The Types of Mobile Applications:
All You Should Know Before Developing an App
Mobile apps take over the world. According to Statista, by 2023, revenue from mobile applications around the world will increase to 900 billion US dollars. It’s not surprising that business is increasingly investing in the development of mobile applications, today we can study, buy, have fun, and even work using our smartphones.
So, you’ve got the idea of creating a mobile application. It sounds wonderful and simple until you dive into the development process to face hundreds of crucial decisions. What should be the design? Which programming language to choose? What features are better to implement? What type of application would be the right solution?
The last question is one of the most important for the application to meet your business expectations and users' interests, and if you aim to create an application that will help your business grow, you better know the answer. Not yet? Let’s figure it out!
Check out the full mobile development guide and free checklist here.
Types of mobile applications
There are three basic types of mobile applications you may have heard about: native, web, and hybrid apps. Recently, PWA is also gaining popularity.
- Native app is the most common type of mobile application. Such applications are created for a specific operating system, Android, Windows Mobile, or iOS. Most often, applications of this type are distributed through the app stores Play Market, App Store, and others.
- Web app is a client-server application in which the client interacts with the web server using a browser. Web applications are similar to websites but are more complex. Here, the HTML of the page is dynamic and is formed depending on the user’s request.
- Hybrid app is a combination of native and web applications. Such a product is cross-platform, it can be installed from the App Store or Play Market. The main approach of developing such an application is that most of the functions are programmed on the server side, while the necessary minimum remains on the client side.
- PWA (Progressive Web Apps) is a cross between a website and a mobile application. Like sites, PWAs have URLs for each page. The user can access them in any browser through a search, without installing the application. Like in mobile apps, users can add PWAs shortcuts to smartphone screens to go back with one click. Additionally, progressive web applications can send push notifications to users.
Let’s take a closer look at each type of mobile application to find out its pros and cons.
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Native mobile app development
We have all come across native applications. Look at your smartphone. The default browser, email client, calendar, and other standard programs are all native applications. Developers use the programming language adopted for a particular platform in creating such apps.
Technology used: Objective-C, C++, Java, Kotlin, Python, Swift, React.
Pros of native apps:
- Speed: native apps are faster and more productive because of their focus on one platform.
- Access device features: native apps have access to a wide range of device functions, such as Bluetooth, contacts, camera scroll, NFC, and others since they are directly connected to the device’s hardware.
- Optimized user experience: native applications use their native device interface, which makes them more interactive and intuitive for users. Also, such apps can use push notifications to increase application usage and user engagement.
- Simple distribution: you can download native apps from App Store or Play Market.
- Internet access: Native applications can work with no internet connection.
Cons of native apps:
- Development cost: you are developing a native application for a specific platform, so if you want to use another platform, you will need to develop another app. Code written for one platform will not work on another, and this raises the cost.
- Take up space in the device storage: all updates to the app must be downloaded what means users have to get a new file and reinstall it. In most cases, this happens automatically, and the user may not even notice it.
- Different user experiences: it’s hard to provide the same experience with two different platforms.
- Difficulties in developing and maintaining: you may need 2 development teams to create an application for different platforms.
Read also Native or Cross-platform App Development: What to Choose
Web application development
Web applications run in browsers. Users don’t need to download them to a mobile device. The client part implements the user interface, generates requests to the server, and processes the responses from it. The server part receives a request from the client and forms a web page and sends it to the client over the network using the HTTP protocol.
Technology Used: HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, ASP.Net, and others.
Pros of web apps:
- Development cost: web application development is cheaper than native app development.
- Web-based: these types of apps are accessed from anywhere, users don’t need to download apps that take up space on their device storage.
- Support: you can update the app live over the Internet.
- User experience: web app is more interactive than a website and is accessible to a huge number of users.
Cons of web apps:
- Dependence on browser and device: some functions of the application may not work in some browsers or on certain devices, which can ruin the user experience.
- Internet connection dependence: web apps can’t completely work offline even though they have an offline mode, you still need an Internet connection to back up data.
- Internet speed dependence: user needs good Internet to play data.
- Low performance: web applications are less efficient than native ones in terms of speed, functionality, and UX, and web apps don’t allow you to save large amounts of data.
Hybrid mobile app development
The main advantages of hybrid applications are cross-platform on web technologies and the ability to access the functions of a smartphone or other mobile devices. Hybrid mobile app development combines the best practices of web and native approaches. Users can download hybrid apps from an app store, but the data is displayed in a browser embedded in the application.
Technology Used: HTML, Ionic, Objective C, Swift, and others.
Pros of hybrid apps:
- Cross-platform: hybrid apps use a single code base and work on different platforms.
- Fast development: hybrid application development is faster and cheaper than native, and the user is unlikely to notice the difference.
- Internet independent: this type of apps can work with a slow Internet connection or with no connection.
- Great market reach: hybrid apps are distributed through both app stores. You don’t need to develop separate applications for Android and iOS, which means more market coverage at a lower cost.
Cons of hybrid apps:
- Performance depends on many factors: the performance of hybrid applications depends on the user’s device, the quality of the web view that displays the user interface and runs JavaScript code.
- Speed: hybrid applications are slower than native apps
- Features: not all built-in functions are available in hybrid applications because of a single code base for each platform.
- Updates: when Apple or Google release a new feature for their platforms, hybrid app developers will need some time to add support for this new feature, unlike native applications.
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Progressive web applications (PWA)
Google introduced PWC in 2015, but only in recent years, it’s gaining popularity. PWAs look like web applications but provide a native app experience. They are fast, available offline, provide shared URLs, and work well on mobile devices, tablets, and laptops.
Technology Used: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, React, Angular, Ionic, and others.
Pros of PWA:
- Speed: thanks to the data update process, information is always up-to-date in PWA.
- Security: PWA follows the HTTPS protocol, which protects data from attacks.
- No installation process: PWAs can be downloaded directly to mobile devices and are accessible via URL.
- Offline access: PWAs are available offline and on low-speed Internet. An API called “service workers” uses data cached the last time they interacted from the Internet to make it also available offline.
- Engagement: PWA has a push notification like native apps.
Cons of PWA:
- Battery power consumption: PWA has a complex code, so devices must work harder to interpret the code.
- Access to device features: PWA doesn’t have access to NFC, Bluetooth, advanced camera controls, etc., which sometimes leads to delays in the operation of these applications.
- Distribution: Applications are not available on popular platforms such as the App Store and Play Market, so, it’s more difficult for users to find them.
- Functionality: PWAs are written in JavaScript; they don’t consume battery power as efficiently as applications are written in their native languages, such as Kotlin or Swift, and may not support all the built-in functions on certain devices or OS.
Comparison of mobile app types
Obviously, all types of mobile applications have their advantages and disadvantages. Each type can solve certain problems. Some projects don’t require cross-platform, some have a simple architecture, while others require complex functionality. The table below shows the advantages of the types of mobile applications according to basic parameters.
How to choose the right type for your mobile app
Returning to our main question, what type of mobile application to choose, it’s important to understand that you need to start with the goals of your project. By coordinating the type of application with its main purpose, you will focus on the pain points of your audience and offer them the most effective solution. So, you need to find out who is your target audience, how you want to distribute your app, and what results you need. You can start with these criteria.
- Time of development
Timing is always important. You need to understand how much time you are willing to spend on developing your application. For example, web applications are created quickly and once for all devices, and if you want to get a simple mobile app, this option may be the right solution. If you are ready to wait, you can choose a native application type, which means individual development for each individual platform, using different programming languages, and the requirements of these platforms. This development process will take longer, but you can get a more functional app. It will also take time for the approval process from the app stores. Therefore, carefully choose a mobile development team that has experience in developing and approving mobile applications. Sometimes time is a crucial factor.
- Target audience
We all use different devices, browsers, and applications. Studying your target audience is the foundation of the future demand for your mobile application. You need to know where your potential consumers live, what habits have, what needs your product will satisfy. Even a factor such as the operating system affects what kind of development you need., maybe your audience uses only iPhones or you are aimed at different markets. For example, the vast majority of European countries use Android, while America and the UK use iOS.
- Features
Well, think over the functionality of your future application, write detailed requirements. So the development team will be able to choose the best tech solution for you. Decide how exactly the user will interact with your application, whether offline access or access to the device’s functionality is needed.
- Development Cost
Another key point. Of course, you have money that you are willing to spend on development and the cost of this service matters. The price of developing mobile applications, as well as developer rates, vary depending on the type of app, the complexity of its creation, and the market. For example, development teams from Western Europe are more expensive than developers from Eastern Europe. We already wrote how to choose a software development company, be sure to study this issue before you start working with a development partner. Also, read how you can reduce software development costs.
Wrapping up
Now you know the main advantages and disadvantages of various types of mobile applications, selection criteria, and the approximate cost of developing an app. Remember that in the huge variety of mobile applications on the market, new things can easily get lost and not find their users. To prevent this from happening, weigh the pros and cons, think over the functionality, and work only with a professional development team that will empower your idea with the help of advanced technologies.
We hope to see your mobile application soon. Good luck with your development!
