Choosing mobile app styles

Most companies today face an obvious trade-off between user experience and application functionality on the one hand, and development costs and time to market on the other. The challenge becomes choosing the right development approach to balance the requirements of the organization with its budget and time-to-market constraints. This dichotomy necessitates that you have a different answer for different mobile apps.

The table below lists difference in features between each of the mobile app styles.

Table 1. Differences in mobile app styles
Feature Native App Hybrid App Web App
Development Language Native Only Native and Web, or Web Only Web only
Code portability and optimization None High High
Access device-specific features High Medium Low
Leverage existing knowledge Low High High
Advanced graphics High Medium Medium
Upgrade Flexibility Low (Always by way of app store) Medium (Usually by way of App Store) High
Installation Experience High (From app Store) High (From App Store) Medium (By way of Mobile Browser)

While this feature trade-offs list is not exhaustive, the questions that follow can help you plan the correct approach for your development effort:


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