Hybrid:

Hybrid application development can do everything HTML5 does plus it also has some features of Native applications. They do this by deploying a native harness or wrapper to act as a bridge between platforms and access native features. This wrapper can either be created manually or generated by a program. Let’s jump into the Pros and Cons of Hybrid Development.

Pros:

  • The content of a hybrid app is portable and just requires a native harness to run it.
  • Since software like Ionic or React provides frameworks to make a webpage act like a native application, they can be distributed on the App Store.
  • Developers have the option to package the app locally or through a server, which provides access both online and offline.

Cons:

  • Since hybrid applications are relatively new in the mobile development space, automatic generation may not work on all devices, which can get especially complicated when trying to accommodate to different Android phones.
  • Since hybrid app development is still new there is not as much support for any troubleshooting for unprecedented problems that may occur.
  • Several vendors have started offering build-platforms for hybrid frameworks, simplifying the build knowledge that was previously required for multi-platform. Just be prepared to pay for it.
  • If the App Store is able to recognize that your application is not truly native, it may be denied from the App Store.
  • If your app can’t be published on the App Store, then that would reduce your monetization and distribution potential since purchase price or in-app purchases are native features.
  • Since most hybrid apps are written in HTML5, they rely on the system’s browser to support the wrapper for running the application, which presents a supplant-able resource that external parties could exploit beyond the normal security afforded to a native application. This heavily hitches behavior to a system component that could be replaced on customized/rooted devices, creating very difficult situations to isolate and support for errors or exploits.
  • When a new iOS version is released, hybrid developers would have to rely on a third party before they are able to design hybrid applications on the new OS.
  • Lack of the pure UI assets of iOS or Android may result in a slower performance of the app in general. It may not look like a mobile website, but it may feel like it at certain points.
  • Cheap hybrid mobile apps have that “mobile web” browser look.
  • Phonegap, Cordova and others generate native by-products, meaning you still have to support and manage the individual packages in the app-stores. Keeping versions in sync across platforms while addressing individual bugs can be more difficult than a pure native approach.

Summary

So while hybrid has its place in development, there is a large list of cons that is often overlooked by development companies looking to cut back time. We recommend researching all the different options before choosing a development platform to run with or learn.