LEARN ANDROID APPS DEVELOPMENT

Why Should Startups & SMEs Need To Focus On Android Application Development?

The mobile app for startups is having limited budget and resources, which is required to be used strategically to gain optimum output. Hence, Android is the best development platform for both Startups & SMEs to develop and maintain mobile apps as compared to iOS.

Do you know there are over 2.7 billion smartphone users worldwide? And the revenue generated every year with android apps is in billions. What if your startup business joins this race? It will provide you with the host of advantages that includes brand recognition, robust functionality, higher profits and more.

Today, there has been a paradigm shift from offline store to online, from website to mobile app. And it should be too. In this continually rising percentage of smartphone users, android app development is the best decision that an entrepreneur should make for its startup business.

What stats speak?

According to the recent mobile app development stats, there are currently 2.8 million apps available in the Google Play Store, whereas Apple App Store has only 2.2 million apps available for download. Number of apps available for download Additionally, 95% of the android apps are available free, and customers love the free stuff. The global mobile app can reach 189 billion dollars by 2020. No wonder the Android world is booming, its penetration rate is growing at a constant pace with no downfalls.

For many companies, both large and small, the cost of a mobile app development project is top-of-mind, and determining what development approach to use plays a significant role in the decision-making process. Should you choose a hybrid development approach, or choose native app development? Depending on your business objectives and overall goals, this decision can make or break the success of your mobile strategy. 

This article will compare the cost of native and hybrid mobile app development, answering crucial questions like: 

  • What are the essential differences between native mobile apps and hybrid applications?
  • What are the drawbacks of each development approach?
  • Does hybrid app development cost less?

By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of which development approach is best for your business. Here’s a breakdown of the two app development approaches and the unique factors that impact the cost of a project. 

Native Mobile App Development 

Native mobile apps leverage specific platforms and use the languages the chosen platform accepts. For example, Swift and Objective-C are typical for iOS apps and Java or Kotlin for native Android apps. Native apps have the best performance and are the most used in the app market. Users tend to prefer native apps over web apps or hybrid apps for their speed and responsiveness. These types of apps are more interactive, intuitive, and offer a better overall user experience.

Native app development is the more expensive option as you’re programming your app for each respective platform (iOS and Android) instead of using the same codebase for two platforms.

It is easier to maintain two codebases for two applications than it is one codebase for two applications. With native app development, you have fewer dependencies for bugs to occur because you’re not relying on a cross-platform tool such as Xamarin, React Native, or Cordova.

Advantages of Native Apps

  • Native apps deliver the best performance compared to hybrid applications.
  • Native apps receive complete support from app stores and the overall app marketplace. Distribution in app stores helps with discoverability.
  • Native apps are interactive, intuitive, and run more smoothly in terms of user input and output.
  • Native development allows developers to access the full feature set of the selected operating system.
  • The user experience of native apps is far superior to hybrid apps. To the user, the flow is more natural because of each mobile operating system’s specific UI guidelines and standards.
  • A native app must be approved by its respective operating system which assures quality, security, and device compatibility.

Disadvantages of Native Apps

  • Native apps use difficult programming languages that require experienced developers.
  • Expenses are more costly upfront for native apps compared to hybrid apps.
  • Native apps are not the best option for simple applications. 

While the initial cost of native mobile app development may be higher than other options, this development approach will save money over time. By offering a great user experience, better performance, and accessibility, native apps can offer users a more personalized product. The multiple advantages of native apps will result in higher conversion rates and long-term customer loyalty.

Hybrid Apps

Hybrid app development can essentially do everything HTML5 does, except it also incorporates native app features. A wrapper acts as a bridge between platforms to access the native features. A hybrid app consists of two parts. The first is the back-end code in languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The second is a native shell that is downloadable and loads the code using a web view.

Developing only one app for all platforms is an advantage of hybrid app development as it is typically faster, allowing quicker time-to-market. But while hybrid app development is faster than native development, it also has a significant disadvantage, which is that you can’t customize your product the way you would be able to do with a native app. The more customization you want within your hybrid app, the more expensive the project will be. Depending on customization requirements, a native solution will end up being more cost-effective.  

Hybrid apps access hardware through a bridge which can slow development down. Also, a hybrid app can sometimes frustrate users because the user experience doesn’t follow specific operating system guidelines.

Advantages of Hybrid App Development

  • Hybrid apps don’t need a web browser like web apps.
  • Hybrid apps have access to a device’s internal APIs and device hardware.
  • Only one codebase is needed for hybrid apps.

Disadvantages of Hybrid App Development

  • Hybrid apps are much slower than native apps.
  • With hybrid app development, you’re dependent on a third-party platform to deploy the app’s wrapper.
  • The more customization the app requires takes away from hybrid development, which costs more money that can be saved with native app development.

With hybrid app development, you have to contend with issues that stem from both native systems and hybrid systems, which makes bug fixing more difficult. Performance is also a disadvantage because hybrid apps load in a web view. The user experience is often sacrificed with a hybrid app as you cannot customize the app based on the platform.

Customizability is a significant disadvantage to hybrid apps. The more customization you do, the more you’re steering toward a native solution. If customization is important to you, taking the native approach to development will be more beneficial. The more customization you want in your hybrid app, the more expensive the project will be, and therefore a native solution will end up being more cost-effective.

Can You Support Hybrid Development With In-House Web Engineers?

Many people think they can support their hybrid app in-house with their on-site web developers. However, the reality is that these web developers need to understand Native iOS and Android functionality in addition to web development. This means you’ve built a more complex application that will need two different skill sets to support it. Developers with this expertise are difficult to find and a lot more expensive retain. This goes for React Native as well. You simply cannot support React Native with web developers alone.

Bringing Hybrid development in-house is not always the cheaper option. We recommend that you find a native app development partner to help you build out a team of developers who have the expertise for your mobile app.

Comes Down To The User Experience

The majority of users will retry a mobile application only once or twice after they’ve had a poor user experience with the first try using the app. For this reason, it’s important to ensure your app will work consistently to avoid abandonment after the first use.

Native apps win the performance battle by a landslide. A native app is faster and more reliable by nature. It has all the structure, content, and visual elements ready to be displayed at any time, providing a more seamless experience.

What’s more is that with hybrid app development, the appearance of your app can vary from user to user, depending on the version of the software they are using and the type of device running your app. As a result, your app may not always look the way you intend and can amount to poor user experience. 

Although the initial cost may be higher with a native app, you’ll end up saving a lot of time and money in the long run. By offering a great user experience, better performance, and leveraging the device features, you’re able to provide your users with a more personalized experience. The combination of the native mobile app advantages will result in higher conversion rates and will ultimately boost customer loyalty.