Mobile apps are in demand because they help businesses to provide better services to their customers and to boost brand recognition and customer loyalty. Once the business management decides to build an app they are confused between native app and hybrid app. Which to choose, native or hybrid app, is a tough decision to make. There are several factors like business requirements, complexity, and category of app, etc. However, for a few businesses cost of mobile app development is the first and foremost thing to be considered. If you are on a tight budget you would surely like to know ‘what is the cost to develop a hybrid vs native mobile app. Here is cost comparison.

Before comparing the costs let’s know a little about hybrid and native mobile apps.

Hybrid and native apps – What are they?

Hybrid app

It is a combination of native and web applications. It is built using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. As it is an integration of native and web apps, hybrid apps can be built faster. Hybrid app development enjoys benefits like reduced time of app development, multiple-platform compatibility, portability, in-built libraries, huge community support, and access to the hardware and API of the device. Moreover, the need for a web browser is eliminated.

Native app

Native apps are fast-performing apps that can be customized. They cannot be developed for iOS and android using the same code. They have to be developed separately. Java and Kotlin are used to develop Android apps and Swift and objective-C are used to develop native iOS apps. The major benefits are excellent User Interface and User experience, better quality, better security, improved performance, easy customization, and smooth running.

“Mobile is becoming not only the new digital hub, but also the bridge to the physical world. That’s why mobile will affect more than just your digital operations — it will transform your entire business.”

Hybrid vs Native app – which costs more?

Cost of development of the hybrid app

A fixed price cannot be quoted for a hybrid app. Nevertheless, here is an approximate estimate based on the complexity of the app.

• Simple hybrid apps will cost around $10000 as the features are less and the time taken is less.
• Medium hybrid apps will take three months for development and will cost about $20000 to $50000.
• Complex apps referred to as enterprise apps will take about 4 to 6 months for development and will cost about $50000 to $200000.
• Games app with plenty of features are tough to build and will cost about $250000.

Cost of development of native app

Native apps are more expensive than hybrid apps owing to many factors. Research conducted concludes that a simple native app for iPhone may cost $20000 and a medium complex app may cost about $100000 to $150000. An experienced developer says on average the cost of creating an android native app may be about $50000. You must remember that native apps run only on one platform and you need to build another app if you are planning to launch your app on a dual platform. This makes it costlier.

Reasons why hybrid apps are cheaper than native apps?

• Development time – While calculating the cost of building apps, time plays an important role in deciding the cost. The formula used for the calculation of the cost of app development is
  Development time x hourly rate
  It is clear that when the time spent is more the cost will increase.
  Time taken to develop a hybrid app is lesser because you need only one code base and most of the code can be reused. It has a built-in library that contains all tools for development. This too reduces the development time. The lesser the development time, the lesser is the cost.
• Hiring costs – Native app development is not easy. A survey made in 2019 shows that only about 10% of the developers had the skills to build complex native apps. So the hourly rate for these developers is more and so the hiring cost increase. Moreover, the same code can be used both for android and iOS. There is no need to hire two professionals. A single professional will complete the task. This too will bring down the hiring cost.
• Updates – Hybrid apps can be updated straight from the web. Content updates can be done without any hassles and many updates can be rolled out quickly. This decreases the cost of maintenance and updating of the app.

List of factors that affect the cost of building an app

• Number of pages
• Category of app
• Platform – single or multiple, if single, android or iOS
• Design
• Features like audio and video streaming
• Third-party integration
• In-app purchases
• The language used for programming
• API
• UI/UX design
• Distribution
• Development tools and libraries
• App updates
• App maintenance

Hybrid vs Native – which to choose?

Hybrid app development cost is definitely lesser than native app development cost. As you can launch your app using the same code on two platforms, hybrid app is a better choice for start-ups who have budget restraints. Native apps are more secure. The speed of performance of native apps is better. They have better functionalities. It is a better option for large businesses for which the security of data is more important. Bugs attack is an issue with hybrid apps.

The choice between hybrid and native apps can be really daunting. If your app is content-based content that does not need extra features, you can go for hybrid app development without any second thoughts as it costs less and is more affordable.

To conclude, the choice of selecting between native app and hybrid app depends upon the requirements of your business. There are factors to be considered like the complexity of features, target audience, the purpose of the app, marketing plans, and need for updates, etc.

Find the right development company that will give you an estimate on the cost of development of both native and hybrid app and guides you to select the right one to suit your requirements.