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The debate between developing hybrid vs. native apps has been going on for a long time, and while it’s sure to continue long into the future, the argument for the hybrid model is getting stronger every day.

Making the Switch

Some of the topmost brands have recently ditched native and gone hybrid. With hybrid frameworks like Ionic and Apache Cordova (PhoneGap) becoming more mature, the assumption that a native app performs better is outdated.

In fact, the trend towards HTML5 and hybrid apps is stronger than ever; a recent Gartner report says that 90% of all Enterprise apps will be HTML5 or Hybrid by the end of this year.

As it turns out, the hybrid approach is also being used for consumer focused apps by some of the most iconic internet companies. Even Apple, a company famous for its emphasis on its native platform, went with a hybrid app for the Apple App Store. It uses native elements for the top search and bottom navigation toolbars, but the app search results are web views that seamlessly reload with every search.

Other consumer apps , such as Instagram, Uber, and Twitter are hybrid.

Instagram is used by over 300 million monthly users, and has an average of 70 million photos a day. By using a hybrid app, Instagram receives HTML5’s support of offline data as well as rich media, such as its short videos. Similarly, Uber’s user base is estimated to be in the millions, while Twitter’s smartphone app is used by more than 100 million users each month.

Clearly, the shift towards hybrid and HTML5 apps is huge, and is only going to increase over time.

So why is hybrid becoming a better choice? The short answer is frameworks like PhoneGap, and Ionic, and platforms like Appery.io.

In the past, developers often had to make a choice between development ease and cost vs. UI/UX. If they wanted to create apps that worked across multiple device types – Android, IOS, and Windows – HTML5 or hybrid mobile apps could be deployed quickly, easily, and at a relatively low cost, but forced developers to sacrifice the user experience (UX) consumers expect. Alternatively, native apps provided a more dynamic experience unique to the device and operating system, but were expensive and took time to build for each platform.

Appery & Ionic

Ionic is an open source SDK that supports a broad range of common mobile components, smooth animations, and beautiful designs. It bridges the gap of time- and cost-efficiency and beautiful, functional design.

With that in mind, Appery has recently introduced Ionic integration into the platform.

Long a proponent of hybrid apps, Appery supports Apache Cordova (PhoneGap), AngularJS, JQuery Mobile, and Bootstrap, but with our new Ionic integration, we’re taking it a step even further.

By integrating the Ionic SDK into Appery, developers no longer have to compromise when creating apps for the enterprise and can build HTML5/hybrid apps on a single code base that offer a native UX across all platforms. The Appery.io platform also lowers the skills barrier, empowering a broader base of developers and business analysts to create effective and intuitive mobile applications.

“We’re excited that Appery has integrated Ionic into its Appery.io platform to give developers access to a powerful way to create native user experiences with HTML5 technologies,” said Max Lynch, CEO of Ionic. “When strong companies like Appery support the web stack, we all win.”

By adopting the Ionic SDK, Appery emerges as a leading mobile app development platform for driving HTML and hybrid apps forward in the enterprise.

“Appery, LLC has made significant strides this year to ensure that we’re providing the best possible product to the 200,000+ developers using Appery.io,” said Fima Katz, CEO of Appery, LLC. “With the integration of Ionic’s capabilities into our platform, we’ve been able to close the gap between fully native and hybrid apps so that developers don’t have to choose between speed, cost and user experience.”

To learn more about Ionic, check out this introduction to the framework, and for a more in-depth look, here’s a tutorial to build an app using Ionic and AngularJS.