Technology
Is Hybrid with WebView Better Than Flutter for Cross-Platform Mobile Development?
Is Hybrid with WebView Better Than Flutter for Cross-Platform Mobile Development?
After extensive testing and development with a variety of frameworks, both native and hybrid, we have found that hybrid applications using WebView (web-based views within a native app) offer a unique blend of performance, ease of development, and a rich set of built-in features. This article explores the performance and benefits of hybrid with WebView compared to Flutter, a framework developed by Google, and delves into the reasons behind Google's development of Flutter.
Hybrid with WebView: A Comprehensive Analysis
Hybrid development, utilized through WebView, has seen significant improvements over the years, particularly in speed due to advancements in WKWebView on iOS and Webview on Android. This improvement means that hybrid applications can now run almost as fast as native applications and offer a more streamlined development experience for developers.
Benefits of Hybrid Apps
Inbuilt Support for Animated GIFs: Hybrid apps provide built-in capabilities for creating fluid and engaging animations directly within the app, leveraging the power of SVGs. Built-in Support for SVGs: Utilizing SVGs allows for high-quality, scalable graphics that can easily be integrated into the app design without significant performance penalties. Built-in Support for Audio and Video: Hybrid apps can seamlessly integrate multimedia content, providing a rich and engaging user experience. Built-in Support for JSON: With inherent JSON support, developers can easily handle data structures and perform complex data operations. Easy HTTP Support with JSON: Hybrid apps offer straightforward HTTP capabilities, making it easy to handle data transfers and JSON serialization/deserialization. Super Easy Async/Await: Leveraging JavaScript transpiling from TypeScript or Babel to ES6, developers can utilize modern JavaScript features like async/await for asynchronous operations without the need for complex boilerplate code. Simplified Debugging: Hybrid apps provide powerful debugging tools that allow developers to monitor network requests and inspect various properties in real time. Debugging is one of the easiest things about hybrid app development.For first-time developers, the last four points can be particularly daunting, as native platforms often lack these built-in functionalities and require additional libraries or significant custom coding. The development time and effort required to implement these features in native applications can be substantial.
The Disadvantages of Hybrid Development
One of the main issues with hybrid development is the reliance on outdated technologies. Many developers continue to use outdated frameworks and libraries, often with jQuery at the helm. Even today, many developers write bulky and inefficient code, starting off great but failing to deliver in terms of performance.
Why Is HTML and JavaScript Important in Hybrid Development?
HTML and JavaScript have evolved significantly over the past few years, with CSS3 allowing developers to create complex and visually appealing interfaces. CSS3 can almost match the features seen in native apps, enabling developers to build high-performance and visually rich hybrid applications without the need for native components. This evolution aligns with the growing demand for cross-platform solutions that do not compromise on performance or user experience.
The Rise of Flutter
Before transitioning to Flutter, we conducted rigorous tests, which revealed that Flutter still lacks numerous features. Many developers are unfamiliar with Dart, the programming language used in Flutter, and the ecosystem is significantly smaller compared to JavaScript. Additionally, the range of available libraries in Dart is limited, making it challenging to implement complex features.
Why Did Google Develop Flutter?
Google developed Flutter primarily to bridge the gap between native and web development, focusing on ease of development, performance, and user experience. While Flutter offers a range of features, it still faces challenges in terms of adoption and availability of libraries, making it less appealing for certain types of applications.
The Performance Comparison
Despite the potential benefits of Flutter, the performance difference between hybrid applications with WebView and native applications is negligible in milliseconds. The ease of development and the comprehensive features of hybrid apps often outweigh the marginal performance gains seen in native applications.
Conclusion
Hybrid applications with WebView offer a balanced approach to cross-platform mobile development. They provide a rich set of built-in features, simplified debugging, and ease of development, making them a preferred choice for many developers. While Flutter has its merits, it still has room for improvement in terms of library support and community size.