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Apps & Software

Native, cross-platform or web app: choosing the right build

Author
Lumna Team
Published
1 min read

O ne of the first decisions in any app project is how it will be built. The choice affects cost, timelines, performance and how easily the product can grow, so it is worth making deliberately rather than by habit.

Native apps

Native apps are built separately for iOS and Android with each platform’s own tools. They offer the best performance and the deepest access to device features, and they feel completely at home on each platform. The trade-off is two codebases to build and maintain.

Cross-platform apps

Frameworks such as React Native and Flutter let one codebase run on both platforms. For most business apps, including bookings, accounts, content and e-commerce, they deliver a near-native experience with lower development and maintenance effort.

Progressive web apps

A progressive web app runs in the browser but can be installed on the home screen and work offline. It needs no app store approval and shares code with your website. Access to some device features is more limited, particularly on iOS.

Questions to ask before deciding

  • Which device features does the product truly need?
  • Do users expect to find you in the app stores?
  • How often will the product change after launch?
  • Who will maintain it, and with which skills?

There is no universally right answer. A short discovery phase, with a clear feature list and a simple prototype, usually makes the best option obvious and avoids expensive changes of direction later.

Lumna Team

Lumna is a London digital agency working across SEO, web design, social media, advertising, apps and analytics. We write about what we learn on client work so you can apply it to your own brand.

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