what to choose for business?
Modern technology is a true boon for any business. But in the same way, they can become a real curse. Just imagine. You want to create your own mobile application. The idea is already there, sponsors have been found, and, it would seem, release an application for yourself and conquer the world with standard “Efficiency, Resilience and Innovation • Trust • Human-Centered approach • Passion • Excellence”. But in reality, everything turns out to be much more complicated. You come to specialists and do not understand who to listen to. Some vied with each other to convince you that the application should be made on React Native technology, while others stubbornly prove that there is no better solution than development on Swift / Kotlin. Sounds familiar? Then this article will definitely help you.
Bewilderment of who you still need to listen to is not at all surprising. We will try to analyze the pros and cons of different development methods as objectively and impartially as possible and finally dispel all your doubts.
What is the essence of native and cross-platform applications?
A native app is built using platform specific code in a language designed for a specific mobile OS. Usually this is Java or Kotlin for Android and Swift or Objective-C for iOS. Do you want to see your application both in the Play Market and in the App Store? Then you will need to hire two teams of programmers, each of which will work in its own IDE (integrated development environment) for the selected OS.
Whereas a cross-platform mobile application is a single solution for several operating systems and platforms. Some of the most popular cross-platform frameworks are React Native and Flutter. They are praised for their cost effectiveness.
Which option is better in terms of the most important indicators?
1. Development speed
Development wins cross-platform application: This is a much faster process because over 70% of the code only needs to be written once and can be shared across multiple platforms.
2. Development cost
It is also advantageous to develop cross-platform application: it takes much less resources to write code and fewer developers (enough IT people with experience with only one framework).
3. The quality of the application and access to functionality
Through the use of the SDK native app takes into account the specifics of each platform and easily integrates with it, supporting all its additional features.
4. Application maintenance and support
Life cycle cross-platform development significantly simplified compared to native: both updates and necessary maintenance are facilitated. Any bugs in the code, updates, addition of new features – all this needs to be dealt with only once.
5. User interface
Users prefer a familiar user interface that is specific to the platform they use the most. native development will provide the creation of user interface elements necessary for a comfortable user experience.
6. Less bugs and errors
Of course, none of the types of applications can guarantee you the absolute absence of bugs. In cross-platform, what works fine on one platform may not work on another. However, in cross-platform applications most of the code is shared, which helps to avoid typing errors that can lead to incorrect program behavior. Also, less code means fewer bugs.
7. Better integration of new features
In response to the rapid development of mobile technology, devices and their respective platforms launch new features every year. Native apps get access to these new features almost immediately after their release.
8. Greater reach
Cross-platform applications can be run on multiple platforms at the same time without any delay, unlike native applications. It also cuts down on marketing efforts for different platforms individually.
What to choose for your business?
Case number 1. You are a startup that needs a minimum viable product to test market interest.
The most cost effective solution would be involvement of their own developerswho will use the skills they have. Do you have iOS SDK experts? Your own iOS app is just right for you! Proficiency in Javascript? Use React Native to run mobile app on it.
Case number 2. You need a good enough product for users or a product with its own immersive interface.
With such an application, you usually take the lead, and users are generally satisfied with it. For this purpose, businesses usually choose a hybrid option.
This is the best solution if:
you limited budgetand you just can’t afford to pay twice for original looks, high performance, and separate OS integration features;
your product is a kind immersive application (such as a full screen game) and does not require standard system user interface elements (such as buttons, scrolling elements, complex navigation, etc.);
In that case, exactly cross-platform solutions will allow you to find a compromise between the budget and the user experience of interacting with the application.
Case number 3. Users want a first-class user experience, while competitors have native applications.
At this stage of business development, your main goal should be to attract the audience and keep it by improving the user interface. That is, even with a cross-platform application, you will eventually want to implement several built-in plugins under the hood. With this approach, your application will be able to access platform-specific features such as built-in Bluetooth, ARKit, notification systems, and so on.
Case number 4. Your business requirements are so complex that only a native application can fulfill them.
Congratulations, you’ve reached a level of business maturity in Pokemon Go or Spotify where only full-fledged apps with platform-specific features are right for you. Most likely, your application may need high performance hardware resource management (including efficient memory management and complex calculations), as well as in-app purchases or tokens.
The cases presented above are purely descriptive and depend on the specific goals of your business. As a result, you can completely switch to a native application or, conversely, decide to stick to cross-platform development: depending on what brings you more profit at each stage of your business development.
The choice of development type depends on the expectations of the users you are targeting, the complexity of your application, and the maturity of your business. Obviously, there is no simple answer to the question of which approach to application development is best. Both cross-platform and native development can be effective solutions if you apply them at the right moment in your business development. If you want to test market opportunities, launch a product quickly and save money (especially if you are a startup), choosing cross-platform development is a piece of cake. If you need to create a long-term best-in-class application with less effort, native development is indispensable.
As paradoxical as it may seem, cross-platform applications must be adapted to the specifics of a particular OS, which is impossible to do without sufficient experience with the specific platform SDK and, for that matter, with native development. Therefore, it is better to turn to specialists who are familiar with React Native and native programming languages firsthand and will be able to choose the best development method for you.
Article author: Kristina Kurulenko
