The debates about cross-platform vs native app development have been going on for a while, with native apps boasting a superior performance and user experience. But as technology advances, cross-platform applications are now able to deliver the same level of functionality and quality as native ones. And considering that such applications can run on several platforms, the question arises: are they the future of mobile app development?
What is cross-platform app development?
In order to understand what cross-platforms apps are and how a cross platform application development company like SoftTeco delivers superior user experience, let’s first take a step back and define native mobile apps first.
When you develop an application for a particular platform (iOS or Android), you want your app to interact with the device’s hardware (i.e. with the camera) for rich functionality and to have a natural look and feel, without any bumps during the user journey. Hence, developers use platform-specific programming languages (Swift or Objective-C for iOS and Kotlin or Java for Android) to create native mobile applications for one specific platform only. It means that the app will have full access to the device’s hardware and will correspond perfectly to the requirements of this platform. But at the same time, the app will be limited to this platform and won’t be able to run on another one.
Now, native app development is quite costly – and if you need it to run on more than one platform, you’ll have to develop a separate app for that. Here is where cross-platform software comes in and saves the day.
As the name implies, cross-platform applications are the ones that can run on different platforms due to a single codebase. This means, an application llke that can successfully run on both iOS and Android platforms without the need for fine-tuning it. These apps are usually designed with such frameworks as React Native, Xamarin, or Flutter, and offer a really high level of UX and performance.
Cross-platform vs native apps
Let’s briefly review the main points of comparison between these two app types:
- Time-to-market: native apps have longer time to market;
- Performance: native apps display accelerated performanceUser experience: native apps have a better look and feel compared to cross-platform, though some claim that the difference is insignificant;
- Cost: native apps are more expensive;
- Security: native apps are considered to be more secure due to 100% compatibility with the OS-specific requirements.
Cross-platform vs hybrid apps
When discussing cross-platform applications, it is also important to define hybrid apps since the two types often get confused. Same as cross-platform apps, hybrid apps also run on different platforms while having a single codebase – so what’s the difference?
Hybrid apps are developed by using web technologies like HTML or CSS and are then wrapped in a native shell. This allows apps to access the native functionality of a platform. But the drawback of hybrid apps is that they tend to have a poorer UX and performance. Hence, cross-platform applications remain a more preferable choice.
The benefits of cross-platform software
It is now time to discuss the biggest advantages of cross platform apps, which are the reasons this development strategy may shift the futute of software engineering.
Development speed
One of the biggest reasons why developers (or a cross-platform app development company) prefer cross-platform software engineering is the speed of development. While with native apps you have to develop two different apps separately, with cross-platform development you need to work on one only. Thus, you cut down the development speed by 2X, which also leads to shorter time-to-market.
Cost-effectiveness
The ability to create only one app instead of two brings another obvious benefit: you will spend less money on cross-platform mobile development than you would on native. This is so because you will need only one development team to create a cross-platform app and won’t need to hire separate iOS and Android developers. Thus, cross-platform apps are often preferred by startups and companies who want cost efficiency but don’t want to compromise on quality.
Unified codebase
A single codebase brings several important benefits. First, it makes the app update and maintenance process easier since you have to implement the changes to one app only. Second, you can easily update or optimize the app’s logic and add new features without the need to repeat the effort.
Fast prototyping
The development speed is an important criteria, especially if you need to quickly develop a prototype or an MVP. A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a great way to effectively test your product’s idea and collect feedback from real users – but speed is the crucial factor of its development. Hence, a cross-platform application is a perfect option in this case and overall allows for faster prototyping than native apps.
Easier maintenance
In order to maintain the high level of app’s performance and security, you need to timely implement all needed updates and fixes and consistently improve its functionality. These maintenance activities can take up quite a bit of time. But with cross-platform applications, maintenance becomes easier due to a single codebase. A unified codebase eliminates the need to maintain two different codebases and not only reduces your costs and resources but helps avoid inconsistencies in app’s functionality and design.
Wider reach
Finally, one more important advantage of cross-platform development is wider audience reach. Platform usage is an important factor that can significantly impact your conversions and the app’s popularity. Hence, it’s always better to target both iOS and Android audiences – and cross-platform applications let you do that with a single app.
Is cross-platform development really the future of mobile apps?
For now, it’s early to say that cross-platform app development is the ultimate way to create user-centric mobile apps. After all, native applications still remain superior in terms of user experience and quality. But as we mentioned earlier, technology advances on a regular basis, and so do the tools and frameworks for cross-platform development.
Even today, cross-platform applications already display an impressive level of design and quality and are almost undistinguishable from native applications. It is therefore safe to assume that in the future, the thin difference between native and cross-platform will disappear. And considering all the benefits of cross-platform development and, most importantly, its speed of delivery, more and more companies will probably opt for this app development approach.
Thus, our recommendation is: keep an eye on cross-platform software news and be ready to take action as soon as your business requires a user-centric and high-performing app.
With over a decade in the tech field, Bogdan blends technical expertise with insights on business innovation in technology.
A regular contributor to TMS Outsource's blog, where you'll find sharp analyses on software development, tech business strategies, and global tech dynamics.
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