Native, cross-platform or a web app: choosing how to buildNative, cross-platform or a web app: choosing how to build
The right choice depends on what the app must do on the device, how fast you need it, and who will maintain it.
App Development6 min readBy the Viximate team
There is no best way to build an app, only a best way for yours. The decision comes down to three things: what the app needs from the phone, how soon it must ship, and who will look after it in two years.
A quick guide
Web app: fastest to ship and update, works everywhere, limited access to the device.
Cross-platform: one codebase for iOS and Android with near-native feel; the default for most products.
Native: the deepest device access and the most polish, at the cost of two codebases.
Questions that decide it
Does it need the camera, Bluetooth, background location or heavy offline use? Will it live in the stores, or is a link enough? Do you already have a web product it should share accounts and data with?
Whichever way you build, plan the backend as part of your wider system. An app that shares accounts and data with your website is worth more than a polished island.