Native vs. Hybrid vs. Cross-Platform: Which One is Better and Cost-Effective for Mobile App Development?
With the rapid development of digital technology, businesses in Indonesia are also adapting by providing services that make it easier for customers to access their businesses. One technological development that facilitates access to services for customers is mobile applications or mobile apps. These mobile app-based business services also contribute significantly to the growth of Indonesia's digital economy.
According to research by Google and Temasek, Indonesia's digital economy reached US$40 billion or Rp566.28 trillion in 2019, with a projection to reach US$130 billion or Rp1.8 quadrillion by 2025. These figures place Indonesia's digital economy above other ASEAN countries such as the Philippines (US$7 billion), Malaysia (US$11 billion), Vietnam (US$12 billion), Singapore (US$12 billion), and Thailand (US$16 billion).
The five sectors that contribute the most to Indonesia's digital economy come from sectors that utilize mobile applications, such as e-commerce, online media (music, video, games, and advertising), fintech, online travel, and transportation services.
In the development of mobile applications, programmers can use several approaches, namely native, hybrid, or cross-platform. Here are some important information to determine which approach is better and more cost-effective for your business services.
1. Native Approach
Developing applications with a native approach is written in one programming language for a specific operating system. Compared to other approaches, native applications produce the most optimal performance. This is because applications are built with different sets of code according to the mobile operating system, namely Android or iOS. For iOS, application development uses Objective-C and Swift, while application development for Android uses Java or Kotlin.
Native applications can also work well offline and have the best performance compared to other approaches. This approach is suitable for businesses that are already mature and have a significant and consistent user base. Applications with a native approach are also suitable for businesses that require fairly complex features and use many supporting hardware technologies such as fingerprint systems, GPS, cameras, microphones, etc.
Developing applications natively is the dream of many mobile app owners, but unfortunately not everyone can afford to use this approach. Cost is the biggest inhibiting factor because developing and maintaining native applications requires more time and people to work on them.
2. Hybrid Approach
Developing applications with a hybrid approach is written using the same or similar programming language as a website application. These applications consist of two parts: backend code and a native or frontend display that can be downloaded to display the backend on the website. Unlike website applications, mobile applications with a hybrid approach do not require a browser to access them and can utilize any plugins and device APIs. Developing applications with a hybrid approach is cheaper than native applications, but their performance tends to be slower.
3. Cross-Platforms Approach
Developing applications with a cross-platform approach is written with specific programming languages and technologies so that applications can run on various operating systems such as iOS and Android. Mobile applications with a cross-platform approach use platforms like Flutter for development.
Flutter is a Google technology product that operates using the Dart programming language. Flutter is a collection of open-source UI kits that can be used to develop Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows, Google Fuchsia, and website applications from a single code base.
Flutter runs on a Dart virtual machine that has Just In Time execution features like on Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems. When writing code and fixing bugs in mobile applications, Flutter uses Just In Time compilation that allows hot reload. With this hot reload, modifications to the source files can be incorporated into the running application. Flutter extends this process and reloads stateful hot, where in many cases changes to the source code can be reflected directly in the running application without requiring a view restart.
When comparing the three approaches above, developing applications with a cross-platform approach is the best and most balanced option in terms of cost and performance. The final result of applications with a cross-platform approach using Flutter is cheaper compared to the native approach. The performance of applications from cross-platforms is also better compared to the hybrid approach. So, which approach will you choose for your business?