Choosing Between Cross-platform and Native development

Today, we want to address the distinction between Cross-platform and Native. Each year, mobile development technologies advance, reigniting debates about which technology is superior. In this article, we'll try to clarify: what to use and when.

For Apple, the current relevant technologies include: UIKit, SwiftUI + the extensive iOS SDK, and the programming languages Swift and Objective-C. For Android, it's the Android SDK, Jetpack Compose, and languages such as Java 8 and Kotlin.

• Web Application that utilizes a browser as the runtime environment and has limited access to device resources.
  

This category also includes what's known as WebView apps — applications wrapped in a thin layer of native code that uses the browser's SDK to open a web app. They are also distributed via app stores. Relevant technologies for them include classic web tools — HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

Examples include Ionic or Cordova. Typically, such apps have limited access to native device functionalities, lower performance, a less responsive interface, and more challenging post-launch support.

However, we won't be delving into web apps in this article. That's not our focus.

• Cross-Platform Application that compiles into native code. This type of app is written using third-party development tools: programming languages that come with their library set, bridging platform SDK interfaces with their proprietary ones, or entirely replacing them.
  

Examples include:

• Flutter (utilizing the Flutter SDK and the Dart programming language);
• Xamarin (with Xamarin Forms, .NET, and the C# language);
• Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (referred to as KMM, and naturally, using the Kotlin language);
• QT6 — an extensive toolkit for creating graphic applications for everything from Windows to car dashboard displays. The language used is C++.
  

In cross-platform development at imaga, we use Flutter. Hence, we'll be focusing on that. In other words, this article will compare native development and Flutter.

Flutter has access to all features of supported platforms. Platform channel technologies allow Dart code to directly address the open interfaces of the platform: camera, GPS, sensors, device file system, etc.

It's vital to understand that having access to features and actively using them are different things. You can use the camera from Flutter, but developing an advanced 3D scanner based on the device’s sensor array using cross-platform technology is unprofitable. It will entail developing libraries on the native part, as a result of which, instead of only using a team of native developers who would deal with the interface, you would have to find a team of Flutter developers as well.

The Flutter industry is evolving. This also impacts the situation in the job market. The entry threshold for the technology is low: the framework is relatively simple. The language is familiar: Dart is an object-oriented language, and its syntax resembles a mix of Java and JS. Therefore, more and more specialists are moving into Flutter from related fields: Android, iOS, Web.

You can also check out more use cases on the Flutter platform here.

Since the technologies used in platform-specific app development are directly tied to that platform, native code has direct access to all the operating system's functionalities.

And a more straightforward interaction of the application with the mobile device's features enhances the overall app performance. This is especially true when displaying graphic or multimedia content.

Therefore, creating resource-intensive apps using native code can reduce response times, the likelihood of crashes, and freezes. Below are the results of a test with a simple list featuring images. It's evident that the native app outperforms cross-platform solutions. On newer phone models, the difference might not be as pronounced, but the trend is clear.

Native apps are conceived and developed to address specific tasks on a particular platform. This leads to a better match of app capabilities with the device's hardware features, including Bluetooth, NFC, camera, GPS, etc.

This compatibility is essential when the application needs to utilize data such as physical and geographical location and more.

• Superior User Interface

Since native apps are directly integrated with the mobile operating system, leveraging and using all available hardware features, users can navigate through a familiar interface seamlessly. This results in a positive user experience (UX) and consistent retention.

For instance, with the vast variety of smartphone screen resolutions available today, it's crucial to have an app optimized for such screens to ensure user comfort and ease of use.

• Large Developer Market
  

Among developers, native development is still the most popular method for creating apps, making team assembly easier than for cross-platform.

Cons of Native Development:

• Expense and Time Consumption in Development

Creating separate applications for each operating system can prolong the development process. The same code cannot be deployed across different platforms, and developers need more time for code conversion and rewriting. This increases both costs and development time.

If a company desires separate apps for each platform, they would need to hire additional specialized developers. For example, one developer might focus on iOS app development, while another concentrates on Android, further escalating the expenses.

In this example, Flutter saves us 45.6% on development, 70.5% on QA considering the use of automated tests in both teams, and 33.3% on app design.

Of course, projects vary. In some instances, Flutter might save 15% of the budget, and in others, up to 50%. Additionally, there might be a calendar advantage in planning since you don't need to synchronize logic between platforms.