Native, HTML5, Hybrid? Understand, Evaluate, Decide

Native, HTML5, Hybrid: A Fresh Look

One of the first questions most clients ask about their first mobile application is whether they should build it as a native app, mobile web (HTML5) or hybrid. The answer has changed for many over the past 12 months, so we took a fresh look at the topic in this Q & A.

Q. What exactly do we mean by the terms native, web, and hybrid?

A. A native app is an app which is developed using technologies which are specific to the platform the app is running on. For example, native apps in iOS are developed using X-code and objective C, which are specific for iOS development. And native apps in Android are developed using Java, which is specific for Android development.

HTML5 apps or web apps are actually websites which are

optimized to look and work like phone apps on mobile browsers. And a hybrid app is a web app which is enclosed in a native app shell. Hybrids primarily rely on the web component for the functionality of the app, the native shell is mainly used to access system level functions and to enable the app to be placed on the respective app stores.

Native, HTML5, Hybrid: A Fresh Look

Confidential © Sourcebits, Inc. 2012 2

Q. When is a native app typically the most appropriate solution for a mobile application?

A., The native approach is best suited when you are looking for the best performance and maximum capability for an app. These typically apply to games, high-end effects in the application, access to the file system, and other lower-level accesses.

Q. Are there any specific instances when a native app is not the best solution?

A. A native app may not be the best solution if you want to develop a relatively simple cross-platform app in a week’s time using a single developer. By cross-platform, we mean an app which has a version for each platform: iOS, Android, etc.

Q. When have you typically found that a HTML5 mobile website is the best solution?

Mobile websites are the most appropriate solution when you either have a website with all the required data and just want to quickly make it available for mobile users in a straightforward manner. That’s not to say that HTML5 is inappropriate for other requirements, but it may not be the best solution. We’ve found that it’s key to take a deep look at the project with the client to

hone the features and requirements before deciding whether to go native, web, or hybrid. We’ll find clients who thought they needed a native app were able to achieve their goals with HTML5, and clients who initially planned to use HTML5 switching to native because they didn’t want to give up core features.

Globalstar’s SPOT Connect could only be built natively due to the connection requirements between the users’ phone and the SPOT Connect transmitter.

Q. When is Hybrid Appropriate?

Hybrid apps can save time by using web technologies to develop the UI and the native shell to access lower-level functionality.

Native, HTML5, Hybrid: A Fresh Look

Confidential © Sourcebits, Inc. 2012 3

What Are The Cost and Time Factors?Native, HTML5, and Hybrid have significantly different development costs and timelines.

Q. What’s the typical difference in timelines between creating a mobile site, a native app, and a hybrid app?

A. That really depends on the kind of application, but in general, a native app takes the longest, and a web app, the shortest amount of time to deliver. Hybrid apps are typically somewhere in between.

Q. What’s the typical difference in cost between developing a native, mobile web, or a hybrid application?

A. The cost is directly proportional to the development time. Native is the costliest, especially for multiple platforms. Web apps are the least expensive, as they can run anywhere without the development and testing resources needed to develop multiple native apps. Hybrid apps, are in the middle.

Upfront costs, however, are not the only consideration. You don’t want to use HTML5 just because it’s the least expensive option unless it is truly the right fit for you..

Porting to Windows 8 copy

Confidential © Sourcebits, Inc. 2012 4

5 Key Questions To Help Decide Whether Native, Web, or Hybrid is Best for You:

1. Are you looking for system level access? Go native.

2. Is the application going to be resource intensive? Consider native first.

3. Is your app relatively simple but needs to work across multiple platforms? Consider HTML5 or Hybrid.

4. Are you looking to make the content on your website to available to mobile users like an app? Consider HTML5/Mobile Web.

5. Are you looking to develop a mobile app for multiple platforms, but don’t have the money to invest to develop for different platforms? Consider hybrid.

Q. What’s the typical difference in the ongoing maintenance costs between the three options?A. Maintenance costs range from most to least expensive in the order of native, hybrid, and web. If you want to update a key feature in a native app, you will need to code it for all the supported platforms and resubmit it on the respective app stores.

A web app would not need recompiling and resubmitting. You make the required change on your server, and it’s reflected on all devices instantly. In a hybrid app, if the change is not dependent on a native feature, all we have to do is update a web component of it, and the cost would be as much as that

of a web app. But if the change is dependent on a native feature, the cost would be like that of a native app.

Q. Are you seeing any noticeable trends these days among the three options, native, web, and hybrid?

A. One significant trend, or rather change, I see is that people have begun to consider hybrid apps as a reliable time and cost-saving alternative to the native approach as hybrid platforms have improved.

Porting to Windows 8 copy

Confidential © Sourcebits Technologies 2012 5

What Does Facebook’s Move to Native Means to You? Q. Why are they’re making the move and are the concerns that they have relevant to most companies or just to larger companies like a Facebook?

A. Size doesn’t really matter when you are a company the size of Facebook. It may sound like a contradiction, but Facebook has the infrastructure to support an unbelievable amount of traffic and performance on a smaller web.

They are not switching because of cost or performance concerns. Mobile web simply does not allow much access to the device it’s on. Native apps can have almost complete access to every aspect of the device they run

Facebook is a personal information mining company, and a web app doesn’t serve them well in their mission. They should have gone native right from the start.

The cost of development and maintenance, and the company strategy are more important than the company’s size when deciding the right approach for a specific app.

Native, HTML5, Hybrid: A Fresh Look

Confidential © Sourcebits, Inc. 2012 6

Facebook’s Move to Native Should Influence Your Mobile Strategy If:

1. You have a competing product. Facebook’s native apps will raise the bar even higher.

2. You could potentially have a similar monetization strategy. Facebook’s move will drive monetization built the inherent advantages in data collection a native app affords.

3. Your app will interface with Facebook. With Facebook’s shift, opportunities for integration with Facebook should only continue to get better for native mobile apps.

Learn More:

www.sourcebits.com/contact

415.288.3697