Despite the fact that there are different approaches to the question of mobile app development, nowadays iOS and Android have become very similar to each other. But still those customers who is planning to release a mobile application, are asking the main question, which variant is better? If to look at the statistics, can be made the conclusion that it’s better to start creation of a mobile application for android. But by missing out on the iOS share, you are losing at least half of your possible active users. The developing for android vs ios must be carried out by professionals.
Therefore, it would be more correct to say that the platforms do not differ, but have their own characteristics, which we will consider in the article. How these features affect the cost, further support and effectiveness of your mobile application, read below.
Programming languages
Android has:
- many custom firmwares;
- regular fixes;
- the ability to obtain superuser rights (complete freedom of action).
Conclusion: at the development stage, you will need to take into account all the features of the versions that were before. And with each update, check the mobile application for performance. The difference between ios and android development is rather significant so it should be taken into consideration in the process of comparison.
App for IOS has no third-party firmwares, updates are released “rarely, but aptly.”
Conclusion: often with an iOS update, applications simply stop working or bugs appear, and therefore you have to update them in the “right here and right now” mode.
Integrated environment of developing for android vs ios
If to talk from the point of view of development, ios development vs android development differ mainly due to the guidelines of Apple and Google. If we talk about navigation iOS itself differs from the iPhone X a lot.
In this sense common interface is one of the most important features, as it is used to make the application recognizable. Still there are same guidelines, which dictate own rules for them, because of which differences cannot be avoided.
There are a lot of options for both options. There are cross-platform solutions React Native, Xamarin, PhoneGap and others based on WebView. But native development tools for iOS are Swift and Objective-C, for Android – Java or Kotlin.
Monetization Strategy
Now there are several dozen ways to make money on a mobile application. Naturally, some monetization methods are more popular than others. In general, several areas can be distinguished – advertising, subscription, in-app purchases, freemium, sale of goods, sale of user data, direct application fees, and their various combinations.
Nowadays the main way to monetize their ios app vs android app is advertisement. Paid apps and games are difficult to sell, and in-app purchases are made by 2-4% of users, so advertising remains one of the best (if not the only) methods of earning money.
Development complexity
Apple has complete control over the source code of the platform, allowing third-party developers access only to certain elements. Therefore, experts argue that the iOS mobile platform is much safer than Google against most types of existing attacks. This is mainly due to the strict censoring of the App Store. Google is more relaxed about this.
iOS vs Android is the battle of a closed and open operating system. It is logical to assume that excessive openness leads to an increased chance of attacks and data theft.
There are no so obvious features of every platform which can show that first or second variant is the best choice. So it’s olways individual choice.
Cost of development
In most cases it appear that iOS developers salaries are higher and they are basically more expensive because there are not so many of them, presented on the market. Plus, add a macOS computer to write the app and a monthly fee for a developer account in the AppStore. Yes, and the AppStore has stricter rules for entering the app store, which may incur additional costs.
So which is better – iOS or Android development? This battle can’t be won by one of the variants. Most of the Android users are rather active. As for the users of another system, they are also quite active. So the best point for success is to release an application for both IOS and Android. Moreover, it will cost significantly less if you lay the foundation of both platforms in advance at the design stage.