Native applications are those designed specifically for a specific platform for their programming language. Yes, when creating an application for Android then Java is used and for iOS applications we use Objective-c or Swift. When creating such projects, experts take into account all the features of the platforms paying special attention to UI / UX design. Because of this one of the disadvantages of native development is that one developer can not fully master the programming languages for Android and iOS and you need to connect another specialist and this is an additional cost and development time will increase. And the development of such programs for only one OS can lead to a reduction in the target market.
The end result will be an application purely for a specific platform, the app will have access to the functions of the device and will work as efficiently as possible.
Cross-platform application development is a program designed to work on two mobile platforms: IOS and Android. The hybrid app could be downloaded from both the App Store and Google Play. Cross-platform developments could be compiled into file.apk for Android and TestFlight for iOS. And like this on the basis of one development you can get two applications for popular operating systems, spending less time and money. But this development involves the use of a single universal technology stack which sacrifices flexibility (you will not be able to adapt the finished program to use the maximum capabilities of each of the platforms).
Summarizing all the above, we can say that cross-platform development can be chosen if you need:
- Cover all operating systems on a limited budget
- Check the niche.
- The application would use only the basic functions of the device
And native development will suit you if your program should be:
- The most effective
- The application has a complex animation and have calculations
- If you know for sure that this program will be needed and will be used only on one specific OS
