Cross-Platform vs. Native App Development: Which One Should You Choose?

Cross-Platform and Native app development are popular platforms for mobile app development for different platforms.  Both platforms have their own tech stack. However, because the landscape for both technologies is the same, deciding which one is best for your app development project is difficult.

Engage in both cross-platform and native app development technology, enAct did its best to break down the barriers that come in the process of choosing the best app development platform. We discussed the 7 factors to assist you in making the right decision.

What is Cross-Platform App Development?
Cross-platform app development refers to creating mobile apps that are compatible with multiple platforms. Previously it was difficult to create apps compatible with multiple platforms, but Facebook invented React Native technology for building cross-platform mobile app development. Cross-platform is beneficial for businesses and developers as it reduces the cost, team, and effort and gives them the freedom to improve creativity and innovation.

Cross-Platform App Development: Pros and Cons

- Pros of Cross-Platform App Development

Single Codebase
Cross-platform is a single-code base platform. It means you can create one code to develop an application for multiple platforms.

Cost-effective solution
No need to have a separate team of developers for Android, iOS, and Web. One team can create applications for different platforms with code-sharing.  Therefore, you can save on the development cost.

Faster Development
Developers can create one code for apps that can run on multiple platforms. Hence, fast development is possible.

Large Community Support
There is a large community available to users for developing cross-platform apps.

- Cons of Cross-Platform App Development

Performance
High-level performance of your app may not be possible with cross-platform, but optimization can help you reach the desired performance level.

Not 100% Native
Cross-platform applications cannot provide the full native experience.

What is Native-App Development?
Native app development is a platform that enables developers to create native apps for a specific platform. The apps are built with programming languages and tools specific to the platform.  For instance, you can create a native Android app with Java or Kotlin and select Swift or Objective-C for iOS apps.  Swift is a popular technology used to develop native applications for iOS and macOS.

Native App Development: Pros and Cons

- Pros of Native App Development

Speed
Native applications are quite fast to develop because developers only need to focus on a single operating system.

Scalability is possible
Native platform offers flexibility and freedom to work for developers. It ultimately makes scalability possible for the apps in the market.

Interactive and Intuitive
A native application is one created for an OS. Native developers follow strict guidelines that directly enhance and align the user experience with the specific operating system.

- Cons of Native App Development

No-Code Sharing
There is no space for reusing the code to create apps for different platforms.

Time-consuming
You have to create different codes to build apps for different platforms, hence it’s time-consuming.

Cross-Platform vs. Native App Development

1. Quick App Development
Delivering the project on time is the core focus of every app development company. The developers’ experience is highly needed to accomplish any project on time without leaving any bugs in the app.  Additionally, when it comes to choosing the right technology for a faster app development process, cross-platform comes into consideration.  Because React Native (cross-platform technology) supports reusability of codes, which ultimately saves time and reduces effort, and fosters a quick app development service. There is no such use of code-sharing with Swift or Object-C, but a highly experienced developer can accomplish any project at the right time.

2. Platform-Specific UI
When it comes to developing a specific UI, cross-platform app development may not be able to provide 100% nativity. Creating apps with specific user interfaces requires a specific platform and technology.  However, developing separate UIs for Android and iOS in React Native is a good way to improve the user experience.

3. Hardware Requirement
Native apps require specific hardware, and if you want to develop the apps for a specific platform, make sure you choose the platforms that can easily resource the hardware requirements.  In this case, the native platform is able to get platform-specific hardware, but it may not be easy for cross-platform to get the platform-specific hardware to build native applications.

4. Performance
Cross-platform technologies provide great performance, but they require optimization. It is good to some extent, but if you want to increase the performance level, optimization is the only way. On the other hand, native applications focus on specific requirements and operating systems, so high performance cannot be the barrier. But with React Native, the high level of performance for cross-platform applications is possible to some extent.

5. Cost Efficiency
Cross-platform offers many benefits when it comes to developing mobile applications. Cross-platform support, code-sharing, pre-built components, and large community support ultimately ease the challenge of developing apps and the cost of app development. Development of native applications using Swift or Objective-C can also be cheaper, but that depends on various factors like the number of features you want to add, customization, etc.

In a nutshell, developing separate native applications for the Android, iOS, and Web will cost you the most.

6. Support and Assistance
If you’re seeking support and assistance in app development, Cross-Platform has a large community of support. There is a large community available experienced in cross-platform technologies like React Native, and Xamarin, who share their experience and suggestions on different platforms for developers. Compared to cross-platform, there is a small community available for the native platforms. However, sometimes more suggestions or ideas can create confusion.

7. Application Complexity
This is another factor to consider while choosing the right platform for your mobile app development.  For example, if you’re building an application that does not require lifting heavy data, then cross-platform will be a good choice.  On the other hand, if you want to develop an app that involves heavy processing or requires accessing low-level APIs like Bluetooth, then you can go with native app development.