Recently I’ve found myself in discussions with clients on developing mobile applications for multiple platforms.  One conversation always comes up without fail: “Can we use a cross compilation tool to save money?”

Well, the answer is ….. maybe.

While I know that is a complete cop-out, there’s a method to my madness.  There are three options when you are looking to give mobile access to data and user interaction:  Mobile Web Sites, Cross-compiled Mobile Applications, and Native Mobile Applications.

I’ll go over each in detail in this post, but in general, Mobile Web Sites don’t have access to hardware on your phone like the camera or GPS and are only as responsive and fast (slow) as your browser is normally, Cross-compiled Mobile Applications bring access to your hardware components like cameras, file system, and GPS, but are again choppy and use Javascript and HTML5 to run natively in a local browser, and Native applications pull only live data when needed while having direct interaction with the mobile device operating system and hardware.

You should choose Mobile Web Site when:

  • Your users are used to interacting with you on your website
  • Site loading speed is not a concern to you or your customers
  • You don’t need access to the hardware on your customers’ phones
Mobile Web Sites are great for:
  • When your company wants to augment its mobile application strategy
  • When you want your data accessed on the go
  • Brands whose customers and users are used to visiting your website
  • When access to hardware features of the device are not necessary
  • When data is always “pulled” rather than “pushed” to your visitors

You should choose a Cross-compiled Mobile Application when:

  • You absolutely need mobile application device support, but can’t afford the cost of native application
  • You would like your users to interact with you through the stores (iTunes store, Google Play market, Blackberry App World, etc.)
  • You want to bring native functionality to your application
  • You need hardware access (Camera, Microphone, Streaming music, etc.)
  • You are testing a market demand for your product
Cross Compiled Mobile Applications are great for:
  • Low budget projects which need support across different devices
  • Moving full mobile website functionality onto a mobile device
  • Rapid development, “Must have by yesterday” deadlines
  • Proof of concept applications

You should choose a Native Mobile Application when:

  • Your application is feature-rich
  • You are displaying a great deal of video and audio content
  • You are streaming music or video from a server
  • Transitions between interfaces (screens) are important to your brand and your clients
  • You can afford the additional cost
  • When basic Push notifications are desired
Native applications are great for:
  • Manufacturing and on-site employee mobile apps
  • When efficiency and reliability are the two most important metrics
  • Sports teams and fan interactions
  • When Push Notifications are a major part of your project

The reason Natively written applications are more expensive is that the world all speaks different languages.  Much like China speaks a different national language than France, Android has adopted Java for a number of reasons, and Apple has adopted iOS for a similar number of reasons.  Are those reasons better than another?  No, they’re just different.  As developers we are only ensuring that we’re prepared to develop for all of these platforms equally, thereby offering you the highest availability to deliver exactly what you’re asking of our team.

Please consider contacting us in the footer below if you’d like to hear more about what a mobile application can do for you and your business!  And don’t forget to like us on facebook on the window to the right!