Html 5 or Native Mobile App

24 Jun 2013, by Michael Cindrić

A question we are offen asked is do we build apps in html 5 for cross platform or do we build apps natively.

For us the choice is simple we build native apps. Sure there are some benefits to building a html5 application but not as many as you think. We have broken down the key areas below

1. User Experience

Hands down native apps win here. Html 5 still has issues accessing some device native features cross platform.

2. Development Costs

Html 5 wins this but just and l mean just. A lot of the time you save writing in HTML5 you spend in dealing with cross platform issues.

3. Performance

When it comes to both loading and rendering, whether you have good, weak, or crap internet access, native is always faster. Click on a camera in a native app, for example, and it opens instantly. The time it takes to do the same in an HTML app typically drives people crazy.

4. Monetization

The native app stores Apple App Store and Google play win this one hands down. There really hasen't been and model for HTML5 apps that has worked.

4. Access to new feature

Native wins this one purely because it takes time for the HTML5 libraries to support these features if they ever do at all.

5. Security

People are increasingly worried about security, especially as mobile moves ever further into the enterprise and, frankly, there is no way that anyone could say that HTML is more secure than a native app. Native clearly wins thanks to:

the security of the source code of itself; browser source code is open for all to see, and to then find a work around to.
the security of data at rest on the device; on a native app, it’s completely secure. In HTML, the browser is typically not secure.

So its clear for that Native is the way to go. Thats not to say that HTML5 apps don't have their place of won't one day become the standard but for the foreseeable future if you are after a great user experience, better security and overall performance and quality its clear that a native application is the way to go.

Image Credit: Malte Fleuter on Unsplash