Technological changes have made many business owners and startups use mobile operating system software. Although, depending on some factors, the decision on what app to use might be challenging. There are a variety of mobile apps under the three categories; native, web, or hybrid. The difference between the three types is as follows;
The native mobile app
A native mobile app is built for a specific mobile operating system. For example, if it is an android OS, the apps meant for Apple operating systems cannot be installed. While using a native app for business purposes, you will need to build different apps for different operating systems.
Building a native mobile app
Native apps are built for a specific operating system, and they are written in a specific programming language. For the Android operating system, apps are written in Java, while for iOS apps, they are written in Swift language.
A native app can easily interact with the other apps in the platform since they are made for the same operating system like a camera, microphone, etc. It is easy to build an Android and Apple app since they both have reliable software development tools.
Native apps for Apple can be developed using X-code, and for Android, you can use Android studio. The design available for an operating system is also making people more comfortable developing their apps. Apple has human interface guidelines, and Android has material-designed procedures.
The mobile web application
Unlike native apps, web apps are not downloaded. They are available on the internet, and you can access them I the mobile web browser. Regardless of a mobile device’s operating system, a web app can be used by multiple devices. They are available web pages on the internet as HTML and CSS with functional system language.
Building a mobile web application.
Building a mobile web app is easier because it doesn’t require any software development kit. Web apps are build based on the programming language of JavaScript, PHP, CSS, and HTML.
The frameworks within which they are built include; Node.JS and Angular.JS.
The hybrid mobile application.
Hybrid apps are more of a combination of the web app and native app. The hybrid app is available on the internet with the programming language as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. The hybrid app can also be downloaded like the native app, and it can access other mobile apps like the camera, microphone, and others.
Hybrid apps are most preferred because they require less time than building two native apps for different operating systems. Also, you don’t need to know both programming languages while developing a hybrid app. However, a hybrid app performs poorly, and t is not UX optimized.
In conclusion, there are various factors that you need to consider before choosing the best app. Elements like; the business goals, time, budget and features, need to be considered. If you need an app very fast, you can download a native app; however, you can choose a hybrid app if you want to use it for Android and Apple. With the above information, you are now aware of the different apps and which one to choose.