Posts Tagged ‘app developer’

Should You Build PhoneGap or Native Applications?

February 11th, 2015

This is one question that troubles every IOS developer out there especially during the startup days. Typically, people would advise you to move native as soon as possible with no explanation. Core developers have a rigid mind-set where they totally shun PhoneGap and always choose the native route. But there are basis to this mindset and without its proper explanation, you should not move to either road.

So, here are a bunch of reasons that would help you decide whether you need to go for PhoneGap or native application.

Accelerated Development

What PhoneGap promises is speed. This is the foremost reason why people choose to make apps using PhoneGap. When development process is accelerated, a lot of other resources are saved. When you have sufficient experience with CSS, HTML and JavaScript, you can easily use PhoneGap to your advantage and quickly finish building apps. But the speed aspect definitely lacks the native feel.

Depending on the situation, speed may not always be the primary force driving the project. When it comes adding in-depth features, PhoneGap definitely lacks the punch. Its not always about getting an app out quickly. In case of native, the app is more consistent on multiple platforms and devices. To achieve, speed has to be made secondary. If you are in for performance, go native. For smaller projects or cookie-cutter approach, there’s no harm in choosing PhoneGap as your tool of choice.

Performance

This is hands down a native realm. When it comes to extracting performance out of your app, native has to be the perfect approach. Somehow, PhoneGap apps are a little sluggish and don’t meet the performance benchmarks of the native apps. For examples, buttons are more responsive in native environment. UI features are more prominent and at-home in native.

Most large corporations switch to native as soon as the PhoneGap glitches come pounding. The biggest examples is Facebook, which claimed their native app was twice as fast compared to the embedded HTML 5 version earlier. Sometimes, the experience is what matters and native apps deliver the bang for the buck.

Swift or Objective-C

The biggest reason why PhoneGap became popular is that people could skip the Objective-C and Swift learning part. Not all programmers are eager to learn new language. A combination of HTML, JavaScript and CSS can only be used by skilled developers in the right combination to brew something special. Although, learning these languages isn’t hard but who would use them if they can avoid them altogether.

Adding a native feel to an app means you have to know how best to use CSS, HTML and Jscript. And in this case, you can minimise the use of O-C and Swift.

Final Say

It all boils down to your business model and the client’s requirements. If you have the resources to go native, there’s no place like it. When you can program well in HTML 5, CSS, Objective-C and more, you will have great fun making awesome apps. But if you want to build a quick proptotype or working on a small-budget project, PhoneGap doesn’t harm. So, it’s more of a personal battle.