Update How to find whether Your Business needs a Cross-Platform App

What is your primary objective behind having an enterprise-grade app in today’s mobile-driven world? Well, the most obvious answer is to reach a huge audience. But then, how would you address an audience which is divided into groups that use either of two major OS- Android and iOS? The answer is cross-platform apps.

In other words, cross-platform mobile development enables you to get a customized business app that can run well on multiple mobile platforms including Android and iOS. Here, the cross-platform app developers compile a single app source code into native code for different OS.

However, whether opting for a native app or a cross-platform app is a hard decision for the enterprises. You need to consider different aspects ranging from your business requirements to objectives, pros and cons of various platforms, and the like before finalizing the option. You can either consult the renowned mobile app development company that deals with both native and cross-platform apps or find answers to the following questions to clear your way.

Here are your five questions that will remain handy to assess if a cross-platform app is a feasible option for your business:

When do you plan to launch app?

First things first. You need to set the timeline for developing an app. It includes the decision of whether you want to launch both Android and iOS versions of an app at once or one after another. When you map out the timeline, you will get a clear idea of which development method will remain more suitable for you.

For example, if you want to release the iOS version prior to the Android version, you should go for native app development. But, if you want to launch the Android version shortly after launching the iOS version, or want to launch both the versions together, then cross-platform app development is a better option. The cross-platform apps work on the unified codebase, therefore, these apps are released into the market at a faster pace.

What is your app development budget?

When it comes to selecting a platform or OS, you need to keep the pricing factor in mind. Apart from the current costs of the project, you need to evaluate the total cost. Whereas, cross-platform app development is a bit more cost-effective option. Also, if you want to provide new features or modify the existing ones, cross-platform development can save you big bucks as you will have to manage a single codebase only.

In other words, if the company has budgetary constraints, cross-platform app development is a preferable option over the native app development.

Which are the desired features and scope of your app?

Faster integration of features, implementation of complex features, or animations in your app- if you want these facilities, then you should go for native. All native applications provide full access to a device’s features and allow the performance monitoring.

But, if a simple and straightforward app with the scope of a little customization is all you need, then cross-platform development should be your choice.

Who is your target audience and where do they live?

If you want to address a huge audience consists of Android and iOS device users, it is better to go with a cross-platform application. It provides an app seamlessly working on Android and iOS while coping with time and budgetary constraints.

Native apps can be your choice if you have a country-specific audience. But then, growing popularity of Apple results in rising number of iPhone and iPad users across the world. Therefore, it is better to come up with an app that can work on both Android and iOS.

Which type of app does fit with your digital policy?

Let’s face it! In today’s social media-dominated world, it is inevitable for the business to come up with a digital policy that includes all the major techniques to reach a wider audience. Here, cross-platform apps have the upper hand. Even if you do not have a web app for your business, the cross-platform development enables you to get an app that can run on both mobiles and laptops/desktops with a single code.

A few years back, the cross-platform app development was sailing through troubled waters. Entrepreneurs chose this option as a cheap and time-saving option but ended up in a poorly-performing app as compared to its native counterpart.

Then, top software companies including Microsoft and Apache started to put an all-out effort to improve the cross-platform apps’ performance. As a result, we have got the tools like Xamarin and Apache Cordova (PhoneGap) respectively.

As predicted in Business and Finance report, the global cross-platform and mobile advertising market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.1% between 2016 to 2022. In such a scenario, the cross-platform app development seems a considerable option for your business application.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, it is better to have one cross-platform app than having two or more apps for different native platforms. Also, while opting for a cross-platform mobile app, you can leverage the benefits of technological advancements of various cross-platform frameworks like Ionic, Xamarin, PhoneGap, etc.

At Solutions Analysts, our experienced cross-platform app developers have expertise in using the cutting-edge tools. They follow the trends to come up with a feature-rich and future-ready enterprise application. Let’s get connected to start the ball rolling!