The biggest question people ask is why waste energy and resources building different native apps? It would be a lot easier for us (app developers) if we could build one web application that all platforms could access. But as the market has whispered to us, building native is a much better thing to do for our law firm customers. And here are six reasons why native apps are better than web apps:

1) Native Apps Are Faster

Web apps, like Chrome or Safari, run on a smartphone’s browser. Browsers are responsible for executing HTML and JavaScript code to pull off their magic. HTML5 especially has an impressive functionality, but the performance is not there. For users, speed is a very important quality in a mobile app.

According to this article analysing smartphone performance, native apps run 5 times faster than JavaScript code. And different browsers execute JavaScript at different speeds. Not to get very technical – although I suspect I already have – but the code used to build web apps is, fundamentally, not built for optimal performance. The code frameworks used to build native apps is highly tuned for speed. And native apps can be developed in very little time.

2) Native Apps Afford Better User-Experience

The iPhone and Android platforms are similar, but each has its own visual differences. The UI elements used for selecting items, closing screens, and navigation are fundamentally different. In an iPhone app, it’s common to place the app navigation at the bottom of the screen. In Android, the convention is to press a button to bring up a menu.

When you have a “one-web-app-fits-all” philosophy for a mobile experience, at least one group of users is going to use an app that does not look like a normal app for the system. We believe it is important to preserve the same experience of the phone you’re using, so you see the same buttons you’re used to seeing and can use your navigation in the same way.

3) Native Apps Take Advantage of Cameras, Microphones, and Other Hardware support

Mobile browsers have access to GPS – and that’s a good thing. But if you want to work with the total awesomeness of the modern smartphone, your hands are tied. Native apps offer 100% hardware support and fulfil all requirements of a functional reality.

Native apps can be integrated with Google Now and Apple Siri to provide voice search functionality for the users. One can also implement the barcode scanner easily in a native app to find the best prices and deals for products. Apps made with Vajro can easily integrate with Voice assistants and Location-based deals, and provide the barcode scanning functionality.

4) Native Apps get quicker access to new OS features

Native apps have an advantage of immediate access when new features are announced by the OS providers. Be it any new features – Apple watch support, Google Now integration, New Material design style or Apple notification widgets, native apps will be the first to get access to these features. For Web and hybrid apps, one needs to wait for the latest features and design styles.

5) Native Apps have better Offline Support

One of the coolest things about HTML5 is that it can store data offline. However, there are two major hiccups here. One, you’re limited to storing 5MB of data offline. Second, users can choose to turn off mobile storage. When you’re running a customer support department, the dizzying array of settings on a person’s device can present a training and sleuthing challenge.

6) Most Users Prefer Native

This is, perhaps, the most important takeaway. Users simply prefer having native apps. Native apps offer great user experiences. They offer speed, robustness, flexibility and a wide range of functionality that most users demand.

To be sure, web apps have their place; but for the ultimate user experience, native apps rule.

One problem with native apps is that development costs could be higher than for web apps. But Vajro provides high-quality and viable apps at an affordable price. If you’re interested, check out our plans and pricing.