Cross-Platform vs. Native Mobile App: Which is the Best Framework in 2024?

In just over a decade, smartphones have become more than just tools for establishing effective communication. They have become a ready choice of entertainment, one that’s predominantly used for its support for applications, including both cross-platform and native mobile app.

Whether you’re looking to entertain yourself by playing a game, or you simply want to purchase stuff off an eCommerce app solution. You want to keep track of the weather conditions within your city or anywhere around the world. Smartphones have introduced us to a myriad of digital applications designed to deliver the best user experience.

However, when we talk about mobile app development, there are different operating systems in the market such as iOS and Android. Which of them is actually worthwhile? That totally depends on the type of phone technology you prefer.

Now, there are two ways of developing mobile applications:

• Native mobile app development that focuses on one particular operating system.
• Cross-platform app development, one that targets multiple operating systems. 

Are you wondering which mobile app solution is the best option for you? Unsure which solution you should choose? In this article, we are going to shed light on both development solutions.

We will talk about the benefits & implications, the type of technologies used to create these solutions, and the type of users who can access them.

How to Choose Between Native & Cross Platform App Development? 

A fundamental difference between native and cross-platform app development has its roots in the type of operating system you need to develop the mobile app for.

Native mobile app development gives you a chance to build mobile app development for a particular operating system – for instance Android or iOS. There are plenty of advantages of having native mobile app development such as optimizing app performance, leveraging platform-specific features, and providing a consistent user experience across many devices.

On the contrary, native apps also tend to be more reliable because fewer components are involved in their development process. The cost of development ultimately becomes flexible.

Cross-platform app development allows users to build apps that target several operating systems at the same time. As the name suggests, cross-platform allows developers to build apps that can run on different operating systems, including iOS, Android, and any other available. Such apps are built on cross-platform frameworks which use a platform-specific SDK from a single API. It enables the app to work across both platforms, iOS and Android at the same time. 

What Makes Native Mobile Apps Are Favorable Choice? 

A native mobile application is coded in programming languages such as Java or Kotlin. 

Java is one of the first programming languages used to create Android app solutions for the Play Store market. Later on, in 2017, Google released support for Kotlin-powered applications. And today many Android apps in the market are supported by Kotlin. One of the best things about Kotlin is its support for object-oriented and functional programming. While Java is limited to object-oriented programming alone.

Kotlin supports both object-oriented and functional programming, offering greater flexibility compared to Java, which is primarily object-oriented. At the same time, Java focuses on classes and objects for structuring programs. Kotlin includes robust functional programming features like higher-order functions, lambda expressions, and immutability.

This dual paradigm approach in Kotlin allows developers to choose the best tool for the task. This approach enhances code readability and maintainability and enables more concise and expressive code. Consequently, Kotlin can handle a wider variety of programming tasks more efficiently than Java.

Some renowned examples of natively developed mobile applications are:

• Google Maps
• Pinterest
• Spotify
• WhatsApp

Pros and Cons of Native Mobile App Development 

Advantages

When you are aware of the benefits of a particular mobile app type, it becomes easier for you to understand its capabilities and create a mobile app solution that offers a seamless user experience. 

Let’s explore the main benefits of native app development & see why it’s worth considering for your next mobile app project.

Here are a few advantages of investing your budget in a native mobile app: 

• Performance: Native apps are optimized for the specific platform, resulting in faster performance and smoother user experiences. They can fully utilize the device’s processing power and native APIs.
• User Experience: Native apps provide a superior user experience by adhering to the specific platform’s design guidelines and UI/UX standards, leading to more intuitive and responsive interfaces.
• Access to Device Features: Native apps can easily access and integrate with the device’s features such as the camera, GPS, microphone, accelerometer, and more, offering richer functionality.
• Security: Native apps can leverage the platform’s built-in security features, providing better protection against vulnerabilities and ensuring more secure transactions and data handling.
• Offline Functionality: Native apps can offer better offline capabilities, allowing users to access and interact with the app without an internet connection.
• Scalability: Native apps are generally more scalable, as they can efficiently handle growing user bases and increasing feature sets with fewer performance issues.
• Push Notifications: Native apps have more reliable and immediate access to push notifications, ensuring timely communication with users.
• Development Tools: Native app development benefits from the use of robust and sophisticated development tools, such as Xcode for iOS and Android Studio for Android, which offer extensive debugging, testing, and performance optimization features.
• Community and Support: There is strong community support and extensive documentation available for native development, making it easier to find solutions and best practices.
• Monetization: Native apps often have more straightforward integration with app store monetization options, such as in-app purchases and subscriptions. And they can take advantage of platform-specific promotional opportunities.

Disadvantages

Just like there is a list of benefits of having a native mobile app. There are a few downsides as well to creating one from the business standpoint. 

• Higher Development Costs: Native apps are developed on multiple platforms (iOS and Android) which requires maintaining separate codebases which eventually leads to increased development costs. You may want to hire React Native app developers from different teams with different skill sets for each platform, which adds up to the final cost of the overall app development. 
• Longer Development Time: Since native apps need to be developed separately for each platform. The overall development timeline can be longer compared to cross-platform or web apps.
• Maintenance and Updates: The update and maintenance of native apps for different platforms can be complex and time-consuming. This is because implementing changes on each version of the app is implemented separately leading to greater app development time for each version of the app. 
• Resource Intensive: Native development requires specialized knowledge in different programming languages and tools (e.g., Swift/Objective-C for iOS and Kotlin/Java for Android), which can be harder to find and more expensive to hire.
• App Store Approval Process: The app store approval process for native apps can be time-consuming. Submitting apps to app stores involves an approval process that can be time-consuming and may result in delays or rejections, eventually resulting in extending release schedules.
• Market Reach: Developing separate apps for different platforms can limit market reach initially, especially for businesses with constrained budgets or timelines. They may need to prioritize one platform over another.
• User Acquisition Costs: Marketing and promoting native apps on each individual & multiple platforms can be costly, requiring separate strategies and potentially doubling the effort needed to attract and retain users on each individual platform.
• Version Compatibility: A native app is compatible with different versions of the operating systems & devices which can initially become challenging. It requires additional testing and potential adjustments to maintain a smoother functionality of the app. 
• Risk of Platform Dependency: Relying heavily on a specific platform’s ecosystem can be risky, as changes in platform policies, market trends, or user preferences can magnanimously impact a native app’s success and its overall business strategy.

What Makes Cross-Platform Apps a Popular Option? 

A cross-platform app, on the other hand, is created from a single codebase. 

The goal of cross-platform app development is to target different operating systems and launch an app that works through cross-platform frameworks, which use platform-specific SDKs (Android SDKs & iOS SDKs) from a single unified API. It enables you to access platforms from different SDKs & libraries. 

Private organizations usually invest in such frameworks; for instance, here are a few brand names that leverage cross-platform as a popular option for their respective business. 

• React Native by Meta – The platform uses JavaScript as a programming language. 
• Flutter by Google – It uses Dart as a programming language. 
• .Net MAUI by Microsoft (formerly Xamarin) – It uses C# and XAML as a programming language. 

A good thing about cross-platform mobile apps is that they’re compiled to use native UI elements. It makes the app look, feel, and appear the same as a native mobile app. However, this app can easily work across a multitude of platforms. It provides an abstraction to the underlying platform SDKs. 

Some of the well-known app examples of cross-platform are: 

• Instagram, Skype, Walmart, and Airbnb (React Native)
• Google Ads, My BMW App, eBay Motors, and the New York Times (Flutter)
• The World Bank, Fox Sports, Alaska Airlines, and BBC Good Food (Xamarin)

How Cross-Platform Apps Work Across Multiple Platforms? 

There are different tools and frameworks which are commonly used for cross-platform development. These tools are, namely, React Native which uses JavaScript and React to build native-like apps. 

Another reliable tool is Flutter, developed by Google which uses the Dart language for fast & expressive UI; Xamarin, backed by Microsoft, allows developers to code in #C and .NET. Similarly, Ionic technology allows developers to code using programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

All these tools allow developers to write the code once and then deploy it on multiple platforms. 

Pros and Cons of Cross-Platform App Development 

Advantages 

• Cost Effectiveness – Cross-platform apps are run on a single codebase for multiple platforms reducing the overall development cost compared to developing separate apps for iOS and Android. 
• Faster Development – a leading benefit of having a cross-platform app is its shared codebase which accelerates the development process. It allows for quicker deployment across multiple platforms. 
• Consistency – Also, cross-platform apps offer uniform user experience across iOS and Android which contributes to maintaining brand consistency and establishing effective user familiarity. 
• Easy to Maintain – Because it is powered by a single codebase, updating and maintaining a cross-platform app becomes relatively simpler and less time-consuming, an added benefit which you don’t receive in native mobile apps. 
• Greater Audience Reach – Since cross-platform solutions allow the app to operate across multiple platforms. It maximizes the app’s potential user base and increases its overall market reach.
• Resource Efficiency – An app with a single code database not only performs well across multiple platforms. But also reduces the need for a specialized skill set and streamlining project management. 
• Reusable Code – The code is also reusable across all platforms which eventually minimizes the chance of code redundancy and increases the overall functionality of the cross-platform app. 

Drawbacks 

While there are benefits to investing in cross-platform development. It also has its fair share of disadvantages from a business standpoint. 

• Performance Problems: Cross-platform apps may not offer you the same level of performance as native apps, particularly for apps that are graphic intensive or highly complex applications. 
• Limited Access to Platform-Specific Features: Many cross-platform apps have advanced features and unique APIs for different platforms, potentially leading to a less polished user experience. 
• User Experience Compromises: Giving your website a truly native appearance can be a bit of a challenge, especially with cross-platform apps. You can have an app that’s less polished offering the best user experience. 
• Higher Initial Complexity: Cross-platform apps have layers of complexity in terms of tools, libraries, and integrations which require specialized knowledge. 
• Dependency on Framework Updates: Businesses often rely on cross-platform framework developers to keep tools up to date with the latest platform changes, which cause delays if updates are not timely. 
• Debugging Challenges: With cross-platform apps, identifying and fixing platform-specific bugs can be more difficult because of the abstraction layers used in cross-platform frameworks. 
• Potential for Larger App Sizes: Cross-platform apps might have larger file sizes due to the inclusion of additional libraries and abstraction layers, which can affect download and install rates.
• Security Concerns: Ensuring security across multiple platforms can be more complex, as vulnerabilities in the framework or platform-specific implementations need to be addressed. 

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Mobile App?

When it comes to native mobile apps, the cost of app development depends on several factors.

A few basic ones such as features, device type, and OS support. 

• Simple Native App – An app with basic functionality like logins and a clean interface can cost anywhere from $30,000-50,000. At an estimate, it can take up to 11 weeks to complete. 
• Complex Native App – An app with a complex set of features typically offers a more engaging experience. It costs around $100,000-250,000 to develop from start to end. 
• Advanced Apps – Advanced Apps are the best available; they offer a myriad of advanced features and interesting capabilities, generally where the aim is to become a service or platform. Such an app can go up to $250,000 due to its complexity and the rich feature options it includes. 

Cross Platform or Native – Which One Should Enterprise Choose?

Since, it’s pretty clear now that both native and cross-platform app development have their own set of pros and cons, which one is the best enterprise mobile app solution for your business? 

If you want to pick the right one, here are a few key considerations: 

How Less of a Time Do You Need to Market? 

Ask yourself, when you’re investing in a mobile app, how much time will you need to put it out in the market and gain enough traction so it starts generating revenue? 

With native mobile app solutions, the relative time to market is eventually greater compared to what you have to pay for a cross-platform mobile app service. 

Let’s say, if you want to go live with your app instantly, then a cross-platform app is your best option as it allows you to collect user feedback, deploy the app quickly & start obtaining results. 

Test Whether Your Cross-Platform App Will Function Properly or Not? 

Without proper testing processes, your enterprise mobile app will not function properly. As is the case with native apps, you can have different app versions working on a variety of operating systems. 

Cross-platform apps, compared to native apps, are easier to test because quality assurance engineers only have to test a single codebase. With native apps, you can’t rely on a single SQA but you will have to make due investments in a proper native app testing company, as they will have the time & resources.

The only downside is overpromising third-party SQA engineers who lack resources and simply want to quickly ship the product without following the necessary quality checks. 

How Much is the App Development Budget? 

It’s settled that cross-platform is a much more cost-effective option compared to native mobile app development. With native apps, you have to deploy two standalone apps especially when you’re targeting both operating systems and this will eventually require more developers, more resources & ultimately investing more money. So assuming that you’re an enterprise, we are sure that you’re not tight on budget.

However, having to pay an entire team to develop two separate versions of the same app doesn’t sound like it’s a wise choice. Cross-platform app development will eventually be the best solution. 

That’s because, 

• You only have to communicate your requirements to a single developer. 
• A single codebase will be quite suitable for implementing active maintenance. 
• You will get a more flexible mobile app solution that will work marvelously across all platforms. 

Checking for App Performance 

So how do you want your mobile app to perform? 

That will also influence the choice of whether you are looking for cross-platform or native mobile app development. Mobile applications often have high computing requirements because of the number of dynamic elements you introduce within the mobile app. With native apps, you can have an experience and an app solution that delivers excellent performance & a reasonable user experience.

Mobile apps such as games often require more computing power; however, if you are an enterprise then you may be looking for a mobile app that streamlines your processes. 

When it comes to performance, it all comes down to what is the end goal of making due investment in a mobile app. Whether you want to reach a wider audience or want to quickly market your app. An SQA team will ensure that your app offers greater performance overall. 

How Secure Do You Want Your Mobile App To Become? 

While the app’s performance and testing are essential for enterprise solutions, it’s important to emphasize the app’s security as well. Your app’s security is paramount because your app stores and manages large amounts of data. When dealing with massive data, adding security can often become complex. In such cases, a native app is better as developers can tighten security measures and integrate it with the OS environment.

Also, with native apps, encryption becomes a whole lot easier compared to cross-platform mobile apps. If you want to prioritize maintenance and want to come across a mobile app that’s easily maintainable and has a shared codebase, then cross-platform is one such solution. 

In Conclusion 

Choosing whether you want to invest in native app development or cross-platform app development, totally depends on your specific requirements. 

Cross apps are not as costly as native apps and are relatively quicker to develop, offering broader market reach with a single codebase. Though there might be compromises on performance and relevant features, it can help you achieve your strategic goals proficiently. 

While a native app takes more cost to build and a rather diversified team of developers. It offers better customizability, greater app performance, and meeting all security requirements. 

Weigh the trade-offs; see which one works best in your case. 

At Branex, we offer custom mobile app development services as well as native app development for all our customers. Want to achieve the best outcome? Contact our experts and discuss your project.