Developing a mobile app in today’s app development landscape comes with many options. There are too many platforms and frameworks to choose from, and the decision of which one to go with can often get overwhelming. But it is important to choose the right platform that matches the requirements and budget considerations of your project. Regarding developing Android apps, there are two primary options – hire Android developers with native Android experience or cross-platform app developers with expertise in Flutter, React, and other cross-platform frameworks.

Both native and cross-platform have benefits and limitations and cater to different use cases. We will understand these two options in greater detail and assess them on common metrics to figure out which method is better for your project. Let’s get right into it – 

Understanding Native Android Development

Native Android development refers to building apps catered to the Android operating system using native Android programming languages like Java or Kotlin. These frameworks are designed and developed with the Android ecosystem and best practices in mind; they follow Android design guidelines and principles and can create robust, scalable, and secure Android applications that are easier to optimize for the platform. Let’s check out some of the benefits and limitations of using native Android apps for your project –

Benefits of using Native Android App Development

Native Android app development has many benefits that can improve the overall performance and quality of your application. Here are the various benefits of opting for native Android app development for your project – 

Better Performance:

Native apps are engineered for their respective OS platform; the same applies to Android. Hence native Android apps can yield unparalleled performance as well as responsiveness. With a native Android app, you can access the users’ hardware features better, which leads to a seamless user experience. 

Better access to Android-specific APIs:

Native Android development comes with access to many Android-specific APIs that allow them to establish better connections, leverage the device’s capabilities efficiently and create feature-packed applications optimized for Android’s ecosystem.

Rich User Interface:

With native development, you can get better accessibility and flexibility in designing custom user interfaces. With access to experienced native Android developers, you can create visually appealing interfaces that adhere to Android Material You Guidelines. 

Limitations of Native Android App Development

So, as you can see, there are many benefits to native Android app development. However, there are some limitations as well that you should know. Here are the major limitations or disadvantages of Native Android App Development – 

Project Time and Cost 

Right off the bat, first things first, native apps are going to cost you a fortune and take considerable time to be ready for deployment on the Android app store. If you are in a rush or have a limited budget, reconsider going for a native platform moreover, if you want to target multiple platforms, even if in later years, you might want to consider building an Android app using a cross-platform framework and then utilizing the same codebase with minor modifications to target iOS as well. 

Limited Platform Reach

Native Android apps are designed for the Android platform. While Android powers every 8 out of 10 smartphones in the world, you still need to catch up on other important marketplaces and platforms like iOS. 

Limited Code Reusability

Cross-platform development allows having a sharable codebase which means you can write code once & deploy your apps on multiple platforms by tweaking the codebase slightly. Native platforms like Kotlin and Java cannot create reusable code. If you go for native Android app development and then decide to target iOS, you will have to build an entirely new app on Swift for native iOS apps. 

Learning Curve

Native Android app development requires experienced Java or Kotlin developers with a solid understanding of the framework of Android. Learning and using these technologies to the best of your capabilities can take time, resources and patience.

Understanding Cross-Platform App Development 

Cross Platform refers to building mobile applications that can run on various platforms -Android and iOS as well as newer smart devices – smartTV, wearables and others. In cross-platform development, you can code once and run it anywhere with minor modifications. 

Benefits of using Cross-Platform App Development

In the initial years, cross-platform apps were considered low-performant, unsecured, and risky gambles. However, with the release of Flutter, React Native, and Ionic, cross-platform apps have regained a new status for being accessible, affordable, performant, and quicker to deploy on marketplaces. Here are the benefits of hiring cross-platform app developers – 

Better Code Reusability

Code reusability is one of the biggest benefits that draws users to cross-platform frameworks. With a cross-platform app development framework, you can write code once and run it anywhere (WORA). This results in a monumental reduction in the overall app development cost and time, as you don’t need to develop a new codebase from scratch for each platform.

Faster Time to Market

Since cross-platform development comes with code reusability and WORA, your overall time to market reduces significantly. You can launch and deploy your Android app sooner than native apps. 

Wider Audience Pool

With cross-platform, you can target and reach all users that use Android, iOS, and other platforms with ease. This can help you increase your user base significantly and allow for better brand visibility. 

Limitations of Cross-Platform App Development

While cross-platform brings many benefits, especially for SMEs or projects that need to be published urgently, there are certain limitations you should know about too. 

Platform Limitations

Cross-platform development fits the phrase ‘Jack of all, King of None’ since it doesn’t allow access to some platform-specific APIs and features, which does restrict the potential and features your app can provide to end users. This can cause disturbance in delivering a seamless user experience to your target audience. 

Performance Trade-Offs

Cross-platform frameworks are catching up in the performance race to native apps and have significantly improved. But if we are to compare native to cross-platform, you’ll notice a considerable performance trade-off if you try building complex apps with high performance or graphic requirements.

How to make the right choice between Native and Cross Platform development?

Now that we have properly evaluated both native and cross-platform development, we should consider factors to make the right choice per your project requirements. Here are the key considerations to look for when finalizing your preferred technology – 

Target Audience 

Get a proper understanding of target audience and their preferred platforms. If your target audience majorly uses Android, sticking to a native Android app can be ideal. But if you have a decent number of iOS users who could become potential users, consider cross-platform to get better reach. 

Developer Skills and Availability 

How is the market, and is enough talent available to create your native development team or cross-platform team? These are important considerations in deciding what platform is ideal for your project. You can hire dedicated developers from a trusted offshore development agency, check what kind of talents they offer, and evaluate the price gap between native and cross-platform developer hourly rates.

Final Words

Hiring a native Android app developer or cross-platform app developer can have its benefits and limitations. The final decision resides with you and factors like target audience, app complexity, project needs, and need for access to platform-specific APIs. 

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About the author:

Ronak Patel is a CEO and Founder of Aglowid IT Solutions, an ever-emerging Top Web and Mobile App Development company with a motto of turning clients into successful businesses. He believes that Client’s success is company’s success and so that he always makes sure that Aglowid helps their client’s business to reach to its true potential with the help of his best team with the standard development process he set up for the company.