The digital revolution couldn’t have happened at a faster pace. Some 15 years ago, we were still trying to convince businesses about the need to own a website. Currently, any business that doesn’t have a website might as well go back to when John. F. Kennedy was president. In actual fact, a website isn’t enough to take your business to that next level you have always dreamed of. You’ll need to combine your excellent website with mobile app marketing solutions.

You’re already late to the party if you do not know how much more visibility a mobile app could give your business. If you want to develop your mobile app today, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is if you want a native or hybrid app. Sounds like some tech jargon? All the developer is asking is if you want an app that works on a single operating system, say, iOs or Android; or an app that works on both. This question itself is a testament to how far hybrid apps have come.

In the not so distant past, the mobile app development arena was chiefly dominated by native apps. These days, hybrid apps have leveled the playing ground. You won’t be exaggerating if you actually say they are taking over already. Most of those who remain skeptical about hybrid apps are those that are too afraid to test new waters or those that a bad experience with them many years ago. But what makes a hybrid app better than a native app?

The advantages of hybrid over native

Users can’t tell the difference

Except you’re into some high-end graphics or gaming technology, your users can’t tell the difference between a native and hybrid app (and they don’t care). Hybrid apps now boast the same level of basic performance and speed. The old days of native apps and their superiority at compound User Interface gestures is also history. Hybrid apps have been able to successfully integrate multi-touch. Your users would basically enjoy the same experience. Since users are the main focus.

Your budget can tell the difference

Hybrid apps could save you a whole lot of money. Developing one hybrid app is cheaper than developing one native app. And you’re really not thinking about developing one native app, are you? At least, you’ll need a native app for Android and another one for iOS users. Your savings would ultimately depend on the scale of your project. But a Hybrid app could cost about $10,000 to $100,000 less than a native app. You need not be told which one to go for when you’re low on budget.

You can launch your app tonight

Okay, you might actually need a little more time if you want a thorough job. But the bottom line is that hybrid apps are faster to build and launch as long as you’re not planning to drift too far away from the basics. All you need is a professional who can use a hybrid app framework such as ionic to translate your web code. However, things could go downhill pretty fast if you want to add a lot of custom features. You just might be better off considering a native app if that is the case.

You’ll also save a lot of time when marketing your app. Your app would have to undergo QA testing before you can market it. For hybrid apps, the testing can be easily performed from a web browser. But if you are employing native app design, there’ll be a lot of technical jargon you’d rather not know about. Who doesn’t like the easier way out?

Maintenance won’t cost you a fortune

Hybrid apps are generally easier to maintain than native apps. You also have the freedom to test as many new features and functionalities as you can. You can do this via the web or as a website on your mobile. Furthermore, it’s easy to install updates and new features. You’ll have to spend much more before you can achieve this with native apps.

The cons of hybrid apps

Even coffee, the world’s most ionic beverage isn’t good for everyone. So, you don’t expect hybrid apps to good for all situations either. There are some instances where you may be better off going native. Here are some of the cons of hybrid apps

No to flight mode: A hybrid app is essentially a website. It cannot work if the user is not online. Although there are ways of getting around this, the user may not be able to access the full range of functions when offline. Think about having to drive your Ferrari like a fiat because you’re low on gas.

Better user experience

Even staunch advocates of hybrid apps would admit that apps that require heavy graphics usage such as gaming apps perform better with native app design. Once you’re unable to provide a smooth experience for users, they won’t waste any time taking another trip back to the app store. And that’ll be to the benefit of your competitor.

Custom features

Due to cross-platform inconsistencies, you might need to incorporate certain features that would enhance the functionality of your application on a platform. Plugins come to the rescue in such cases. However, there’s a limit to how much you can use for hybrid apps. Too many plugins and your app begins to drag. Another problem is that the plugin may not fully meet your needs. Thus, you may have to build your own plugin from the scratch. And this sort of defeats the purpose of hybrid apps.

Creating hybrid apps with ionic

There are many hybrid app frameworks that can be used to translate web codes. Ionic is arguably the best among the lot as it gives developers the freedom to build, test, deploy and monitor hybrid apps. There is also a lot of third-party plugins and extensions to choose from, coupled with the fact that it’s easy to work with. It’s the real deal in every sense of the expression and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches if you work with a mobile app development professional that uses ionic.

At the end of the day, a lot of factors would influence your choice of mobile app development platform. Your budget and business-related factors should be your top priority. Hybrid apps almost always tick both boxes and you’ll hardly have any regrets opting for them.