Have you ever imagined what our world would be like without mobile applications? To find an honest answer, just look at the number of apps installed on your phone and the growing number of mobile app development companies in the USA. Gaming apps, food delivery apps, entertainment apps, taxi booking apps, and many more are indispensable parts of our life.
Likewise, mobile applications are equally important for a business as for consumers. For businesses, an app acts as a personalized marketing channel and an essential branding tool that, when leveraged adequately, has the potential to drive engagement.
But, are all apps the same? Can the same app run on all operating systems? The answer is no.
In this article, we are going to discuss the three major types of mobile applications, the pros and cons associated with them, and when you should choose one to get the best results.
So without further ado, let’s get started!
3 Types of Mobile Applications
Apps can be divided into three major types:
- Native applications
- Web applications
- Hybrid applications
1. Native Mobile Apps
Native mobile applications are platform-specific apps. For example, a native mobile application designed for iOS will only work on Apple devices. Likewise, an Android application will only work on Android phones.
Native applications are coded in a platform-specific programming language. The most popular Android app development languages are Java and Kotlin. Mobile app development service providers hire Java and Kotlin experts to cater to the needs of their clients.
On the other hand, the iOS applications are coded with C#, Objective C, and Swift. Several iOS app development libraries and frameworks have been introduced recently such as Ionic, Monaca, Mono, etc.
Once a Native app is installed on your phone, it will be accessible through your device. You can find them on the home screen in the form of icons. Just click on the icon and the app will open.
While native apps are the go-to choice because they offer an impressive user experience, they do have some cons. Let’s discuss the positives and negatives associated with them.
Pros of Native Apps
- Many elements come preloaded in the native apps, thus they work faster.
- Native apps work offline, so you can access them in remote areas where the internet might not be easily available.
- Native apps offer a great user experience due to their seamless performance.
- Native apps look perfect in terms of orientation, size, and resolution.
Cons of Native Apps
- Native mobile applications have a lengthy downloading process. To download an app, you have to first find it on the AppleStore/Google Play Store, install it, sign up, and fill in the required information to use it.
- Native apps are quite expensive. Mobile app development companies in USA charge heavily for developing native apps.
- Developing a native mobile application is a time-taking process. It can take up to a full year to design a high-quality native application.
- Native applications require frequent upgrades or they stop working.
2. Web Applications
Web apps are quite similar to native applications, except for the fact that they are accessed via a web browser on your phone. Unlike Native apps, they are not standalone applications; you don’t need to download them to use them.
Just like you access a website through your PC, you access a web application on your mobile phone. Progress web apps(PWAs), which are quite popular these days, are an example of web applications.
These applications are designed using HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, and various other supporting programming languages. Like a responsive website, a web app scales to fit the different screen sizes of mobile devices.
Due to their screen adaptability and ease of access, web apps are being widely embraced. However, they too have some cons.
Pros of Web Applications
- Web applications don’t need to be customized to be compatible with a particular OS.
- Web based applications are cheaper to build as compared to native apps.
- A web app doesn’t need to be updated often.
- It’s easy to customize the interface of a web app.
- There’s no need to download a web app on your phone.
Cons of Web Applications
- A mobile app development company might stop you from investing in a web app because these apps are comparatively slower than the native ones.
- Web apps lack the feature of a quality control system.
- It can be hard to find a web app because you have to keep its web address or URL saved on the phone—unlike native apps which are part of your home screen once downloaded.
- Another con of web apps is their dependence on the internet. No internet means no access to the web app.
You may also find this interesting: How Do You Develop a Mobile App?
3. Hybrid Apps
The third type of mobile application is a hybrid app. This type of mobile application has the capabilities of both native and web apps. A hybrid app looks like a native app but it runs by a website.
A hybrid app may also have a home screen app icon, but they work like web apps. Moreover, hybrid mobile apps are responsive and perform as well as native ones.
In short, hybrid applications are web apps made to look like native apps. These apps render content using JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS. Also, like native applications, these can work offline in case of internet unavailability.
Pros of Hybrid Applications
- Hybrid apps are easy to build, thus they entail less development cost.
- A Hybrid app is easy to maintain, so you won’t have to pay a mobile app development company in the USA for the app’s maintenance every month.
- Mobile app development services can scale a hybrid app without much effort if required in the future.
- Hybrid apps can work offline.
- You don’t need to hire an iOS app development service and an Android app development service to develop a separate app for iOS and Android as hybrid apps run on both operating systems.
Cons of Hybrid Applications
- Large size hybrid applications tend to slow down a bit.
- Some native app features are missing in hybrid applications.
- One area where these apps lack is the UI, it’s not as appealing as the native ones.
- Hybrid apps can’t render 3D graphics.
- Since they run on the browser, they too can be hard to access.
Which Type of App is the Best for You in the USA?
Well, it all comes down to your budget and the performance you expect from your app. If you hire a mobile app development company to build a Native app, they are bound to charge you a pretty heavy amount. That’s because building a high-performance native app takes several iterations and a considerable time.
On the other hand, web and hybrid apps are easier to build and thus require a relatively smaller investment. But then again, they may not be as fast and as engaging as the native ones.
If you are looking for an app that’s easily accessible, runs smoothly on a particular operating system, and renders a great user experience to the end user, Digital Gravity Agency recommends you go with a native app. It’s worth your time and money.
But if you have a smaller business and have budget restraints, you can choose a hybrid or web app for now. And when the business expands in the future, you can eventually move to a native application.