Software development companies in South Africa have been building specialised apps for years now, and since these types of media have been around for such a long time, it stands to reason that the field of application development has become more complex and intricate as it goes. Having said this, there are now so many different types of apps on the market, each serving specific purposes and running off of different frameworks, each carefully done to suit specific means. Yes, there are many different types of apps out there, and selecting the right one for the communicative needs of your business will make all the difference to the type and levels of value added to your services. So, to help you make the right choice, here is a little more about the different types of apps you could choose to have developed.
Native Apps
Native apps take advantage of the functionality of the device they are installed to. On iOS systems they use Objective-C or Swift for their framework. Android relies on Java, while Windows phones (which have a very limited market-share) use Net frameworks.
They are called ‘native’ because they are developed for a specific platform or device and can’t be used on others. They offer excellent performance and better user experience since they use the devices own user interface to function. They do come with higher development costs than other types, however, since they need to be created for different platforms.
Hybrid Apps
Hybrid apps are built from frameworks that can function over multiple platforms such as HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. They are generally web applications that have been wrapped to look like apps. This makes them relatively fast and also keeps production and maintenance costs down; and as such, are a popular choice for developers.
They are, however, limited in functionality and performance since they don’t take advantage of a device’s native functions, and can also be difficult to design uniformly across multiple platforms, since they take on the UI of the device they are installed on.
Web Apps
Web apps have a few properties related to hybrid apps, in that they use HTML5, JavaScript or CSS in their development, though they are accessed directly through a device’s browser. The advantage of this is that they take up very little memory on the device using it, since everything is saved on an external server. This does, however, mean that a strong network connection is needed for full functionality.
Gaming, Business and Education
All of the abovementioned apps can be developed for a number of purposes. They could be used for marketing, facilitating sales, creating a platform for productivity and much more. The limitations are only defined by the developer’s imagination and the commissioner’s vision. These apps are quite commonly used for gaming, business, education and even healthcare; though their application is far more widely spread than that.
Contact Applord to Learn More
To find out more about having a native, hybrid or web-based app developed for your business, contact one of our app development professionals at Applord and speak to them for answers. Alternatively, visit our website to find out more about our services and offers.
