App development starts with making choices. Are you going for native or hybrid app development? Or do you opt for cross platform app development? That is an important choice, because it not only influences the time that must be invested in development, but also the performance of your app. We list the differences and advantages and disadvantages of the three options for you, so that you know what you are getting yourself into.
Native app development
With Native app development you write in the language of the specific system for which you are developing the app. An app for IOS is written in Objective C or Swift while an app for Android is written in Java or Kotlin.
If you want your app to run on both Apple and Android, you need to develop two different apps. This means that you not only lose more time during the development phase, but also for maintenance. After all, everything has to be done twice.
On the other hand, you have the best possible performance, because each app fits perfectly with the system it runs on. After all, that's exactly what the app was written for ;).
Hybrid app development
If you want to spend less time on development and maintenance, you can go for hybrid app development, for example with Flutter. You then create one app that runs on both IOS and Android. Essentially this is a kind of website on steroids that has access to the two systems.
Although a hybrid app is easy to make, there are many drawbacks. You may lose performance and speed this way. Because it is a website that is available as an app, a hybrid app does not have the look-and-feel of a native app. The lack of native components makes using the app a bit uncomfortable for many. Furthermore, the integration with the Operating System is less.
Cross platform app development
Fortunately, there is a third option: cross platform app development. You use one language for two native apps. A commonly used framework for cross platform app development is React native, but there are also other options like Xamarin.
React Native app development uses the React framework along with native capabilities. It is written in JavaScript (or via Reacts UI paradigm) and this is done via a API converted into two native languages. So one JavaScript function is ported to one Objective C function for the IOS app and to one Java function for the Android app.
An app that has been developed through cross platform development has a native look and feel. This gives you a good performance and the users of the app have the best experience. However, you do save development time and maintenance time compared to native app development.
Why do we choose cross platform app development?
Now that we have listed the pros and cons of the three systems, it will immediately become clear why we are using native vs. hybrid vs. cross platform app development opt for the latter option. Of course we want our customers to have the best possible app and hybrid app development does not meet this requirement. A good app is written in a language specific to a system and cross platform app development gives us the most efficient way to create native apps. That is why Social Brothers opts for React native.
Want to know more?
If you want to know more, read our next blog about React Native vs. flutter† Or sign up for the newsletter. Then we will keep you informed every month about new developments, including in the field of application development.
Do you want to have an app developed for your company or organization? Please feel free contact on. Social Brothers is happy to help you.
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