HTML5 vs. Native Apps: The Debate Continues

By Tim Cronin

The debate over HTML5 vs. Native apps has been going on for a while, and the term ‘web’ is no longer limited to only desktop and laptop PCs. Mobile hasn’t just made its mark on the web; these “always on, always connected” devices are now on pace to overtake PC shipments. According to the International Data Corporation, PC shipments dropped to 76.3 million units in the first three months of this year – that’s a 13.9 percent decline from the same period in 2012. And then there’s the shift in how consumers worldwide are using tablet devices. These once clunky and expensive devices are now sleek, easy to use and affordable and so much so, that consumers are using tablets to perform the types of activities once reserved for PCs, such as accessing bank accounts/financial information, reading news, watching videos and listening to music. So now that we know the future is in mobile, the question remains: Is it better to connect through the web (HTML5) or native apps downloaded to our devices?

It’s an app world and the browser just lives in it.

If you don’t already know it, it’s an app world and the browser just lives in it. That’s what a recent report from Flurry Analytics says. The study, conducted to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the firm’s launch, found that the U.S. consumer spends an average of 2 hours and 38 minutes per day on smartphones and tablets. 80 percent of that time (2 hours and 7 minutes, to be exact) is spent inside apps and 20 percent (only 31 minutes) is spent on the mobile web. Now add to that the staggering statistics that the average number of apps launched per day by consumers climbed from 7.2 in 2010 to 7.5 in 2011 and finally to 7.9 in 2012, and it’s hard not to see that native apps are leading the debate.

On one hand, Native apps provide greater functionality through the use of features such as the device’s camera, microphone, calendar, and GPS, as well as a simpler, cleaner UI design. In the current market, publishing native apps allows app developers and publishers to cater their offerings towards their audience, thus providing features and functionalities that work across their chosen platforms. Using the app market framework also allows increased app visibility, but it means that publishers and app developers have to give Apple about 30 percent of their revenue.

HTML5 has some maturing to do.

With Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing that using HTML5 was a strategic mistake back in September, many developers are still wondering if the cross-platform functionality of HTML5 will ever make up the differences of functionality that can be achieved in native mobile apps. The key question for any app developer or publisher is really to examine what is best for your monetization strategy and which development choice works well for your customers.

At the moment, HTML5 is still in its programming infancy. Though it allows app developers to write one set of code for multiple mobile platforms, HTML5 itself has a long way to go to catch up to all of the added benefits of a native app. Data tends to be extracted more slowly, making it harder to execute mobile payments. Lag in execution time can also turn away many mobile users, causing a loss in mobile revenue. However, as much as HTML5 apps may lag behind native apps at the moment, these apps are constantly improving and adding features. A recent report from BI Intelligence predicts that HTML5 will eventually win out over native apps, citing the absence of Apple or Google regulations that may accompany HTML5 apps.

Although native apps may have the upper hand (for now), HTML5 apps will definitely begin to entice app developers and publishers who are looking to keep 100 percent of their monetization revenue, like the Financial Times, one of the first to sidestep Apple and develop its own web app. Many of these web apps like the Financial Times are already profitable, even though they exist outside of app marketplaces. HTML5 might eventually win the app battle, but it still has a way to go yet before it is the clear victor.

The key to deciding which programming language and distribution option is best for app developers and publishers really comes down to what you are offering, what audience you are trying to attract, and whether you are willing to give up a portion of your revenue in exchange for increased visibility in the app store and more stringent regulations.