Can a hybrid app compete with a native one? These 10 examples of hybrid apps prove it can.
It's not just native apps that can deliver a seamless, high-performance mobile experience. Some of the world’s most popular apps used by millions daily are actually hybrid apps, blending web technologies with native functionality.
Hybrid apps offer a unique advantage: they let you develop once and deploy across multiple platforms, saving time and resources without sacrificing user experience. But can they really match the speed and responsiveness of a native app?
The answer is a resounding yes, and we have proof. In this article, we’ll explore 10 powerful hybrid app examples from global brands that have successfully embraced this approach.
What is a hybrid app?
A hybrid app is a type of software application that merges the characteristics of both native and web apps. It is developed using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but is not limited to running in a browser. Instead, it is "wrapped inside a native app shell", allowing it to be installed and distributed through app stores like Google Play and Apple App Store just like a native mobile app.
Unlike traditional web apps, which run entirely in a browser and have limited access to device features, hybrid mobile apps can interact with hardware components such as the camera, GPS, push notifications, and file storage. This is achieved through native plugins and APIs, thereby making hybrid apps a flexible and cost-effective solution for mobile app development.
To build a hybrid app, developers rely on specialized frameworks that act as a bridge between web and native environments. Some of the most widely used hybrid app development frameworks include:
- React Native (RN): Developed by Meta (formerly Facebook), this popular framework allows developers to write UI components in JavaScript but renders native components for a smoother user experience.
- Flutter: Created by Google, Flutter uses Dart instead of JavaScript and allows for highly customizable UI with native performance. Compare React Native and Flutter in this guide.
- Apache Cordova (PhoneGap): One of the earliest hybrid frameworks, Cordova uses WebView and native plugins to integrate web apps with mobile features.
- Ionic: Built on Angular and TypeScript, Ionic provides a UI component library optimized for mobile applications and works with Cordova or Capacitor.
How do hybrid apps work?
At their core, hybrid apps run inside a WebView, a browser-like component within the native app container. This allows web-based code to be executed inside the app while still maintaining access to native functionalities through bridges and native plugins.
Here’s a basic breakdown of how hybrid apps operate:
- Frontend development: The UI and app logic are built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, similar to a web application.
- Native container: The app’s web code runs inside a lightweight native container. Platforms like Apache Cordova or Capacitor allow it to interact with native device features.
- Native APIs and plugins: Additional functionalities such as GPS, camera, file storage, and sensors are integrated using JavaScript-based bridges that communicate with native APIs.
- Deployment: The final hybrid app is packaged into an APK (Android) or IPA (iOS) file and distributed through app stores like a native app.
Hybrid apps vs Native apps
When considering mobile app development, native apps are often compared to hybrid apps. Native apps are built specifically for each platform (iOS or Android) using platform-specific languages, offering high performance and seamless user experiences.
Hybrid mobile apps combine web technologies with native elements, allowing developers to use a single codebase for both platforms.
But going deeper, it's worth noting the following major differences between native apps and hybrid apps.
Firstly, the technology stack is one of the most significant distinctions. To build native apps, developers use platform-specific programming languages (Swift for iOS devices, Kotlin for an Android app). In contrast, hybrid apps use web tech like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then are enclosed in a native framework to run on mobile.
Secondly, performance plays a crucial role in the user experience. Native apps offer superior performance because they can directly interact with the device’s hardware, ensuring smoother, more responsive experiences. Conversely, hybrid apps run in a WebView and may face limitations, especially when handling complex features or graphics.
Lastly, the development time and cost differ significantly. Native apps require separate codebases for iOS and Android, which leads to longer development cycles and higher costs. However, hybrid applications utilize a single codebase, which helps reduce both development time and costs. This makes them an appealing choice for companies aiming to reach a broader audience quickly and launch their product faster.
Hence, they have some key similarities.
Both native and hybrid apps can be distributed through major app stores such as the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, allowing them to reach a wide and diverse user base. Additionally, while native apps offer full access to device features, hybrid apps also enable access to native functionalities through the use of plugins and APIs.
Hybrid apps vs Progressive web apps
Hybrid apps and progressive web apps (PWAs) both help you reach users across platforms, but they work in different ways. For example, if you choose to build a hybrid app, you’re using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Besides, you can also distribute your app through stores and access device features like the camera or GPS.
On the other hand, PWAs are web apps that run directly in a browser (no installation needed). They can also work offline and send push notifications.
Thus, while PWAs are quicker and easier to develop, hybrid apps tend to offer a more native-like experience, especially when you need deeper device integrations.
Benefits of hybrid app development
If you want to create a feature-rich app quickly and reach a wide audience on both Android and iOS platforms, hybrid app development might be the right choice for your next project. Why?
1) Cost-effectiveness
Using a hybrid app reduces the hiring costs for development teams. That's why, hybrid mobile app development can be your go-to choice if you want to save on both development time and costs.
By using a single codebase for both Android and iOS platforms, you don’t need to develop separate native apps for each platform. This helps keep your project more affordable while still reaching a larger audience.
2) Faster time-to-market
The development time for hybrid apps is generally shorter when compared to native apps.
If you’re looking to get your app into the hands of users quickly, hybrid apps are a great option. Since the same code works across multiple platforms, you’ll cut down on the time it takes to develop and test your app. This gives you a faster way to launch your product, reaching your target audience on both Android and iOS platforms simultaneously.
3) Access to native features
Hybrid mobile apps let you access key features of mobile devices. This gives you the ability to build apps with rich functionality, without needing to fully commit to a native app.
It’s an ideal choice if you want a seamless experience for users while keeping development manageable.
4) Scalability
If you’re planning to expand your app’s features or make updates in the future, hybrid app development offers an easy way to scale. Since you only need to maintain a single codebase, you can roll out updates across both iOS and Android platforms at the same time, ensuring your app stays consistent and up-to-date for all users.
4) Wider reach
Hybrid apps can be a great way to extend your reach across different mobile devices. Whether users are on Android or iOS, your app can run smoothly on both.
5) Tech giants support
Hybrid apps also benefit from strong industry backing. For instance, Google created Flutter and Facebook (now Meta) developed React Native, which have become the preferred frameworks for many developers. As these major companies continue to promote these technologies, native app languages are becoming less common. When industry giants lead with a particular coding language, others tend to follow, making hybrid app development the dominant trend.
However, hybrid app development may not be the best choice if your app requires advanced platform-specific features or high performance, like in gaming or resource-heavy apps. Additionally, if you need a highly tailored UI that follows platform-specific design guidelines closely, native apps may be a better fit. Finally, if your app targets users on a single platform, a native app could provide a more polished and optimized experience.
Top 10 hybrid app examples
Here are some examples of hybrid apps that everyone knows.
Instagram is one of the best hybrid app examples that uses a multi-platform framework and native cover.
Instagram was rewritten to function in React Native after it became part of the Facebook (now Meta) ecosystem. Over time, the app integrated more native components to handle performance-heavy tasks, such as image/video processing, IGTV, and Reels.
How the app works
The app incorporates native plugins and APIs for essential device features like the camera, GPS, and push notifications, giving it a native-like experience while maintaining flexibility. Besides, it also uses WebView to manage content like comments, profiles, and stories, ensuring fast content loading and smooth interaction.
BMW app
BMW developed their vehicle companion app using Flutter, a cross-platform framework, to maintain a single codebase for both iOS and Android platforms, reducing development time and costs. The app offers features like remote vehicle access, real-time data, and control over settings, ensuring a seamless experience across multi-platform apps.
How the app works
By integrating native plugins and APIs, the app accesses features like push notifications and GPS for a smooth, responsive experience. Besides, BMW switched to Flutter to develop their hybrid app, allowing for faster implementation of features across platforms. Flutter's widget-based architecture ensures consistent performance and user interface across platforms, while also enabling fast updates.
X (formerly Twitter)
Twitter is another great addition to the list of popular hybrid app examples. Initially launched as a web-based platform, Twitter switched to a hybrid app to efficiently handle performance issues and push bug fixes quickly.
How the app works
Technologically, Twitter’s hybrid approach integrates both native and web technologies. It uses a WebView for rendering content in certain parts of the app, while still accessing device-specific features like notifications, camera, and GPS through native plugins. This combination of native functionality and web-based elements allows Twitter to be fast and responsive, while still offering the cross-platform efficiency of hybrid development.
Tesla app
It is another case among the best hybrid app examples. It also offers a multi-platform app experience for both iOS and Android users.
The Tesla app allows users to control their cars remotely through a hybrid app that utilizes a single codebase for updates.
How the app works
Built on hybrid development frameworks, the app is backed by Flutter and React Native, combining native and web technologies to provide efficient cross-platform support. The app integrates existing web app functionalities, like vehicle status tracking and location services, using native plugins for key features such as push notifications and GPS integration.
Discord
Discord is also a prime example of a successful hybrid app, built with a single codebase to efficiently run on multiple platforms, including iOS and Android.
Discord has always been built as a hybrid app, enabling quick implementations of UI components and over-the-air patches. This hybrid approach allows Discord to quickly push updates and patches, ensuring fast UI component implementation and an improved user experience.
How the app works
Key technical features include the use of WebView for content rendering and native modules for device-specific functionalities like notifications and voice chats. This combination delivers a native-like experience on both iOS and Android, making Discord one of the top hybrid app examples for real-time communication across multiple devices.
However, real-time communication apps like Discord can face latency issues with hybrid technology, especially during high traffic, as native components may offer better performance in handling continuous audio/video data.
eBay Motors
eBay Motors was developed as a hybrid app that shared significant code between Android and iOS apps for quick releases. The app’s core functionalities, such as search, listing management, and image galleries, are powered by web technologies, which makes it flexible and fast to update.
How the app works
It also leverages React Native as its core hybrid framework. However, eBay Motors faces challenges when dealing with heavy media content, such as high-resolution images or video listings. For example, while RN provides good support for handling image and media loading, hybrid development can sometimes lead to slower performance and longer load times compared to fully native apps. To address this, eBay Motors utilizes tools like native modules and optimized image loading libraries to manage media content more effectively.
Despite these occasional performance hiccups, the ability to rapidly update features and maintain a single codebase for both platforms remains a key advantage for eBay Motors. The flexibility of React Native allows eBay Motors to offer frequent updates, which is crucial for staying competitive in the fast-evolving e-commerce space.
Uber
Uber’s hybrid app employs React Native to optimize its ride-hailing service across both iOS and Android platforms. By using native modules for crucial real-time features like location tracking, driver communication, and payment processing, Uber can provide near-native performance for core functions.
How the app works
One interesting technical aspect of Uber’s hybrid approach is how the app manages complex background tasks, such as real-time trip tracking, push notifications, and location updates, all while minimizing battery consumption and maintaining app performance. The hybrid framework allows Uber to run these tasks efficiently on both iOS and Android devices, leveraging web technologies to handle these processes in the background without significant delays or interruptions. However, during times of high usage or network congestion, Uber occasionally faces latency in updating driver locations and ride details, which can be a drawback when compared to fully native apps optimized for such use cases.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams uses React Native to build its hybrid app, supporting various platforms including Windows, Apple, and Android. This hybrid structure allows Teams to provide high-quality chat, video conferencing, and file sharing. Teams takes advantage of native modules for real-time updates like notifications, ensuring users stay in sync regardless of their platform.
How the app works
A notable aspect of Teams’ hybrid development is its ability to scale and handle heavy interactions, like live video chats and document collaboration. The trade-off, however, is performance during prolonged video calls, where the hybrid framework can’t always match the smoothness and low latency of a native app.
Gmail
Gmail has taken a hybrid approach with a combination of Flutter and React Native development, enabling a unified experience across iOS and Android. Besides, Gmail is widely believed to be a hybrid app that uses website technologies to offer a consistent cross-platform experience.
How the app works
The hybrid framework allows Gmail to maintain a light app size, ensuring that users can quickly download and start using it. However, complex email threads and attachments can sometimes cause delays in rendering, where native applications may perform more efficiently. Despite this, Gmail's hybrid architecture strikes a good balance between functionality, speed, and maintaining a consistent experience across different platforms.
Other applications, including those in finance, travel, and commerce, are also benefiting from the hybrid approach. For instance, the hybrid app for Klarna allows businesses to integrate their payment services into their platforms seamlessly. Travelstart's migration to a hybrid app reduced its codebase by 90%, enhancing app speed and efficiency. Additionally, the Baskin Robbins app uses hybrid technology to provide an engaging experience with frequent updates and promotions.
Conclusion
Hybrid apps offer a compelling solution for businesses looking to reach a broad audience across multiple platforms without the significant costs of developing separate native apps for iOS and Android. Besides, if your team is proficient in web application development, hybrid app development can leverage those existing skills to build powerful cross-platform apps.
In comparison to native mobile development, hybrid apps bring many advantages, such as easier maintenance, faster updates, and reduced development costs. Examining real-world hybrid app examples shows how they can deliver excellent performance, flexibility, and seamless user experiences, similar to native applications. This makes hybrid development a popular choice for businesses aiming to create mobile apps without compromising on quality.
Not sure whether to go for a native app, a hybrid one or which tech stack to choose? We understand that choosing the right path for mobile app development can feel overwhelming, especially with so many options to consider. But don’t worry, we’re here to make it simple and tailored to you! At Akveo, we’re not just about building apps; we’re about building the right app for you. Our mobile app development team takes the time to understand your business, guide you through your options, and ensure your app stands out across any platform. Ready to turn your idea into reality? Let’s make it happen! Contact us to discuss more.
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The solution:
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The scope of work
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The result
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The scope of work
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The scope of work
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The scope of work
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The scope of work
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The scope of work
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