The main difference between native and hybrid apps is not how they are programmed, but how they work on the device. So a very common confusion is the notion that if we’re not using Swift or Kotlin, we’re not developing a native application. This is a wrong opinion. Keep reading this article to find out.
Before starting to develop an application, every developer thinks about which tool to choose for it. It all depends on the type of application, e.g. B. Web and mobile development, as well as the features and functions.
iOS with Swift
It is a programming language offered by Apple for developing applications running on its platforms: iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and iPadOS.
While the main advantage is in performance, it is important to remember that applications developed in this language can only run on the platforms mentioned above. So if you think your application should work on iOS and Android, be aware that you will need to duplicate code.
Kotlin
This language allows you to create native applications of high quality and high performance on all platforms supported by Android: smartphones, TVs, watches, etc. The main disadvantage is the same as for applications developed with Swift. Effort, equipment and code duplication.
Since 2017, Google has recognized Kotlin as a top-notch language for Android development.
Hybrid Development: Technologies for developing cross-platform mobile applications
The term “hybrid” is commonly used to talk about applications that weren’t developed with Swift or Kotlin.
Strictly speaking, however, apps developed using some of the frameworks that we will see in this section (React Native, Xamarin or Flutter) should not be considered hybrid apps, the correct name would be “multi-platform apps”. .
As you can imagine, the great advantage of these solutions is the reduction in development and maintenance costs. Starting with the same language (Javascript or Dart) we get a dedicated app for iOS and Android devices.
Ionic
First of all, we have Ionic, the most popular framework that allows us to develop cross-platform applications. It helps us to create applications using HTML, CSS3 and Javascript using the full potential of web development technologies.
A big difference to other frameworks like React Native is that Ionic renders the user interface in the browser.
The result that can be obtained with this structure is really good. Because several benchmarks justify the myth that Ionic offers lower performance compared to other solutions.
flutter
Next we find Flutter, a tool developed by Google to develop cross-platform applications. It is based on Dart and although it was introduced in 2015, it wasn’t released until 2018.
A big advantage over other solutions is that the developed application can run on 4 platforms: iOS, Android, Web and Desktop.
Undoubtedly, the technology for developing mobile applications is growing the most at the moment. With a large developer community that continues to grow and contribute.
Respond natively
It is a framework created by Facebook in 2015 for developing cross-platform applications.
Like Ionic, it also uses Javascript, but does so under the guise of orchestrating platform-specific user interface (UI) controls.
Although high performance is achieved with this development tool, it is not fully integrated with native systems. So in some cases you need to touch your code.
Xamarin
It is a platform created by the developers of Mono and subsequently acquired by Microsoft. It uses C# and, like other frameworks, manages to build native applications with very good performance. The UI development takes longer and the community is not as active.
Each tool is perfect for developing a mobile application. Your task is to determine the goals you are pursuing in development in order to choose the ideal option.
