When designing and developing an application, one of the first major decisions is choosing between a fully native app and a cross-platform solution. Each approach has advantages and trade-offs, and the right choice depends on a few parameters: app requirements, performance expectations, and target audience.
Let’s explore both solutions and why you should choose one over the other below.
1. Fully Native App Development
Native apps are built separately for each device operating system (OS) and use official development tools and languages:
- Native iOS Apps: Developed using Swift or Objective-C with Apple’s Xcode.
- Native Android Apps: Developed using Kotlin or Java with Android Studio.
What Are the Advantages of Native Development?
Native apps are great for:
- Better Performance: Optimized for each OS, native app development results in faster execution and smoother animations.
- Deeper System Integration: You gain access to all platform-specific features and APIs without limitations. As a result, you won’t be fighting with workarounds and as many edge cases.
- Consistent UI/UX: Native development matches the OS’s design language and user expectations. You don’t run into design limitations like you would with cross-platform app development.
When Should You Choose Native App Development?
A fully native app is the best option when:
- Deep OS Integration is Required: Apps that rely on system-level features, such as advanced gestures, biometrics, or background services, perform better natively. Cross-platform development is still a way away.
- Device-Specific Features are Crucial: If the app uses features that exist only on a particular OS or have different implementations across platforms, a native approach ensures the best performance.
- High Performance is a Priority: Apps that require heavy computation, complex animations, or real-time processing (e.g., gaming, video editing, or AR/VR apps) benefit from native development.
- Single-Platform Focus: If the app is needed for just one platform, developing natively ensures optimal efficiency and a seamless user experience without the extra costs associated when offering on a second or third platform. If your end-user is more affluent, iOS is the way to go.
2. Cross-Platform App Development
Cross-platform development enables developers to build an app that works across multiple platforms using a single codebase. Various frameworks and tools make this possible, including React Native, Flutter, and embedded web apps.
What Are the Advantages of Cross-Platform App Development?
In comparison to native apps, cross-platform apps benefit from:
- Faster Development & Testing: One codebase means less work compared to building separate apps for each device.
- UI and Functionality Consistency: Ensures a uniform look and feel across different devices.
- Cost-Effective Maintenance: Reduces long-term maintenance efforts since updates and bug fixes apply to all devices at once.
- Fallback to Native Code: Allows for a hybrid approach that uses cross-platform and native components on an as-needed basis.
When Should You Choose Cross-Platform App Development?
A cross-platform approach is most suitable when:
- Your App Features Are Mostly Shared Across Platforms: If your app doesn’t require deep OS integration and the functionality remains consistent across platforms, a shared codebase simplifies development. For instance, depending on the app requirements, a calendar feature can be shared via cross-platform code.
- Multi-Platform Deployment is Needed: If your goal is to release the app on iOS, Android, web, and desktop simultaneously, a cross-platform solution accelerates the release process and reduces development costs.
What Cross-Platform App Development Languages Should You Use?
Let’s review some popular cross-platform app development methods below:
React Native
- Reach Native uses JavaScript to develop mobile applications.
- Renders native UI components, ensuring a look and feel similar to native apps.
- The same codebase is compiled into native code per platform.
- Because of its popularity and release date, React Native has rich support for its code-base.
Flutter
- If you aren’t familiar with Flutter, read about why you should consider it here.
- Developed by Google, Flutter uses Dart as its programming language.
- Provides a cross-platform UI rendering engine for pixel-perfect UI consistency.
- Works well for apps requiring a uniform interface across devices (e.g. Google Earth).
- Integrations with OS-specific services like in-app purchases require extra effort, particularly on iOS.
Embedded Web Apps
- Ideal if most of the app’s features can run in a browser.
- Start as a Single Page Application (SPA) and package it as a mobile/desktop app.
- Uses WebView to display the web app inside a native wrapper.
- Frameworks like Ionic/Capacitor and Tauri help in packaging the web app efficiently.
- A mature ecosystem ensures faster development compared to other cross-platform methods.
Conclusion: Which App Development Approach is Right for You?
The choice between native and cross-platform development depends on:
- If performance, deep OS integration, or a single-platform focus is essential, go native. Note, native apps are the choice for mature companies looking to offer the best experience for their end-users.
- If speed, multi-platform deployment, and cost-effectiveness matter more, a cross-platform approach is the way to go. Cross-platform development is a good compromise and a great starting point for most apps.
Unsure of where to start? Connect with Uplancer for your free consultation to determine the best app development approach for your application.
