Native vs. Mobile
Native App: an app developed for one particular OS and is installed directly onto the device itself. Native apps only work for the device for which they are built. (iOS, Android, or Blackberry…)
Web App: basically internet-enabled apps that are accessible via the mobile device’s Web browser. They don’t have to be installed to the user’s device in order to be accessed. (Same app…all platforms)
How to Decide???
We can usually answer a few questions to understand which app type is best for a particular situation.
- Will you need to use the phone’s built-in device hardware? (Camera, GPS, File System, ect)
If you DO need to use these features, a web app might work, but you typically will have more access with a Native App. - Is the UI design really complex?
If the design is complex, HTML 5 components might not get your UI 100% the way you’d like. - Need to reach the widest audience with a limited budget?
If maximum user-base with minimum investment is a goal, then it’s hard to beat a Web App for it’s platform versatility. You’ll typically have to compromise for all supported platforms, but only build and maintain 1 codebase (vs 2, 3, or 4) is a huge money saver. - Is Search Engine Optoimization (SEO) important?
If SEO is a large concern, this is another place where Web Apps have an advantage. Native apps, cannot be crawled by search engines. - Do you need to “Push” data out to users?
Most data is requested by the user in a “Pulling” fashion, but data can also be”Pushed” out to a device (think something like a text message), but this feature is only accessible on Native Apps - Will you be making frequent updates?
If your app will need to have frequent updates, it’s much easier to deploy a Web App. Each update on Native Apps will require the user to download and install the newest version. Web Apps, will receive the newest version each time the app is opened or when a request is made.