Should You Convert A Web App into A Hybrid App?

If you also have web applications, you might be in a dilemma about whether to convert them into hybrid applications or not.

In this article, you will read about web apps and hybrid apps. It will help you to analyze all the pros and cons of converting web apps into hybrid apps.

After analyzing if you decide to carry out the conversion, you must consult an experienced web application development company to guide you through the process.

What Are Web Apps?

By definition, web apps are applications that are accessed with the help of the internet.

They do not have to be installed on your device, you can easily operate them via any web browser.

If you want to develop such apps that do not take up any space on the device and work with the use of the internet, then you should develop web apps.

Many people these days hire a web development company to ensure that they are coping up with all the trends of progressive web apps.

Progressive Web App

One major issue with web apps is that they do not have any features like native apps.

These features include performance, working offline, storing data, and sending push notifications.

Now, with the changing trends in technology, this problem has been resolved. The web apps possessing all these features are known as progressive web apps.

PWA development is surrounded by all the latest trends of web apps and fulfills all the requirements.

What Are Hybrid Apps?

Hybrid app development is a combination of native apps and web apps. You can install them just like the native apps, but once installed they work like the web apps.

Their core language is also the same as web apps, i.e, HTML, Javascript, CSS, etc.

What Are The Advantages Of Hybrid Apps And Why Should You Choose Them?

As was mentioned above, hybrid apps work just like web apps. So, they have all the advantages of a web application.

Given below is a list of some of the advantages of hybrid apps. Consulting a cross-platform app development company can make the whole process of developing a hybrid application easier.

They can help you to develop and maintain it without wasting your time and money.  

1. You Have To Manage Only One Code Base

This is the biggest advantage of hybrid apps. You have to develop only a single code, and you can run the application on any platform.

The application will be compatible with all the platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, macOS.

Cross-platform app development will ensure that your single code will run on all the platforms without any issues.

2. Time And Money Can Be Saved

As you only have to develop a single code for all the platforms, this can save a lot of your time and money.

After developing the code for one platform, you don’t have to develop code for another platform ‘from scratch’.

The same code can be reused for the other platforms as well. Thus, you would only have to invest half the price of the native apps.

One codebase confirms that hybrid app development is much faster and reasonable than the alternatives.

3. You Can Access Your Device Features Easily

As these applications work just like the web apps, you don’t have to install every update.

The web application development company will upgrade the application at the back-end and you won’t even know it.

You just have to restart the application in order to enjoy the new features. This will allow you to access all the new features at any point in time, without you even knowing that the app has been updated.

Disadvantages of Hybrid Apps

Apart from the many advantages of hybrid apps, there are a few disadvantages as well. Here is a list of some of the disadvantages.

If these disadvantages are interrupting the working of your application then you can go for PWA development instead of converting your web application into a hybrid app.

1. Performance

The performance of the hybrid apps cannot be as smooth as the native applications.

Their speed will depend on the speed of your internet connection. If the bandwidth is good, then only they will work smoothly.

One thing that a web development company can do is make the code simpler at the core so that it can be loaded easily. This will help to improve the performance of your hybrid application.

2. Cross-platform Apps Are Complex To Develop

Developing a single code and reusing it for all the platforms seems to be a simple task, but it can be confusing sometimes.

You will have to fulfill the requirements of all the platforms at the same time, which can make it a bit complex to work with.

3. Poor UI/UX

As these apps are nothing like native applications, so they don’t have an excellent UI/UX.

They don’t allow high-quality graphics, as they are difficult to load every time you use the application online, thus making the whole user-experience poor.

Should You Convert Web Apps Into Hybrid Apps?

If you convert a web app into a hybrid application, you will get the following features.

• Your app will be on the Play Store
• Push notifications
• Home screen icon

The major issue, however, will be that your customers won’t be able to use your application offline and have a smooth interface.

If you are seeking the former features only, you can convert your web apps into hybrid apps.

On the other hand, if you want your application to work offline, have smooth UI/UX and high performance, and allow high-quality graphic UI/UX, you must convert your web apps into native apps.

The hybrid apps are more economical, but native apps will provide better results.

Progressive web app development can also help you to resolve all the issues that you may face with hybrid apps.

Wrapping Up

In this article, you have read about both web apps and hybrid apps. Only after careful research and analysis of all the advantages and disadvantages should you decide whether you want to get your web apps converted into hybrid apps or not.

Otherwise, going for progressive web app development can be an economical and good option as well.