Different ways to build a mobile app
There are different ways that you can build your app with:
- Native.
- Hybrid.
- CMS.
Native
It means that the mobile app is built with the technology which are expected from the operating system that it is going to be run with. So to say if you build a mobile app for Android, you will code in Java or within Kotlin (which is the programming language that Google developed for Android). If you are building an app for iOS, you will write it in Swift.
Writing an app in its native language is the most difficult way to go when writing an app but it gives you a full flexibility over the code and its performances. So to so, it is in native language that the best apps are coded.
Hybrid
Hybrid apps are apps designed to be supported on all systems: Android, iOS and any other potential Operating Systems. The idea is not to develop a real app but to develop a website which will then embed within an app.
Hybrid apps are really interesting because they allow you to easily get started, to already use the knowledge that you have in website development in order to easily launch apps. As well, this is really interesting as it is lowering your costs of developments. The issue with hybrid apps is that you cannot take advantage of all the features offered by each platform.
CMS
Many providers are offering possibilities to easily drag and drop files, components, elements in order to create first apps in no time without breaking the bank. According to the platform you are choosing they can either deliver hybrid apps or native apps. Though in both cases they cannot provide you the same quality as a hybrid app or a native one. However they are very suitable for beginners.
- Hybrid: Compromise. It is more like a website that you are building to make it available on both platforms.
- CMS: the easiest way, but no flexibility and bad performances.