Hello friends. Today I will tell you the basic difference between HTML5, Native and a Hybrid App.
There are mainly 3 options of mobile application development:
- Native app:
Mobile apps built for specific platforms like iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, etc, using their respective development tools and language. Native App will work only on the platform it has been designed for. - HTML5 Web App:
Mobile optimized websites that appear to be apps and run on the mobile browser. These are platform independent but lack superior UX and functionality. These apps wont run in the offline mode. - Hybrid/ Cross- Platform App:
Single mobile app built on HTML5 and optimized for multiple platforms (using native containers). They are downloaded from the app stores like native apps.
Before selecting a platform its very important to understand the following points.
1. How many platforms do you wish to target ?
Now it depends on your overall strategy, if you wish to target just one platform and do not want a wider reach then native definitely is the best option for you. Those who want a wider reach you can opt for multiple native apps, specifically developed for each operating system. A hybrid app will also let you reach all platforms through a common app.
2. What about the mobile app user experience ?
Some apps have a very simple interface but some have a demanding UX design. With native apps it is easily possible to create a very engaging, enthralling and interactive user experience which will be specific to the device for which it has been developed. Whereas in terms of hybrid app the user experience that can be designed will be just average. Go for a native app for multiple devices if you want your mobile app to rank high on UX and usability.
3. Time and money constraint. If any ?
A hybrid app is built on HTML5/js/css and this is not a rare skill set. The development cost of a native app is thus much higher than that of a hybrid app.
Getting a HTML5 web app will be the quickest and most cost effective solution but it will not serve your purpose in most cases.
4. How complex is the app to be developed?
Native app can access hardware like GPS and camera, handle the hard keys of a phone, link to an online database, manage large amounts of client side data, run offline and access widgets seamlessly. All this is not possible with a web app but with latest technologies coming in all this is possible with a hybrid app too. The only concern will be that as the app becomes more and more complex, it gets difficult to create a cross platform app.
Choose a native app if you want:
- An app which demands quick response and high performance
- That can process large amounts of data on the client side
- To manage system resources or Operating Systems
- For video or game scenarios