Cross-Platform Mobile App Development- Pros and Cons

October 31, 2014

In simple words, Cross-platform or hybrid mobile app development refers to the development of mobile apps that one can use on multiple mobile platforms. It is a technique of writing a single codebase for apps that one will eventually use on different Operating Systems.

Cross-Platform (Hybrid) Mobile App Development

The two major phone operating system Android and iOS are structurally different in their architecture. And both cause massive trouble for developers trying to make apps that cut cross their products. Google and Apple encourage to write code in contradicting ways.

Thus, making it very difficult for programmers to write a singular codebase efficient on both platforms. It also means that developers will have to duplicate code and keep tweaking it to work for both platforms.

In fact, cross-platform mobile apps are going viral in the world today. For banks, silicon start-ups, convenience stores, government organization’s and the rest, mobile apps command solid access to the masses. This has grown the demand for mobile development services in leaps and bounds. Here you can read how good or bad is cross-platform mobile app development for you-

More Platforms are Covered in One:

Well, this is the major contribution of cross-platform app development tools where you can cover several phones with one technology. In this hybrid platform, you can cover all the verticals like iPhone, Android, Windows and anything else. Just by working on a single piece of technology you get to experience the great range and also a lot of cost benefits.

Read Also:- Advantages of outsourcing Mobile App Development!

Easy Access to Plug-ins:

Unlike Apple’s iOS, there is no limit when you need to access plug-ins. Hybrid app development platforms like PhoneGap and Appcelerator allows developers to have access to a large variety of plug-in. Thereby, it enhances the coding possibilities and application development resources.

Easy to Use:

Yes, it is quite easy to use as all the frameworks for cross-platform mobile applications have scripting languages  Hence, it makes them easy to use by developers. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the premise of the applications and programs that work on the web. So, the transition is just natural.

Support for Enterprise and Cloud Services:

When compared to the native apps cross-platform apps get great support from the cloud and enterprise services. It makes development integration far easy. This refers that once you have worked on something like exchange integration for one platform it would compliantly work on the other with equal efficiency.

Tools are Restrictive:

In cross-platform mobile app development tools are limited. All tools are not allowed to support a Hybrid app as some of the prescribed tools and suits are restricted to work with native preferences. Developers need to work harder and go the extra yard to break the in-built conventions. They take time to make the tools work within the required environment.

Not All Supporting Features May be Included in the Updates:

Cross-platform app development lack hybrid ones while native applications get this privilege over hybrid ones. You can call it a communication rift between the two platforms that you are trying to make work together. It comes as an inheritance to the whole idea of cross-platform app development.

However, this is highly being thought to be sorted in the coming time and we should see a lot of conversion facilities and compatible structures to help us do it with ease.

Unqualified Code:

You can face problems in coding as there are chances that the coding done on Hybrid apps can end up being inefficient. Coding standards of a native source are not followed in cross-platform development. In the case of a Cross-platform app translation engines in the tool determines the efficiency of the final code.

This could be identified as bloated coding, something not vouched and promoted by seasoned coders, unlike what happens in the case of native apps.

Slower Code and Render Time:

This is a fact that all the native applications are much better in this area as compared to the cross-platform apps. The cross-compilation process makes the performance of hybrid apps a bit sluggish and less responsive. Besides, when it needs to fetch the code for all the verticals separately it further slows down the code rendering, affecting the performance considerably.

Read Also:- Android App Developers In India

Conclusion

Well, there is no denying that a cross-platform app comes with a baggage of good and bad, but everything depends on how you relate with them and how you find it helping you with your purpose in the end. Basically, there are two ways to look at it. First, it is always a good option to go with cross-platform app development if you think about cost, easiness, range, and time.

Secondly, if you think more on the quality side and consider factors of value, validness, upgrades, and efficiency you should go with a native application. However, in both cases, the fact will remain the same Hybrid apps are a part of a growing technological curve. So you can expect it to get better with time and help you get results that are more dependable and eliminate what is bad and of no use to you.

Cross-Platform App Development Services by Vardhaman Infotech

Are you looking for a creative, professional Cross-Platform mobile app developer? Let Vardhaman Infotech programmers do the hardest task for you. We have the experience, experts, and effective ideas to create a dynamic app for you. Please feel free to Contact Us. Thanks!

Written by Darshan Kothari

Founder of Vardhaman Infotech - Blockchain & AI development Company. Developed world's first KALQ Keyboard. Thiel fellowship runner up. Love reading books.

October 31, 2014

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