Native, web, platform: What’s the best way to build a new app?

Mobile apps are very common these days in business and other fields of work. A question that do we need an app no longer exist. Now, one ask how many and what kind of apps you need on your devices. These questions are followed by more questions of performance, security, reliability, measurement, efficiency, and budget of the mobile apps.

In order to meet all the requirements of users regarding performance and reliability of apps, companies need to establish such a development technology that utilizes both strategic and operational objectives. The development technology must be successful enough to achieve the customer satisfaction. Currently, three useful options are available for developing new apps.

Firstly, to build native apps those are device-specific. Secondly, to use HTML5 that develops web-based apps. Third option is to adopt the platform approach.

Regardless of several ways, require building an app, it is essential to have a set cloud services that are easy to consume. Such services need to jumpstart the app. Sometimes such abilities are regarded as components of mobile backend as a service or mBaaS. It mostly comes up with IAM services also called identity and access management services. IAM is an API gateway and set of services offering storage, offline sync, messaging, and analytics services.

Enterprises and entrepreneurs not only need to consider the development stage. However, they must understand the complete lifecycle of any app. Some factors need to be considering while selecting a development methodology. These factors include long-term governance planning, enterprise integration, and security.

Native apps with high performance and maintenance

Programmers use specific programming languages such as Java for Android and Objective-C for iOS in order to develop native apps. The developers explicitly develop these apps for specific devices. Consequently, native apps enhance the performance, maintenance and fewest capability limitations. These high performance and high maintenance native apps boast discovery capabilities of the apps marketplace.

Native apps are remarkably power efficient, fast, rich, and reliable. These apps provide very good user experience and the functionalities. However, they are resource intensive. The developers often depend on device-specific languages and need to have an organized team where each member is dedicated to one particular device. This may requires a lot of time and money.

New devices and operating systems continue to arrive in the market with latest updates. Usually companies launch native apps for single platform because of less human resources and available budget limitations. It results in great number of customers leaving without any mobile solution.

Native apps are very effective and reliable to support more than two devices. They are able to process complicated data with high performance requirements. Such apps are video based used for gaming purposes. However, native apps are not good for many other reasons. They cannot support too many devices and hold content-driven requirements as well. They come up with low budget and rely much on reusable components. Moreover, maintenance structure is inefficient.

Web-based apps

Many companies recently decided to use HTML5 for developing web-based apps. Such apps are mobile websites deployed on device’s browser. This approach has some benefits over native apps like easy maintenance, time saving, and money saving, and providing support for several platforms.

However, web-based apps have some drawbacks as well. These are slow, less stable, features unimpressive UIs, and have less capability as compared to their native counterparts. It is not easy to find mobile web developers. HTML5 does not let the developers to use all features and functions of operating system.

Using platform approach with big return and investment

The developers use platform approach in app development in order to get together all best abilities of web and native technologies. They develop efficiently a single code base on JavaScript, which is a cross-channel development framework. It makes sure the compatibility of cross-platform while retaining specific features of the devices.

The platform approach provides many useful opportunities to people in business field. The business has great options of choosing mobile web, native, mixed-mode, and hybrid apps depending on the use cases. The technology called “write once, run anywhere” proves to be helpful in supporting several devices without requiring any army of developers. This technology does not even need any financial expenditure and required time.

The platforms like enterprise-grade offer the developers easy to use development tools of client and server side. It provides excellent support to client platform coverage. One can use it on the cloud or on-premise. It also features built-in mobile backend as a service support that one can use without considering the native or web methodology of client side development. Platforms are best to speed up time to market, friendly to business metrics, lower the total ownership cost, and reduce maintenance and development costs as well.

Some other platforms that are above the core app development support elements of SDLC like design, management, and testing. They also provide OS upgrades and SLAs or service level agreements covering future devices. The platform approach not allows the organizations to serve just one segment with particular device; instead, it allows them to serve their full customer base.

It makes sure better adoption with future-proof of the application as only single code base requires updating devices with new features, functions, and operating systems.

The platform approach is good for supporting devices and creating multiple apps. It relies on single skill set of development language. It is good for leveraging reusable components and lower TCO. However, it is not good enough for creating apps for limited devices and has low budgets.

Using right approach

There is no perfect solution to app development. The new apps and technologies of tomorrow will depict new paradigms in designs providing better user experience. They may come up with new development challenges. Within next ten years, languages and businesses will evolve keeping consumer demands satisfied. Therefore, platform will be best multi-channel platform providing reliability, security, and flexibility. It let the businesses keeping up pace with technology. A right mobile app development platform allows you to create the framework that helps in driving leadership and innovation in future.

About me

I am a mobile application development expert who is passionate about empowering ISVs, Software Service Providers and Small Businesses to achieve their goals on the Android and iOS platforms. If we haven’t connected before and you have any specific questions regarding your app development or need some advice just let me know. I am always open to new connections. Feel free to connect with me or just hit "Follow" button to stay in touch!