Native vs Cross-Platform Development: How to Choose

There are 4.4 million apps available on both Appstore and Google Play, targeting 14 billion mobile phones worldwide. If you’re keen on launching a mobile app, one of the most important decisions to make is choosing between native or cross-platform mobile app development. 

Choosing between native app vs cross platform has long-term implications in terms of cost, time, and functionality for your business. In this article, we’ll explore both native app vs cross platform app development  and weigh the pros and cons of each.

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What Is Native App Development

The term native mobile app development refers to building a mobile app exclusively for a single platform. The app is built with programming languages and tools that are specific to a single platform. For example, you can develop a native Android app with Java or Kotlin and choose Swift and Objective-C for iOS apps.

Native mobile apps are known to deliver exceptional user experience as they are generally high performance. User experience is also enhanced as the visuals are tailored to the platform UX. However, startups are concerned about the high cost of native mobile app development as they need to run concurrent development for both platforms.

At Uptech, we’ve done our fair share of native mobile app development using Java/Kotlin or Swift/Objective-C. Some of our notable projects are Aspiration, Dollar Shave Club, Cardless.

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Pros Of Native Mobile App Development

So here are some pros that native mobile application development, can bring to your business:

Broad Functionality

You’ll have access to every API and tool provided by the platform that you’re working on. Technically, there are no limits on how the programmers could work with the new app.

Better Store Support

A native mobile app is easier to publish and usually ranked higher on the platform’s app store because it delivers better performance and speed.

Increased Scalability

Apps built for the native environment also tend to be more scalable, thanks to the flexibility in resources management and the array of tools available.

High Performance And Great UX

The direct interaction between the code and the underlying resources results in high performance. Also, native mobile apps generally have a better UX that is synonymous with the platform.
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Cons Of Native App Development

So like anything that you try to analyze, native application development has its drawbacks. Not a lot of them, but still something to keep in minds:

Costly Development

Building native mobile app development can be costly when you need to launch for both iOS and Android. It means you’ll need to deploy two teams working on different platforms.

But the effort is rewarding, in the end you have two apps to engage more users!

Time Consuming

Native mobile app development is time-consuming as the work done for a platform cannot be duplicated for another. Instead, a separate team is needed to work on the other version.

Yet, with the right time and product management, you will not spend more than you can afford.

At Uptech we always adapt to the client’s budget, helping to provide maximum benefits within the given budget.  

Uptech – is a top-ranked mobile team in developing native and cross-platform applications.
Leverage our mobile app development services to create responsive, beautiful, and scalable apps. With us, you can be sure that your mobile app will reach your user!

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What Is Cross-Platform App Development?

Cross-platform mobile app development points to the process of creating an app that works on several platforms. This is done by using tools like React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter, where the apps created can be deployed on both Android and iOS.

While cross-platform app development saves time and cost, you risk sacrificing quality in the process. It is difficult to tailor an app that runs optimally on various platforms, and the app will need an additional abstraction layer when running, thus resulting in lower performance.

Startups will favor the reduction in time and cost with cross-platform development. However, you’ll need to bear in mind that it might be more difficult to customize the app beyond what’s allowed in the framework.

Our team has almost years of experience building cross-platform apps. Some of the apps include Jacks Flight Club (iOS, Android), Daily Burst (iOS, Android).

We work with such companies as GOAT – the global retail platform for products from the past, present and future. Check more of our cases in the portfolio!

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Pros Of Cross-Platform Mobile App Development

Let’s now look at the main benefits of cross platform mobile app development as compared to native mobile app development.

Less Costly  

Instead of having two teams of developers, you’ll need only one to create a cross-platform mobile app. Therefore, you’ll save on the development cost.

Faster Development

Only a single cycle of cross-platform development is needed to create an app that runs on multiple platforms.

Single Code Base

As the app is created with a single cross-platform development tool, only one code base is created.

Cons Of Cross-Platform App Development

Now let’s look at some cons of cross-platform app development, again, comparing them against native mobile app development.

Slower App

The need for an additional abstraction layer and rendering process makes the cross-platform app slower than its native counterpart.

Limited Functionality

Developers may have difficulty accessing smartphone functionalities like the microphone, camera, and geolocation in ways possible for a native app.

Limited UX design

Cross-platform apps are unable to take advantage of native UX components. Therefore, it can’t deliver the same UX experience that is accustomed to the platform.

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Things to Consider When Choosing Between Native and Cross-Platform Development

What could help you to make the Native vs Cross-Platform Mobile App Development? Well, a few factors. Here are some that you can keep in mind when making up your mind.  

Time to Market

In startup development, the time-to-market plays a crucial role. The market is competitive, which makes it totally vital for your product to be released at the right time and for the right audience.

So if the time-to-market is a big deal for you, then most probably you should go with cross-platform mobile app development. It will save you costs and time while allowing you to build a solid MVP iteration and launch it as soon as possible.

Native mobile app development, on the contrary, would slow things down, blocking your idea from getting to the market on time.

Development Budget

Development costs are a substantial factor to take into account when starting the development and choosing the tech stack. So if your budget is limited, you might better opt for cross-platform app development. In this case, you will need a smaller team, which significantly cuts your expenditures. This is a perfect option when you have a budget for MVP only.

Yet, you can always shift to native app development when scaling up your project.

App Performance

Some types of apps require higher standards of development, that would allow more interactive useflow, better graphics, and gamification. When your app needs an enhanced level of performance, it would be better to choose native app development instead of cross-platform one.

Adapting your app’s performance to a certain platform individually will allow you to avoid unnecessary app crushes, leaving your users satisfied with the experience.

Native or Cross-Platform App?

Your decision has a huge implication on the cost, time, and how the users will respond to the app. Take all the above-mentioned into consideration before making a decision. If you’re still stuck, here are some additional tips.

You should choose native development if:

• Your application requires full access to all of the phone resources and services;
• You want to build the most responsive application;
• You’re looking to take full advantage of the mobile phone’s hardware;
• You want an app that can be easily updated and enhanced with new features in the future.

You should choose cross-platform mobile app development if:

• You are ready to accept a less responsive app;
• The application does not involve complex animation nor deal with complicated logic;
• You have a short window to test an idea and hypothesis in the app market.

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Summary

Whether choose native or cross-platform mobile app development has different pros and cons. Ultimately, the choice of going with either depends on project requirements and the skills of the developers involved.

Native mobile apps are still the best choice when it comes to user experience and performance. While they are more costly, you’ll be at ease with lower defect rates and better visuals.

Cross-platform app development is easy and quick to build, but it’ll take more effort to deliver an equivalent user experience on the respective platform.

Still doubtful about choosing between native vs cross-platform mobile app development? Contact us and get professional advice from our team.