML, CSS, Javascript, Mobile Development Framework | HTML, CSS, Javascript | | **Distribution** | App Store | App Store | Web | | **Development speed** | Slow | Moderate | Fast | | **Development cost** | High | Moderate | Low | | **Maintenance cost** | High | Moderate | Low | | **Graphics performance** | High | Moderate | Moderate | | **App performance** | Fast | Moderate | Moderate | | **Access to device features** | | | | | **Camera** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](https://davidwalsh.name/demo/camera.php)) | | **Push notifications** | Yes | Yes | No | | **Contacts** | Yes | Yes | No | | **Offline access** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](http://www.html5rocks.com/en/features/offline)) | | **Geolocation** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](http://www.mrc-productivity.com/blog/2012/06/yes-you-can-use-gps-with-mobile-web-apps-with-proof/)) | | **File uploads** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](http://www.html5rocks.com/en/features/file_access)) | | **Gyroscope** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/device/orientation/)) | | **Accelerometer** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/device/orientation/)) | | ***Swipe* navigation** | Yes | Yes | Yes | | **Microphone** | Yes | Yes | Yes ([Learn more](http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/getusermedia/intro/)) | | **Best suited for** | Games or apps where the user's focus is on graphics performance and an enhanced user experience. | Apps that don't require extreme performance but need access to device resources. | Apps that don't need extensive use of device resources. | The table above was adapted and translated from the [MRC Productivity](http://www.mrc-productivity.com/blog/2016/06/the-mobile-app-comparison-chart-hybrid-vs-native-vs-mobile-web/) website. ## **Key considerations for a native or hybrid app** Of everything we've discussed, there are two key factors to always consider when making your decision: time and cost. ### **Time** - **Native app:** Development takes longer because an app version must be created for each platform. - **Hybrid app:** Development takes less time because you build in a single language and compile for other platforms. ### **Cost** - **Native app:** Because development is multiplied by the number of platforms, the app's cost ends up nearly doubling that of a hybrid app. It also has a much steeper learning curve because it uses different languages. - **Hybrid app:** Development takes much less time because the language used is more familiar to web professionals. 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