Native Apps vs Web Apps: A Comparative Study for Your Enterprise

The debate between the popularity and usage of native apps and web apps for enterprise mobile app development is never ending. With the introduction of new & improved technology like iPad app development and iPhone development in the market everyday, this argument gets even more heated and complicated. Would you desire access to apps via the internet & intranet and use browser supported languages like HTML & JavaScript in the form of web apps? Or would you prefer to use locally installed application in the form of native apps? Here we give you a detailed discussion on the pros and cons of both apps in order to help you decide on the best application for enterprise mobility.

Advantages of Native Apps:
The best thing about native applications is that they do not require connecting to the internet for usage. These apps function in the same manner in offline mode by benefitting from a mobile device’s functionality. Only when there is a dearth of availability of data do users need an internet connection for working with native apps.
These apps enjoy better visibility with the consumers of an enterprise because they can be distributed from the app store of a mobile device manufacturer.
The revenue earned by enterprises from the use of native apps is more as these apps enjoy the benefits of in-built revenue models. Consumers often have to pay before downloading a native app.

Disadvantages of Native Apps:
The compatibility of these apps with mobile devices available in the market today is generally low. This leads to the reduction of the number of users of native apps.
The development time for a native app is higher than that of web apps. This is because of the fact that there is a separate native app for separate platforms of an enterprise.
Native apps are generally distributed by mobile device stores throughout the world. Therefore, the wait before the approval of the app launch is long. Also, no specific reason is mentioned if the app is not released after all.

Advantages of Web Apps:
The chief advantage of these apps is their compatibility across mobile devices and enterprise platforms. Since web apps run in browsers, it works independently of handsets. This makes web apps far reaching; the customer base is large.
As opposed to native apps, a single web app can be used for every mobile device used in an enterprise for business mobility.
Only existing web technologies like CSS and Java are used for building web apps. Users are generally more acquainted with these technologies thus making usage easier.
Unlike native apps, web apps do not require downloading in advance. Consumers of an enterprise can use mobile search services to get their desired app.

The Right Approach
In enterprise mobile application, web apps are used more than native apps. However, one should not choose an app before deciding the design and target consumer base. Cross platform iPhone development & iPad app development in an enterprise can be completed by both types of apps; but the quality of experience is definitely better in native apps while their costs are higher. While it is recommended that you establish a balance between the two types of apps for your enterprise, resources & budget are major constraints.

Copper Mobile, your ultimate guide to enterprise mobile application solutions, operates from offices in the UK, the US and India. Led by teams of Fortune 100 company members, Copper Mobile has specialized in iPad app development and iPhone development , emerging as one of the top mobile app development organization in the world.