In 2025, Are Hybrid Apps Still Just a Buzzword? Weighing Their Advantages, Drawbacks, and Other Options Examined
My, oh my! It's all about the apps these days, and it seems everyone's getting into the mobile app revolution, including big-timer brands like Starbucks and Nike. These giants of commerce attribute approximately a quarter of their pandemic-era revenues to their mobile applications, making them a scorching investment in our new digital landscape.
Now, here's a conundrum: should you opt for Hybrid or Native apps? Well, let's clear up the confusion! Countless tech companies are banking on hybrid apps, too. Bigwigs like Gmail, Twitter, and Instagram have all cashed in on this trend, raking in the dough for their parent companies.
So, do these applications live up to the hype? Let's delve into the heart of the matter and find out!
What's a Hybrid App, Anyway?
A hybrid app is a mobile wonder that blends a smidgen of native apps and web apps' elements. You see, hybrid apps function like native apps but utilize web technologies and Internet connectivity to pull off certain tasks. Neat, huh? Since hybrid mobile apps combine the best of both worlds, it's essential to familiarize yourself with what these apps are, so let's sail further.
What's the Scoop on Native Apps?
Native apps are technological masterpieces crafted using a programming language tailor-made for mobile platforms. Each smartphone is a unique platform that consists of a phone's hardware and operating system (OS). For example, your phone may run iOS, while my phone might be powered by Android OS. Different smartphone processors can also be involved.
It's important to note that if we download the same native app from an app store, we'll end up with a slightly different version of the same app, as native apps can only operate on one specific platform or OS. Also, native apps run the show without the need for a browser, unlike web apps.
Web Apps: The Forerunners of Mobile Apps
Web apps are digital marvels that rely on desktop or mobile browsers and web technologies to operate. To make a web app run, you need to do two things: click or tap your browser icon, and type the web app's URL into the browser.
Since web apps require a browser to be functional, they can largely operate regardless of platform. Whether you're using a desktop, laptop, Android phone, or iOS device to access a web app, you'll typically be good to go, as long as your browser supports it.
A Hybrid App is a Blend of Web and Native Apps
And voilà! The best of both the digital and native worlds merge in a hybrid app. Hybrid apps essentially mimic the look and feel of native apps but derive their power from the technologies found in web apps. Precisely, a hybrid app's embedded browser empowers it to perform tasks.
A hybrid app's browser lives tucked inside a native shell, a layer of code that makes a hybrid compatible with multiple platforms.
If you'd like to understand the ins and outs of these categories compared to one another, give our article on native, hybrid, and web apps a gander!
Now that you're filled in on these apps, it's high time we weigh whether a hybrid app is a solid choice compared to its native and web-based brethren.
Hybrid App Advantages
There are compelling reasons why tech titans like Google and Meta invested time and money in hybrid app development. Here's the lowdown on why these advantages matter:
- Reduced development time and cost
- Faster initial outreach to a wider audience
- Easier scaling
Faster, Cheaper App Development
Picture hybrid apps as automobiles and mobile platforms as the roads they travel on. Emulate the idea of programming code as spare parts that make up apps. The programming code used to create hybrid apps can run either on the asphalt of Android or the wilderness of iOS (no bias intended; just making a comparison).
To sum it up, hybrid apps boast a common programming codebase that allows them to run on multiple platforms, helping teams of developers write code only once to create a single hybrid app. Meanwhile, developing a native app for both the Android and iOS platforms means you'll need two separate sets of code to ensure compatibility with both platforms.
A Broader Audience at Launch
Since hybrid apps are compatible with various platforms, they can attract users across the board the moment they debut on app stores, such as Google Play and the Apple App Store. Native apps, on the other hand, can only reach users on either Android or iOS.
The more app users you have usually equates to higher revenue for your app business.
Scaling is Smooth Sailing
Scaling kicks in when an innovative company experiences rapid, massive growth, such as when hundreds or thousands of new users start using a new hybrid app. An influx of users typically demands app updates and fixes. In the realm of hybrid apps, you can send a single update patch and bug fix to address issues across all devices.
Meanwhile, native applications require a separate patch for Android devices and another for iOS phones, making updates more cumbersome.
This means that any app business relying on a hybrid app has the flexibility to grow its operation while maintaining its user base, with that growth potentially accelerating exponentially.
Disadvantages of Hybrid Apps
Hybrid apps aren't invincible; they have weak spots. Here are the dents we see in their armor:
- Poor user experience
- Testing Hybrid Apps is a Pain
Less-than-stellar User Experience
Hybrid apps aren't as tightly connected to their host device as native apps. A native app can directly access a mobile device's features, like its camera, GPS, or any other hardware and software components the phone offers.
In contrast, hybrid apps don't have a close relationship with their host devices. Hybrid apps consist of two components: a web application and a native shell (container). The web application, which serves as the "engine" of the hybrid app, connects to the phone's hardware and software through the container.
This indirect link between a hybrid app and its host device can have two consequences in general:
- Less capability to display high-quality graphics
- Slower processing or loading time
A remarkable user experience has significant importance to the success of many top-tier companies. Yet, hybrid apps with their sluggish performance and poor graphics may spell the downfall for businesses that rely on them.
Testing Hybrid Apps is no Picnic
Since hybrid apps should run smoothly across multiple platforms, testing them tends to take longer compared to doing the same for a platform-specific native app.
This means that while hybrid apps can save developers time and money when coding the app, longer testing times could lead to higher total development costs. And a lack of thorough testing might result in technical issues for the hybrid app in question. Studies suggest technical problems are a leading cause of app deletions. This statistic may not appear alarming, but given that only 0.01% of consumer apps flourish, app businesses can't afford to overlook cost-effective testing, and hybrid apps may not be the best path forward.
Alternatives to Hybrid Apps
If you're hunting for apps that deliver great results at affordable prices, take a closer look at native apps built by specialized developers and well-structured web apps.
Native Apps Royalty
Native apps often take the cake when it comes to performance and quality. But many have stressed the high costs associated with native apps. The costs primarily stem from the lengthy development process.
Developing native apps typically takes longer due to the need for separate development teams for each platform. However, there are always exceptions to the rule.
At our humble abode, we have native app developers who employ what we call the Baseplate method and the MVP way of building apps. This approach ensures our developers spend less time creating efficient apps when compared to many industry peers. This way, our method saves clients money and allows them to launch apps faster.
Quality Web Apps
Although web apps may not match the smoothness of native or hybrid apps, they are solid workhorses for business.
For example, a web app became a critical growth engine for PointsBet when it expanded from Australia to the United States. Check out our case study to learn how we helped the sports betting company skyrocket from $100 million to $3.2 billion in just over a year.
Web apps shine in the realm of everyday business operations. Dealing with numerous customers or managing gigantic files becomes a breeze with these apps. Many of them allow users to save vital content on the internet, ensuring data security and backup.
Sure, you need an internet connection to get the most out of web apps. But since many native and hybrid apps require an internet connection anyway, web apps don't lose much when it comes to business applications.
Web apps are also a good pick if you don't have enough storage space to install native applications or other software. For example, many graphic design tools take up a significant amount of hard disk space, forcing you to declutter your device to find room for the app. But thanks to a web app called Canva, you can edit and save your works of art or visual designs on any device with an internet connection and a compatible browser.
Contact Us
Need help charting your app-powered journey to success? Reach out to us, and we'll help turn your idea into an outstanding app business!
- In the new digital landscape, hybrid apps, like those used by Google and Meta, are popular due to their reduced development time and cost, faster initial outreach to a wider audience, and easier scaling compared to native apps.
- However, hybrid apps have drawbacks, such as a less-than-stellar user experience due to poor graphics and slower processing times, and testing issues that can lead to longer development times and technical issues.
