Benefits of hybrid mobile app development

By 2021, over 75% of mobile apps are expected to be hybrid, offering cross-platform compatibility, cost-effectiveness, and offline functionality.

Over 75% of mobile apps will be hybrid by 2021

Currently, developers have three choices when it comes to developing a mobile application. They can go native and develop an app exclusively for use on a single platform. They can create a web app, a mobile-optimised web page that renders onto smaller screens. Lastly, they can develop a hybrid app, a single application for use across the whole range of mobile devices. Industry professionals predict that over 75% of mobile apps will be hybrid by 2021.

Is a hybrid app the right choice for your mobile app?

Developing a hybrid mobile app comes with a multitude of benefits for both you and your customers. Hybrid apps are growing in popularity because they provide cross-platform compatibility and are less complicated to build. At the same time, they are not as fast or sophisticated as native or web apps; they are the right choice if you want a cost-effective way of targeting multiple mobile platforms.

Hybrid apps remove the need to develop an app for each mobile platform, which is both a costly and more complicated process. For those new to the mobile app market or on a budget, hybrid apps offer a way in without breaking the bank.

The best of both worlds

While native and web apps provide an enhanced user experience in terms of graphics and data transfer, they are created using more complex coding. Naturally, this has a knock-on effect on development costs. If your website isn’t overly complicated in terms of graphics and you don’t need superfast response times, then hybrid apps are the right choice.

There are benefits to developing a hybrid mobile app for customers, too. Unlike native or web apps, hybrid apps provide a consistent user experience cross-platform. What they see on an iPhone, they will also see on an Android or a laptop.

Hybrid apps make the most of the devices hosting them, improving overall usability. They are good at integrating with the camera, GPS, SMS and other functions on your mobile and provide a more streamlined performance than their competitors.

While not as fast as native apps, hybrid apps provide sufficient data transfer speeds to accommodate all but the most graphically complex and demanding apps (such as games). They have the edge over web apps because they do not require network communication to function correctly.

Lastly, unlike web apps, hybrid apps can be used even if there is no network connectivity. Utilising the device’s API, they store data offline, which can be accessed by users anywhere and at no data cost.

So, if you’re looking to develop a cost-effective, practical mobile application that is both robust and user-friendly, take a closer look at developing a hybrid app.

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