Web Apps vs. Native Apps: The Low Down
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Native mobile apps currently have an advantage over web apps in terms of the number of apps/downloads and revenue generated. However, web apps are improving with new HTML5 features that expand their capabilities. While native apps currently have advantages in areas like performance, user experience, and monetization through app stores, web apps are improving in these areas and have advantages in development costs and updates. A hybrid approach that uses web technologies packaged in a native wrapper may be a good compromise, allowing web apps to tap into native features and app store distribution. Overall the gap between web and native is narrowing as the mobile web platform evolves.
Web Apps vs. Native Apps: The Low Down
- 1. follow us on twitter @apppli contact@apppli.com
- 2. Web vs. native The multi-platform mobile app debate Presented by Gokul Selvaraj Partner, Apppli @sgokul
- 3. Native apps have the lead • Over 1 million mobile apps have been developed Over $10 billion generated through direct app sales • Close to 25 billion native apps downloaded
- 4. Why has the web lagged? • Limited capabilities of mobile browsers Failure of current web standards to cater to mobile user needs • All set to change with the adoption of HTML5
- 5. What do web apps need to address? • Functionality Performance • User Experience • Development costs Monetisation • Discoverability
- 6. Feature Gap • Supported on iOS and Android Specified in HTML5 draft browsers • Physical sensors Offline storage • Notifications • Geolocation • Media Gallery • Advanced 2D rendering (Canvas) • Media Capture • Multimedia Playback • Feature Permissions • Contacts • Calendar • System Information
- 7. Performance: Can web apps ever be as fast? • Native code is implicitly faster since it is closer to machine language • Web apps can become faster by taking advantage of these HTML5 features: • WebWorkers for multi-threaded execution • Hardware acceleration to speed up rendering WebGL to improve 3D graphics performance
- 8. Development costs • Building a single web app is cheaper than building multiple native apps. Web development skill-sets are more readily available than native skill-sets. • Maintaining and updating a single code base is much easier and cheaper.
- 9. User experience • Native apps can make use of controls specific to the OS that users are already familiar with • Web apps can detect the platform being used by the user and present a custom CSS that takes advantage of such platform specific controls • Over time, the mobile web will evolve its own set of touch friendly controls
- 10. Monetisation • Native apps are easier to monetise through simple tap to pay application stores. • Many monetisation mechanisms are already available on the desktop web like subscription, advertising and affiliate networks. • Web apps will have the option to not bear the monopoly fees charged by native application stores.
- 11. Discoverability • Again, native app stores have made discovery very easy for new users through curated lists, top charts and user reviews. On the web, app discovery is possible through multiple media by the simple process of linking through a URL. • Curated distribution mechanisms such as the Chrome web store are starting to appear on desktop and can be expected on mobile sometime soon.
- 13. Hybrid approach Some glaring gaps with web apps may not make it worthwhile for developers to invest solely in web apps today Hybrid apps: multi-platform HTML5 apps packaged in a native wrapper • Fills in for the lacking functionality with native code Allows distribution and monetisation via native app stores • Development costs are low unless heavy customisation is required for each platform
- 15. in summary Native will always be faster at adopting new technologies • Hybrid apps are a compromise • Native is a fast moving target but web is narrowing the gap. • The openness and accessibility of the web as a platform is certain to make web apps popular in the not-so-distant future
- 16. Thank you Download our whitepaper here! appp.li/html5wp Presented by Gokul Selvaraj Partner, Apppli @sgokul
Editor's Notes
- #3: What are native apps how are they different from web apps? What is HTML5 - latest version of a group of standards for structuring and presenting web content
- #4: Talk about how native apps have grabbed the minds and pockets of people and the media.
- #5: Mainly because of lack of functional capabilities This in turn is because of failure of web standards to cater to mobile user needs- local, offline HTML5 is set to change that because it directly addresses these needs.
- #7: Talk about NFC and how it is not included in the HTML5 draft.
- #8: Native- runs closer to the metal WebWorkers - for example by uploading a photo in the background while you fill up the rest of the signin form. HW acc- taps into dedicated GPUs available traditionally only to native apps, SVG so you can use same graphic for multiple screen sizes without loss of performance or quality. WebGL- 3D graphics without plugins; plugins like Flash or quicktime have always thought of as adding an additional layer that slows down the experience.
- #10: Repeated use of web specific controls will improve familiarity and ease of use.
- #16: Native: If your app needs to be on the cutting edge of functionality then staying on native is advisable. Hybrid:good compromise today for businesses that want to have a presence on most mobile app stores without the high costs of developing native apps for each platform. However hybrid apps still struggle to emulate the seamlessness and speed of native apps. Web :Web apps are gaining access to more and more features and capabilities on mobile devices with each passing day. Eventually, they are expected to minimise the gap with the fast moving native platforms. The openness and universal accessibility that have made the web so indispensable on the desktop will also do the same for mobile web apps. Therefore, while we think that native might be the optimal solution in most cases today, our bets are on web apps taking over in the not-so-distant future.