When it comes to developing a mobile app, the first thing you need to do is to determine the type of application. Mobile applications are divided into two rudimentary categories, native apps, and web apps. Before starting the development, layout a comprehensive plan to develop a highly functional and high-quality app.
Web apps, as the name suggests, are the applications that are accessed through web browsers and native apps are platform-oriented and are installed through an online app distributor. Take the example of Evernote, which is only available for Android and iOS platforms and not for Windows. Similarly, a great example of a web app is Google Docs.
A comparative analysis of web and native apps:
When it comes to building a highly functional app, time and money are the key factors which play a pivotal role in the development of a great application. However, those two are not the only considerations; factors like user experience and user interface are also important for making a high-quality application. Whether you are hiring a mobile app development company in UAE, UK or Australia or a freelance app developer, choosing between the native and web app can be a daunting task. Here we have composed a comparative analysis of both the native and web applications:
- Interface: the user interface is quite similar in both native and web apps. The only difference is the difference of device which is used to access the app. If you are developing on Android, you might have to use material designs, but on the web, the designs might be slightly different from the Android one.
- The building process: every mobile app development platform has an SDK which is used in the development process. In web apps, there is no fixed SDK for a certain platform. You can use any process but make sure that your app should support various screen sizes and types of browsers.
- Accessibility: native apps can easily access the built-in device tools and features like camera and GPS. On the other hand, web apps don’t have free and easy access to these features and device tools. This factor is an important aspect of the app’s accessibility when it comes to designing an app.
- Updates and versions: the best part about the native app is that they can easily be updated and the app is automatically updated with newer version and updates. The new version can easily be installed form any good app distributor. However, updating web apps is not as simple and easy as native apps. It involves a complete shutdown of the server before any changes are updated and applied.
- Monetization: in the native app the app distributor is responsible for revenue generation, but various manufacturers control the type of advertisements that can be shown on your app– such is not the case with the web app. In web apps, the app developer and owner can design his own ad service, where it gives you more freedom to control your app; it also adds to your workload.
- Cost-effectiveness: when it comes to development budget, web apps are most cost friendly than the native apps. You can use the same application on various platforms. In the case of native apps, you have to maintain and develop a new version of every platform, which is a costly process.
- Performance: when it comes to high performance, native apps are the sure winner in this regards. Where they provide multi-platform support, these provide with increased functionality and offline availability.
Conclusion:
Most companies go for both the native and web apps because of the increase in demand and usability of mobile applications and tools. If you are accessing through a computer, you are using the web app, but if you access it through your phone, you are most likely to use a native app.