Choosing Between Native vs Cross-Platform Development for Your Next Mobile App

So, you’re thinking about building an app. One of the first big decisions you’ll face is choosing between native and cross-platform development. It’s a topic that gets a lot of debate, and for good reason. Both approaches have their pros and cons, and understanding them can help you decide what’s best for your project. 

We’ll take a look at three ways each development method (native and cross-platform) can help with your app development, as well as the potential pitfalls of each. We'll also include some insight from our CTO, Cory McAboy, who's pretty good at this stuff. By the end of this read, you should have a clearer picture of whether native or cross-platform development is the best fit for your project. 

Performance and User Experience

Native Development

When it comes to performance, native apps are usually the gold standard. They can make the most of the device's hardware and software capabilities because they’re built specifically for a particular platform (iOS or Android). This means smoother animations, faster load times, and an overall more polished user experience.

Cory's Take:

“Nothing beats native from a performance and UX perspective. Cross-platform can get close at times, but native will always be better in those categories.” 

Pitfalls: The main drawback is the need to develop separate apps for different platforms, which can significantly increase the time and cost of development. 

Cross-Platform Development

Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native have come a long way. They allow developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms. This can save time and resources while still delivering a solid user experience.

Cory's Take: 

“Cross-platform development can be more cost-effective initially. You’re writing one codebase for both platforms, which can save on development hours and expenses.” 

Pitfalls: Cross-platform apps might not perform as well as native ones, especially in terms of complex animations and heavy processing tasks. There’s also the challenge of ensuring a consistent experience across different devices and operating systems. 

Cost: Initial Investment vs Long-Term Savings

Native Development

Budget is always a concern, especially for startups. Native app development can be more expensive upfront because you need to build separate apps for iOS and Android. This means hiring developers with different skill sets, which can double your costs. 

Cory's Take:

“If your primary user acquisition channel is mobile, you’ll likely be integrating with a lot of marketing tech SDKs, which work well with native.” 

Pitfalls: The high initial investment might be a barrier for some startups, and maintaining two codebases can lead to increased long-term costs. 

Cross-Platform Development

Cross-platform development can be more cost-effective initially. You’re writing one codebase for both platforms, which can save on development hours and expenses. This approach can be particularly appealing for startups who startups are looking to get their product to market quickly. 

Pitfalls: While initial costs are lower, long-term maintenance might be more challenging. Updates and bug fixes can take longer and require more comprehensive testing to ensure everything works seamlessly across all platforms. 
Cory's Take:

"More complex hybrid apps tend to come with a large number of build issues, which can slow down development and break budgets.” 

Technical Benefits & Drawbacks

Native Development

Benefits: 

• Performance: Native Apps typically offer the best performance as they're optimized for specific hardware.
• Full API Access: Direct access to all platform-specific APIs and features. 
• User Experience: Can fully adhere to platform-specific design guidelines and conventions.
• Debugging: Easier to debug as you're working directly with platform-specific tools. 

Drawbacks: 

• Development Time: Requires separate codebases for each platform, increasing development time. 
• Cost: Higher development and maintenance costs due to multiple codebases.
• Skill Requirements: Developers need expertise in multiple languages and platforms.

Cross-Platform Development

Benefits: 

• Code Reusability: Single codebases for multiple platforms reduce development time and cost. 
• Consistent User Experience Across Platforms: Easier to maintain a unified look and feel. 
• Easier maintenance: Updates and bug fixes can be applied to all platforms simultaneously. 
• Broader Developer Pool: Can use more common languages like JavaScript, reducing the need for platform-specific expertise.

Drawbacks: 

• Performance Overhead: May have slightly lower performance due to the abstraction layer. 
• Limited Access to Native Features: Some platform-specific features may be difficult or even impossible to access. '
• Update Delays: May experience delays in accessing new OS features as the cross-platform framework needs to be updated first. 
• Design Compromises: May need to make compromises to create a UI that works on multiple platforms. 

Scalability & Future Growth

Cory emphasizes that native apps handle updates and growth much better than hybrid ones. "Most hybrid updates come with breaking changes. This is especially true with React Native. React Native is not yet on V1, which means any update can come with breaking changes. These breaking changes can effect other dependent libraries in the app, making upgrades very expensive."

Recommendations for Startups

Cory offers some practical advice for startups unsure about which path to take: "If your primary user acquisition channel is native, if you need a lot of native device functionality, and you have a decent-sized budget, I would suggest you go native and just start with iOS. A budget to build an iOS app can often be less than a React Native app, and you'll end up with a better result. Then, once you hit critical mass, you can decide to build a separate native Android app. If you decide to go hybrid, keep the UX/UI simple and common." 

As You Decide

Deciding between native and cross-platform development isn't easy. Each app approach has its strengths and weaknesses, and the right choice depends on your specific project needs, budget, and long-term goals. Native development might be more expensive in the beginning, but it can offer superior performance and user experience. Cross-platform development can save you time and money at the start, but it may come with long-term maintenance challenges. 

Reach out to us to see which development approach works best for your next mobile app project!