Native vs Cross-Platform
Building a mobile app means choosing between writing platform-specific code or using a framework that targets multiple platforms from one codebase. Both approaches have succeeded at scale — Instagram uses native development while Discord uses React Native. Understanding the trade-offs helps you make the right choice.
Native Development
Native development means writing separate apps for each platform using their official tools and languages.
For iOS, you write Swift (or older Objective-C) code using Xcode on a Mac. You have direct access to every iOS feature and API. The app feels exactly like other iOS apps because it uses the same UI components.
For Android, you write Kotlin (or older Java) code using Android Studio. Same benefits — full platform access and native look and feel.
The downside is maintaining two codebases. Features must be implemented twice. Bug fixes applied twice. Two teams with different skill sets, or developers who know both platforms well.
Cross-Platform Development
Cross-platform frameworks let you write one codebase that runs on both iOS and Android.
React Native uses JavaScript and React patterns. If you know web development with React, the learning curve is gentler. It renders using native UI components, so apps feel native rather than web-like.
Flutter uses Dart (Google's language) and draws its own UI rather than using native components. This gives pixel-perfect consistency across platforms but can feel slightly different from native apps.
.NET MAUI uses C# and targets developers in the Microsoft ecosystem. It's newer and has a smaller community than React Native or Flutter.
Making the Choice
Native development wins when you need:
- Maximum performance (games, video editing, AR)
- Deep platform integration (HealthKit, Android Auto)
- Platform-specific UX that feels perfectly native
- Access to newest platform features immediately
Cross-platform wins when you need:
- Faster development with smaller teams
- Consistent features across platforms
- Shared business logic
- Web developers building mobile apps
The performance gap has narrowed significantly. Most apps — social media, e-commerce, productivity tools — work perfectly well with cross-platform frameworks. Reserve native development for performance-critical or platform-specific applications.
Many teams use hybrid approaches: shared cross-platform code for most features, with native modules for performance-critical parts.