You have seen the numbers. You realize that mobile is important. The next question many companies ask themselves is: should we build a native, web, or hybrid mobile app? Here are the basic descriptions of those options.

• Native: iPhone app written in Swift/Objective-C, Android app written in Java/Kotlin. The app is available for download through the respective app stores.
• Web: Website developed in HTML5 but stylistically modified to look good on mobile devices. It is viewable by opening a browser such as Chrome or Safari.
• Hybrid: iPhone/Android app written in Swift/Objective-C/Java/Kotlin that displays HTML5 webpages. The app is available for download through the respective app stores.

Facebook initially developed hybrid apps for iPhone/Android. Mark Zuckerberg called it the "biggest mistake" that they made as a company and switched to building native apps.

We have outlined 5 compelling reasons to choose native when building for mobile.

1. Integration

Native apps have access to the phone's contact list, calendar, camera, GPS, accelerometer, compass, etc. By leveraging these device features, the app can provide a more engaging experience for the user. For example, the user can view relevant content based on their current location, capture & share photos, and add events to their calendar.

2. Attention

We have always been used to devoting attention to our phone to answer calls. While this is not as prevalent today, push notifications can grab the user's attention and provide contextually-aware information at any moment. This can increase engagement by encouraging users to revisit and interact with the app.

3. Accessibility

We carry our smartphones everywhere. From our bed, to the subway, to work, to the gym, to dinner, to our couch, to our bed again. As ubiquitous as Internet access is becoming, it is not always available everywhere (airplane, subway, etc.) and even if it is, the user does not always have access to Wi-Fi. Native apps can be used without an Internet connection and user data can be synchronized when network connectivity or Wi-Fi access is restored.

4. Experience

To stand out from the competition, it is imperative to delight your customers. That requires paying attention to detail and providing a seamless end-to-end experience. Native apps provide a considerable speed advantage over web/hybrid apps due to caching and offline support. In addition, they can take advantage of mobile-specific gestures to further improve the overall user experience.

5. Payment

It can be challenging to get users to provide their credit card information to make purchases. However, most iPhone/Android users have trusted Apple/Google with this information. Native apps can offer in-app purchases that are processed through the app stores. Although the app stores take a 30% revenue cut, it removes a major obstacle by enabling users to easily make secure purchases.

Swish creates native mobile apps for businesses accross the board. We're here to help, [let's chat](https://www.swishlabs.com/contact).