WebView vs Native App: Which One Should You Choose?

Whether to build a webview app or a native app is one of the critical tasks for businesses and developers. First of all, you have to understand the difference between webview app vs native app, their benefits, cost, performance, and more.

Keep reading this blog, which will explain the meaning of webview apps and native apps, their advantages, disadvantages, and strategies to make an informed decision on whether to go with a native app or a webview app for mobile app development.

What Is a WebView App?

A webview helps you make an app from scratch, especially from your existing website. This works like a browser but shows your web content inside the native shell without opening a browser and navigating to different pages.

Advantages of WebView Apps

• Quick app creation with a lower cost

• Uses your existing web content

• Automatic app updates from website changes

Disadvantages of WebView Apps

• Perform slower than native apps

• Limited access to the mobile features, like GPS, Camera, etc

• Using the content offline might be restricted or limited

For some businesses and startups, Webview apps are best when they require a simple, content-focused mobile app with minimal cost.

What Is a Native App?

A native app is specially designed for a single platform that uses programming languages such as Java, Swift, etc. Being a native app, it can take advantage of device features, work smoothly, and deliver a better user experience.

Benefits of Native Apps

• Native apps are more responsive and quicker in the mobile environment

• Full access to device features, like camera, GPS, sensors, etc

• Better offline functionality and presence on the app stores

• Offers a seamless user experience with standard native designs

Drawbacks of Native Apps

• Requires a high cost and resources for creating separate Android and iOS apps

• If you want to make a content-based app, it may feel like more than what is actually needed

• Sometimes, a small change requires a new update and approval from the app stores

  
  

WebView vs Native App: Key Differences

Features	WebView App	Native App
User Experience	Basic Gestures and Animations	Native like, Platform-Specific UI
Performance	Average, Depends on Web Content	Fast and Fully Optimized for Device Hardware
Access to Device Features	Limited API Support	Full Access to Camera, GPS, and Sensors
Offline Mode	Limited	Full Offline Capabilities
Cost of Development	Lower	Separate Costs According to Different Android/iOS Platforms
Time to Market	Fast	A bit Longer
Maintenance	Easy	Separate Update Requirements for iOS and Android
Best Use Cases	FBlogs, Portfolios, and Business Details	Great for Games, e-commerce, and apps with rich interactions

When to Choose WebView Apps

Go for the WebView app if:

• Want fast app launching with existing web content

• The website contains information, like a catalogue, blog, etc

• Budget makes the native app development costly

WebToNative is a platform that helps businesses convert their websites into mobile apps with ease. This is suitable for users from non-technical backgrounds who want to launch a mobile app quickly. Additionally, you can add native-specific features such as push notifications, deep linking, user login, and biometric authentication.

When to Choose Native Apps

A native app is a good option when:

• Your mobile app requires smooth animation, heavy processing, and better performance

• Want device features, like camera, GPS, sensors, etc

• The goal is to enhance presence in the app stores with monetization support

• Platform-specific app behaviour is essential for Android or iOS

Native apps are mostly suitable for businesses’ complex tools, e-commerce apps, gaming apps, and applications where experience and speed matter the most.

Combining WebView and Native Apps: Where Speed Meets Performance

What if you want a hybrid app that combines both webview flexibility with native features? Some platforms, like React and Flutter offers quick app development with native functionalities. In addition, a hybrid app also provides better performance than standard WebView apps. Go to the Hybrid Apps with WebView Guide for comprehensive details.

Final Thoughts: WebView Apps or Native Apps?

If your goal is to increase speed, stay on a budget, and deliver content, the WebView app is the best option for you. There are no technical complexities to convert your website to a native app using WebToNative.

On the other hand, native apps provide smooth performance, deep hardware access, rich features, and much more.

Reading the above comparison between webview vs native app, including cost, development time, performance, and user experience, will help you select the effective approach for your mobile strategy.