The hybrid app dilemma

If you are a Technology Manager or an entrepreneur responsible for making a choice between native app and a hybrid app, you will be looking at pros and cons of both options. HTML 5 and Javascript are getting stronger and enjoying developer adoption. Platforms such as PhoneGap, Titanium and RhoMobile are aiding mobile app developers in building hybrid apps in the place of native apps. At Innoppl, we submit 1-2 apps each month. We work with big corporations and startups to help build their mobile app. Often we face this question of native Vs hybrid app; we analyze the given scenario and present the best possible solution.

– Features of the app – Look at the features of your mobile app. If it is loaded with GPS (geolocation), camera, video, accelerometer etc. we do not recommend doing a hybrid app. Though HTML 5 has come a long way in the recent year or so, it is not a replacement for building a native app which uses all the above features. User experience and performance of HTML 5 does not come close to the native app if the app uses above items.

– Codebase for each platform – One common misconception when using PhoneGap or Titanium is we will end up with one codebase for iOS and Android. This is not true. Even if we use these development tools, we will have to make code changes specific to iOS and Android. We will have two or more codebases depending on the number of platforms.

– A simple app – If your mobile app is mostly data driven i.e. looking up the database and displaying information, hybrid app is a best bet. When I refer to data it means text, numbers etc. not photos and videos. If your app uses lightweight UI components, hybrid app would make sense.

The above scenarios will change if we are talking about building an enterprise mobile app because we need to take data security, session management and deployment into consideration.