PROS AND CONS OF HAVING A HYBRID APP FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Hybrid Applications are platform-independent applications, i.e. they can be run on any Operating System like WINDOWS, Linux, iOS etc. A hybrid app is based on HTML5 and then wrapped with a native wrapper. Basically, the coding of the application takes place in HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript. Thereafter, the integration of the application with a native Android, iOS and various other platforms, using suitable wrapper technologies takes place. For business owners, this is the best choice if they are willing to hire professional mobile app developers and release their app on various platforms.

ADVANTAGES OF HYBRID APPLICATIONS:

1. Lower Development Costs: Building a hybrid mobile app is relatively cheaper and this task can be done in lesser time than any other native or mobile web app. In this competitive world, “time” has become very crucial for the businesses and moreover cost efficiency plays a vital role in helping enterprises build and get their product to the market in the least possible time. Also, there is no requirement of a separate code for iOS, Android, and Windows. There is only one source code that needs to be deployed and maintained. With the assistance of various development frameworks such as Xamarin and PhoneGap and a set of libraries, hybrid app developers can build the application in no time saving the cost and time of development.
2. Better User Interface: One of the main reason behind hybrid apps is the consistency of the user experience across multiple mobile platforms. The users expect to give an instant response to different devices and deliver an error-free experience. Hybrid Apps cater to these needs. It displays data faster and adjusts to different device screen configurations immediately. It is a lightweight application. Therefore, hybrid app UI can also load the high-definition graphics and content quickly.
3. Easy to Integrate: Using the device’s internal programming system, hybrid apps do seamless synchronization with other compatible apps that reduce the integration issues for developers. As a consequence, the hybrid apps work very efficiently with the device’s native applications such as camera, messaging, GPS, etc. to ensure a smooth user experience.
4. Offline Support: Hybrid apps store the device’s API to save offline data that helps to load the application quickly. It stores information that the users can access at the time of poor or no connectivity partially. As a majority of users want to reduce their mobile data consumption and have uninterrupted access to app’s data, the hybrid app provides offline app accessibility without performance glitches. It is one of the primary reasons why hybrid mobile apps are the best when compared to native mobile apps.
5. Easy to Maintain: Unlike a web application, a hybrid app can make use of all the features available on the mobile device. Native apps maintenance is quite challenging as the developers have to roll out new updates in the form of versions and users also need to update their application in order to access the updated version and to experience the new features. A hybrid app crosses versioning and makes app maintenance as simple as updating a web page, that too in real time. This facility caters to the scalability needs of an enterprise.

DISADVANTAGES OF HYBRID APPS:

1. User Experience: The native apps provide a better experience to the user with a number of features which are not provided by the Hybrid applications and the user is not satisfied with that.
2. The Possibility of denial by app store: There is a chance that the app store may not upload the hybrid apps as it only recognizes the apps native in nature.
3. Hybrid Apps require more QA testing and integration phase: As the hybrid apps must be compatible with more number of operating systems as compared to the native apps. Therefore the QA testing process is quite lengthy for them as the testing team requires to check its performance in all the environments, whereas the native app is only tested in one single working environment.

As every coin has two sides, so do the hybrid applications. However, it is very clear that the merits outweigh the demerits very well. So, make a wise decision and start choosing the hybrid apps over the native ones.