If you give a regular app user a native app and a hybrid app and ask them to tell the difference based on how they use them, they won’t be able to differentiate. Thus, it proves that hybrid apps are not less than native apps in any way. They work in the same way as any other app for Android, iOS, or Windows. You can make a hybrid mobile app for games, social media, health and fitness, dating, ride-sharing, finance, insurance claims, email, music, and much more.
What are Hybrid Mobile Apps?
In simple terms, hybrid apps are web apps packaged into a native wrapper. They seem and feel similar to native applications to ordinary users, yet they are significantly different. Native applications are created using the languages such as Java (for Android), Objective-C and Swift (for iOS), but hybrid mobile apps need knowledge of HTML5 and JavaScript, which are the same languages used in website creation.
Then there are hybrid applications and web apps, which are a combination of web technology and native app development. Hybrid applications are embedded inside native apps that make use of the mobile’s Web View. Such applications can also access the mobile device’s features, such as the camera, contacts, and device sensors, such as the accelerometer and proximity sensors, because of native app development’s characteristics. These functionalities are only available in online applications, not hybrid mobile apps.
Why should you build a Hybrid Mobile App?
Here, we will discuss some of the reasons why you might want to choose hybrid app development. Hybrid app development is the right choice for you if you have any of the problems or opportunities listed below.
- If you want to reach a larger audience but don’t have the means to do it, a hybrid mobile app is the most practical alternative. However, since Android is inconsistent among OS, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider hybrid app development. You can hire professional hybrid app developers to bridge that gap.
- If you don’t want multiple teams to create apps for different platforms, then you should consider developing an HTML5 mobile application. Why hire a developer for each platform when you can hire one for all? Almost every developer knows the languages used to build a hybrid mobile app, giving you a very wide range of developers to choose from.
- Hybrid should be your platform of choice if your app developers don’t want to be limited to proprietary platforms, including programming languages and SDKs provided by platform vendors.
- If you need anything more than a web app, Hybrid is the way to go. Many of the capabilities of mobile devices are limited to online applications and web browsers. If you want to use these features, you should make a Hybrid mobile app for yourself.
Benefits of going Hybrid
Since its inception, mobile app development has advanced significantly. Hybrid app development has reached its peak in the past few years. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of developing a hybrid mobile app.
- App Integration: With hybrid app development, you may mix diverse resources, approaches, and development aspects to work on a single codebase that works across several platforms. This makes an overlay that gives users access to a wide range of services and helps with tasks.
- Highly Scalable: A hybrid app is highly scalable because it’s designed to work on multiple platforms and operating systems. Hybrid applications are very adaptable and accessible to third-party plug-ins, allowing you to keep up with current market trends and offerings.
- Low Development and Maintenance Cost: The cost of developing a Hybrid mobile app is greatly reduced because of the “one code for all platforms” feature. This saves you a lot of money on development. Because it is a single program that runs on several platforms, you just need to keep track of it. Unlike native applications, which need separate maintenance for each platform, updates and maintenance to a hybrid app are applied across all platforms.
- Larger Reach: The ability to access several app stores is the major reason for creating a hybrid mobile app (Google Play Store for Android, on App Store for iPhone or iOS, etc.). This broadens your consumer base, resulting in a significant boost in business.
Best Framework to Build Hybrid Mobile Apps
Now, if you’ve decided to go with hybrid app development, you need to decide which framework is best for your app development needs. There are a lot of frameworks for making hybrid mobile apps, but we will only talk about the top four frameworks.
- React Native: React Native is the result of a hackathon competition conducted by Facebook. It was created with the intention of improving the Facebook hybrid app’s user experience. JavaScript is the programming language used to create hybrid mobile applications in React Native (Known to almost all developers). The way it works is similar to how the React platform works, where declarative code components are used to put together a rich UI. By using React Native app development services, you can make a hybrid mobile app that looks exactly like a Java or Objective-C native app. The basic working of the React Native is similar to other native platforms, i.e. putting together building blocks using React and JavaScript.
- Ionic: Ionic Framework is an open-source SDK that has everything you need to make a Hybrid mobile app. HTML5, CSS, and Sass are the web technologies used by the Ionic framework. This framework is open source and completely free. Because it is published under the MIT license, it will always be free to use thanks to widespread community support. Ionic has shown to be a multi-faceted framework for building a Hybrid mobile app, with over 120 native device functionalities enabled such as Bluetooth, fingerprint authorization, camera, geo-location, and more.
- PhoneGap: The PhoneGap framework is the most well-known hybrid framework for developing cross-platform apps. PhoneGap, like Ionic, was designed by the same team that produced Apache Cordova. Programming that is used in PhoneGap for developing a hybrid mobile app is HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In the PhoneGap framework, HTML5 and CSS3 are used to make the app look good, while JavaScript is used to make the app’s logic. HTML5 allows access to the device’s hardware, including the camera, GPS, and accelerometer, as well as the microphone, compass, and other sensors.
- Xamarin: Microsoft owns the Xamarin Framework. Xamarin offers a hybrid Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) and Common Language Specifications implementation (also known as Microsoft .NET). Xamarin utilizes C# to create a hybrid mobile app that runs on iOS, Android, and Windows. Because C# is the native language of the Windows Phone OS, it becomes a native app. The Xamarin framework is known for reducing the time during development by reusing a large portion of the code for hybrid projects.
Conclusion
Hybrid app development has come a long way since the days when developers and business owners avoided it. But new developments have brought hybrid app development to a whole new level. Hybrid app development is now being tried out by most big and small businesses. For creating your hybrid mobile app, AppleTech can assist you. At AppleTech, we have the experience and the expertise to build Hybrid apps. Reach out to us today with your concept and see it transform into reality.
