Nowadays, there are billions of smartphone users globally and users are increasing rapidly. That’s why apps are becoming a new common way for businesses to deliver their products or services to customers directly via mobile apps. However, building a native mobile app for both Android and iOS is quite expensive, especially for new startups and small businesses who want to grow in a fast-competitive world. This is where hybrid apps come as a cost-effective solution. A small startup can build a hybrid app with a single code base and cater to both Android and iOS platforms at the cost of one app development.
Did you know? 37 of the top 50 apps in the USA are hybrid, including giant platforms like Instagram, Gmail, Uber, etc. However, many businesses are not aware of the importance of the hybrid app. Do not worry. In this blog, we will understand the role of hybrid apps, how they work, their benefits, must-have features, how you can build hybrid apps for your business, and why it is the Future.
What is Hybrid Application Development?
The development of a single app that can run on multiple operating systems like Android, iOS and Windows is known as hybrid app development. Instead of creating different apps for different operating systems like iOS, Android, and Windows, hybrid software uses a single code bar. This makes it much easier to share or sell your app as you only need to write the code once so it can run anywhere. However, this is possible because specific tools make communication between the native platform and web view easier. Hybrid apps can be compiled and transformed into native apps thanks to them.
Hybrid apps are essentially web applications that have been put in a native app shell. They can offer a lot of the features and usability of web apps but with the benefits of native apps such as appearing on your phone’s home screen, saving offline data, and automatic updates. Once downloaded from an app store and installed on your phone, the shell is able to connect to whatever capabilities your mobile operating system provides. They do this through a browser that’s embedded in the app.
How Do Hybrid Apps Work?
Hybrid apps are those apps that act like mobile apps but work on both Android and iOS. These are built using web tools like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML and frameworks like Ionic or React Native. One big advantage of hybrid apps is their ability to use plugins. Which gives access to a device’s hardware and features. Such as the GPS, camera or contacts. These frameworks also come with tools to help developers create a user interface. That feels like a mobile app. Which means users can access their hybrid apps in their smartphone across both OS.
Benefits of Hybrid App Development
Here are some key benefits of hybrid app development:
- Cost-Effective: Hybrid apps are cheaper than building native apps. Because these apps require just a one-time effort to code and can run on Android and iOS, this saves money for businesses to make two separate apps at one price.
- Faster to Build: Since only one code is required to build an app for both OS, the development time is faster than native apps.
- Offline Access: Hybrid apps can still work without an internet connection, just like native apps. So users can use them offline.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Hybrid apps support both Android and iOS using the same code. Which makes it easier to reach more users without extra work.
- Ease of Maintenance: Managing a hybrid app is simpler because there is only one app and database required to update, unlike native apps where you need to update two separate versions.
When To Develop Hybrid Apps?
Here are five major situations when a mobile app development company is important for hybrid apps:
Multiple Platform Compatibility: If you want your app to run on Android and iOS without building separate apps. Then hybrid is the best solution with a single codebase.
Lack of Specialized Coding Skills: Hybrid apps do not require deep coding knowledge. They can be built with common web technologies and make development faster.
Basic Feature Requirements: A hybrid app is perfect if your app does not need advanced features; it can easily set up basic features without much effort.
Budget Constraints: Hybrid apps are more affordable to develop and offer similar functionality at lower cost.
Speed Trade-off: Hybrid apps may not be as fast as native apps, but they are good for quick, cross-platform development under budget.
How To Build A Hybrid App?
Here is the step-by-step process to build a hybrid app:
Step 1. Research and Strategizing App
The first step is researching competitors and making strategies to stand out in the market. You need to plan and find the USP of your business before starting the app development.
Step 2. Hire an Experienced App Development Company
Hiring an experienced app development company is always recommended to let the professionals build an app for your business. Because they have years of experience, expertise, and required resources to make your hybrid app much faster and under budget.
Step 3. Build App Architecture
Then start with the app structure and design how the app will look as its layout. This means figuring out how the pages will be laid out, how users will interact with the app, and what technology to use behind it.
Step 4. UI/UX Designing
Focus on making the app’s UI/UX design user-friendly and interactive. Make it simple, interactive, and clean, which helps users easily interact with the app and its functionalities without getting confused.
Step 5. App Development
Now, it is time for app development where the team of developers start building your hybrid app. Make sure you keep in touch with the development team during the development to share feedback and make required changes.
Step 6. Testing and Debugging
Once the app is developed, then take the app for rigorous testing and find if all the functionalities are working properly or if any issues arise. So that it can easily be fixed before the app is released.
Step 7. Launch and Maintain
After the testing, you can launch in Android and iOS app stores. Plus, ensure regular maintenance and updates to keep it running smoothly.
5 Best Hybrid Apps Examples
Some hybrid application examples are given below that amaze clients with their great performance, interface, and features.
The fact that the Twitter social app is hybrid in nature is one of the strongest evidence that the hybrid approach is reliable and can be successful. This also demonstrates the degree to which hybrid apps can accommodate massive volumes of traffic. It in fact sorted out all the setbacks of a hybrid app, which is talked about majorly for performance issues.
Twitter has in fact changed users’ perception of the hybrid application and thus fostered the demand for these apps among businesses.
Features
- Users can enjoy watching live and premium video streaming directly from their mobile devices.
- Discover your interesting news.
- Express your thoughts by writing a tweet.
- Get notifications about who is your new follower.
- Keep an eye on viral and interesting stories.
Another Hybrid App Example, Instagram is one of the leading social media apps that witness higher user engagement every day. It’s the best platform to share images and videos. Even in the offline mode with huge media, the reason Instagram can support all the data is that it is a hybrid app. Interestingly, Facebook, the creator of Instagram, is still a native app.
Uber
It is the most popular web application running on Uber. As it is already popular among users as a taxi-booking app, Uber does not need any particular introduction. Uber is also a perfect example of a hybrid app and is blessed with an intuitive and quick user interface paired with easy navigation. The user-friendly hybrid app is well ahead of its competitors in allowing customers to book taxis without hassle.
Amazon App Store
Amazon App Store is another Hybrid App Example that is powered by HTML5. The app redefines the experience of users while accessing it. Its top-notch user interface makes it unique among users and also makes the app highly engaging.
Features
- Easy and fast: checkout process
- App review to guarantee users get quality products
- User reviews and feedback
- Global distribution
- Make paid apps free
Remote POS
The Remote POS app uses a single mobile application to control and manage a whole restaurant. The application runs offline and requires internet connectivity to print the client’s final bill. As well as cloud storage, the program has local data storage. The app allows for efficient handling and order control of employees.
Apple App store
No secret of its affection for HTML5 has been rendered by the developer of the native platform itself. Today, one of the most cited examples of a hybrid app is the app store. For the top search and bottom navigation toolbars, use native elements. App search outcomes, however, are site views that reload for every search seamlessly.
Evernote
Evernote is an app for note-taking, planning, management of projects, and archiving. Users can make notes with the app, which can be text, sketches, photos, or saved web material.
Notes are kept in notebooks and can be labelled, annotated, edited, searched, and exported as attachments.
The app is best known for its smooth efficiency and friendly nature, which makes it stand out in this category from other applications. It is free to use with monthly usage restrictions and provides extended or lifted limits for paid plans.
Sworkit
Sworkit is one of the most popular fitness applications and helps users get an ultimate guide to doing physical workouts and exercise to help them achieve their fitness goals.
An interactive video session is indeed quite helpful for users to set their fitness goals and make the right strategy to achieve them successfully within the set time frame. With Sworkit, users get the liberty to sync the app with the Google Fit app, in order to track the data hassle-free.
How Much Does Hybrid App Development Cost?
Hybrid mobile app development costs range between $10,000 to $150,000. However, its costs can vary based on several factors, i.e., app complexity, UI/UX, features, and duration for development. Here is the estimated cost for hybrid app development:
| Basic | $10,000 |
| Medium | $10,000 to $50,000 |
| Enterprise-level | $50,000 to $150,000 |
Hybrid App Advantages
There are many positive aspects of hybrid app development. Here are some hybrid app advantages as compared to pure native and web apps.
Many positive aspects of hybrid app development exist. In contrast to pure native and web applications, here are some advantages of hybrid apps.
1. No Integration Issues
Native applications only operate on the same operating system, so if they need to integrate with other applications, they pose a challenge. For hybrid mobile applications, this is not the case, since they work easily with other apps. Hence, when incorporating hybrid apps, mobile app developers feel a sigh of relief. Also, hybrid apps often use the system’s apps such as camera, GPS, and more to ensure the best end-user experience, much like native apps.
2. Easy To Maintain
Another advantage of the production of hybrid mobile apps is its simplified maintenance. For native apps, with each update, the development teams need to roll out new versions. Also, users are expected to upgrade their applications with the release of a new version. A hybrid app bypasses versioning and makes maintenance of the program as easy as updating a web page in real-time, too.
3. Multi-platform Support
Typically, if they are popular, hybrid applications have no limit to how much they can extend and embrace almost all platforms. Its success across various platforms depends on the structure used to develop the applications. Expert hybrid mobile app development companies will build fantastic, engaging hybrid apps that function superior across leading mobile platforms. If a platform is generally accepted, the planned support for the newly released operating system and its successive updates would not be troublesome.
4. Speed
To make their lives simple, people choose to use mobile apps. However, you wouldn’t feel like using it if the mobile app takes a lot of time to send out responses. This is one of the big challenges that the native mobile app developers would have to face. For example, it will take some time for the network to load certain images if a mobile app is associated with large images. Mobile hybrid applications can help consumers stay away from this hassle. It can also provide users with a seamless experience.
5. Affordable
Hybrid apps are more cost-friendly than native apps. Because the app requires only one codebase to work on Android and iOS. Businesses do not need to build separate apps for both OS. And be able to run on both simultaneously. Plus, it is very easy to maintain the hybrid app. It is a perfect solution for businesses and startups looking for a cost-fiddling option with native app experience.
3 Most Popular Frameworks for Hybrid App Development
Here are the three most popular frameworks for hybrid app development services:
React Native
React Native is developed by Meta, Formerly Facebook. It is a popular framework for hybrid app development. It uses JavaScript to build mobile apps that look and feel like native apps for both iOS and Android. React Native’s main advantage is its large community and reusable components, which can speed up development. However, some platform-specific features require extra coding, and debugging can sometimes be more challenging.
Flutter
Google powers flutter. It is a framework that uses the Dart programming language to create iOS, Android and web apps. It allows developers to write code that works across multiple platforms. And provides a highly customizable user interface. Flutter’s hot reload feature makes development faster. By allowing quick changes to the app. The downside is that it is relatively new. So it does not yet have as many third-party libraries or community support as other frameworks.
MAUI
MAUI is an open-source framework created by Microsoft. It is used for building apps that run on iOS, Android, Windows and macOS using a single codebase. This makes it easy for developers to develop and maintain cross-platform apps over time. MAUI boosts developer productivity and simplifies maintenance. However, it is still evolving, and developers might face challenges. Especially when migrating apps or accessing platform-specific features.
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Conclusion
Thanks to the hybrid app development framework, you can now have a mobile app running on different operating systems. Producing your mobile application for multiple operating platforms like Windows, Android and iOS will enable you to increase your brand’s reach.
Besides the convenience of working on any platform or device, it’s easy to develop and download hybrid apps. And because they integrate native elements, they can provide a native-like user experience.
This is the reason why hybrid software is popular. It allows businesses to easily reach their target audience across multiple devices without spending extra time or money..
This is why there are a lot of developers who focus specifically on building hybrid apps. This is also why there are plenty to choose from if you want to take the hybrid approach and create this type of app for your business.
DreamSoft4u is one of the best hybrid app development companies. Just let us know your Hybrid app idea and we will convert your concept into reality. Our developers have innovative solutions for converting your ideas into an intuitive app. We will assist you in your Android application development project to boost your business. We design it in a way that users spend more time in the app and the business grows along with app downloads.
FAQs
1. What are hybrid apps?
Hybrid apps are mobile apps that use a single codebase on Android and iOS. They combine web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript with native features for a smoother experience.
2. When should I choose hybrid app development?
You should choose hybrid app development when you want to save time and cost by creating one app for both platforms like Android and iOS especially if your app has basic features and a limited budget.
3. Can hybrid apps work offline?
Yes, hybrid apps can work offline, just like native apps. They can store data locally and allow users to use them without an internet connection.
4. What language is the most suitable for hybrid app development?
The most common languages for hybrid app development are JavaScript, Dart and C#.
5. What are the challenges with hybrid app development?
Some challenges include performance issues, limited access to native device features, and potential difficulty with debugging or platform-specific bugs.
