TL; DR: They all have a point. It always depends on the type of project and your goal.

Native applications

The native application is developed for each platform separately. That means you're creating two duplicate versions — one for iOS, the other for Android.

The benefits

• Excellent performance. The native application is fast and smooth even with more demanding graphics. It has lower battery and memory consumption.
• ‍Less error rate. The application is less dependent on open-source libraries and platforms, thus reducing the risk of errors.
• ‍Expandability and stability. When Google and Apple develop Android and iOS, they have a long-term plan that the developers of that platform follow. Therefore, the creator of a hybrid framework has a rather complicated job, because they have to combine the given approaches — and the paths of the two platforms are not always completely compatible.
• ‍Great UI. Basic accessibility is free and is easier. For a hybrid application, adding new elements (and optimizing them) takes longer and often don't look the same -- nor do they behave the same.

Disadvantages

• Higher initial costs. The application is developed by two teams, so it is quite natural that its price is higher. But it would be a mistake to think that it would be twice as high. But more on that further.
• ‍It's time. Development, maintenance and development takes longer because you handle it separately for each platform. Of course, teams often work together, so the time does not multiply by two.

Summa Sumárum

Native applications are suitable for more complex projects that expect the application in the future and will want to continue to develop it. It is suitable for companies for which the application is an important part of the business. If quality and sustainability are important to you, you should choose native development. That's why we at Futured decided to do it.

“There's nothing that can't be done in a hybrid. But for more complex projects, the path is so thorny that the advantages that hybrid development has cease to make sense. You won't get the app faster or cheaper,” says Lukáš Strnadel, Futured CEO.

Hybrid application

As the name suggests, the hybrid application combines native and web concepts. For both iOS and Android, it is written in one language. Some cross-platform frameworks (Flutter, Xamarin, React Native, NativeScript, Ionic and others) are built from the ground up purely for mobile application development, so they are not based on any web technology.

The benefits

• ‍Faster development. The application can be built using web technologies across both the front end and the backend, reducing development time.
• ‍Cheaper. A hybrid app has a smaller initial cost than a native app because you don't need two teams.
• ‍You don't need two teams. This is true, but it only applies to very simple, for example, form applications. If you're planning more advanced features, you can't do without a person experienced on both platforms — even for a hybrid application, you simply have to develop specific parts for the platform separately.

Disadvantages

• Delay of new features. Developers have to wait to develop new features that are released natively.
• ‍Slower. For computationally and data-intensive applications, the speed may be lower compared to native applications.
• ‍Costly maintenance. Hybrid frameworks like React Native have the annoying feature that if they don't update regularly, there can be a very costly maintenance issue. Native apps are much less likely to make major changes to them.
• ‍Reliance on third parties. You depend on the creators of the hybrid framework and their willingness to invest their resources in the continuous development of the entire ecosystem. In addition to the development of the framework itself, it must also ensure the creation of tools for developers, i.e. editors, integration plugins or, for example, tools for debugging developed applications.‍

‍Summa Sumárum

Hybrid application is suitable for smaller/simple projects. But at some point, you may find that hybrid development can no longer handle the features you expect from an application (e.g. payments, AR, or third-party sign-in). It is impossible to think, in short, that there is a universal solution that works perfectly on both platforms, since each of them has its own specifics. Often it is then necessary to start developing natively, and therefore from the very beginning.

“The hybrid app is like an instant soup. If you want to eat quickly, the soup from the bag will serve you. But you can't expect her to taste like grandma's honest one,” Lukáš adds with hyperbole.

‍

Web application

A web application, or PWA (Progressive Web App), is a form of web adapted to the limitations of a mobile browser. It works across platforms in different web browsers such as Chrome or Safari.

The benefits

• Easy maintenance. Because it uses a common codebase across multiple platforms, you only need to fix the bug once.
• ‍Easy accessibility. Users do not need to download anything, they open the application in any browser.
• ‍Lower costs. Web applications are simple to create.
• ‍Without approval. Since it is not possible to upload an application to the app stores, you do not even need to approve it. It can be published by anyone, in any format.

Disadvantages

• Limited functioning. Yes, web applications can only work in offline mode to a limited extent. At the same time, they can not fully work with the functions provided by the system, for example, with Bluetooth or with a photo gallery.
• ‍More complex UX. Applications are only available in browsers, reducing the user experience, which will be universal to some extent.
• ‍Higher battery consumption.

Summa Sumárum

The web application is particularly suitable for simpler projects. For small businesses with a smaller budget, it is the most affordable option.

So what path to take?

In deciding which development to choose, the answers to the following questions can help you:

• Is a mobile app an important part of your business?
• Do you expect the application in the long term?
• What features do you expect from it?
• How fast do you need it?
• What's your budget for her?
• Is user friendliness important to you?

‍