When your business needs a mobile app developed, there are many key questions that must be answered before that work can begin. What will the app do? How should it look? Will we develop it ourselves or outsource? How will this app fit into our overall business plan?
One of the most fundamental decisions that has to be made, however, is a choice between native vs. cross-platform mobile app development.
Native mobile apps are those developed specifically for a certain platform, such as iOS or Android, and run only on the platform they have been created to fit. Cross-platform mobile apps, on the other hand, are designed to work on any of a number of mobile devices, and with any of the multiple platforms they run.
5 Benefits of Cross-Platform Mobile Apps
In addition to the obvious benefit of versatility, cross-platform enterprise mobile app development can also offer a higher ROI for the businesses that embrace it. This ROI can be broken down into several components:
1. Quicker Turnaround: Because only one cross-platform app needs to be developed in order to achieve functionality on all platforms, rather than the multiple apps, each built from scratch, that it would take to meet the same demand using native apps, cross-platform enterprise mobile app development takes much less time than native app development.
And that’s not the only reason for the quicker turnaround. Code used to create cross-platform applications can be reused again and again, so app developers can tap into their library of already-coded puzzle pieces, as it were, to assemble these apps more efficiently each time. Any code specific to a company’s first mobile app can also be reused in later, related company mobile apps.
The sooner your mobile app is developed and deployed, the sooner you’ll be reaping the benefits from it.
2. Reduced Costs: This one’s a simple matter of doing the math. Less time and effort spent in development equals lower cost. With only a single mobile app to develop, not only does its creation move more quickly, but quality testing is also a simpler matter, as are deployment and ongoing support. The costs for all related services are reduced dramatically by opting for cross-platform mobile app development, thus allowing your enterprise to see that ROI more quickly, too.
3. Easy Integration With the Cloud: Cross-platform mobile apps are easily and instantly able to be integrated into the cloud for hosting services. Developing an almost universally compatible app means that businesses can take full advantage of all the money-saving benefits that cloud hosting has to offer. Security is also easier to handle, since there is only one app to shield, rather than several.
4. Quick Deployment: Since cross-platform apps can be deployed from a company’s web server and accessed via users’ browsers, it is a quick and intuitive process that can have your mobile app in use immediately after development is complete.
5. Easier Updates: Because cross-platform apps are accessed via the internet, updates are easy. Individual users have no need to download each update, which can lead to the necessity of maintaining and supporting more than one version of the app. Instead, the app is automatically updated for everyone, so that users always have the most current version on their devices.
By choosing cross-platform enterprise mobile app development, companies receive the significant benefits of faster turnaround time, lower costs, a quick deployment, and ease of ongoing management. It’s not hard to see how these factors, working together, help businesses realize an ROI higher than could be obtained from native app development.
If you are looking to develop a cross-platform mobile app, look no further than 7T. Our team has great experience leveraging cutting-edge technologies in our custom software and mobile app development projects. Additionally, our developers are experts in creative UI/UX design, mobile security and mobile analytics. We can help your business find the perfect mobile solution to fit your needs.
Based in Dallas, 7T maintains regional offices located in Chicago and Houston. To discuss your development project, contact the team at 7T today!
