What Is Hybrid Development?
Hybrid mobile development uses web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to build mobile applications that run in a native shell. The app is essentially a web application packaged for mobile distribution.
The term "hybrid" can cause confusion because it is used differently by different people. Traditional hybrid (Cordova, PhoneGap) wraps web content in a WebView. Modern hybrid (Ionic with Capacitor) adds native plugins for device access while keeping web-based UI.
Note that React Native and Flutter are sometimes incorrectly called "hybrid." They are cross-platform frameworks, not hybrid. React Native compiles to native components; Flutter renders with its own engine. Neither uses WebViews for the UI.
Hybrid made more sense before cross-platform frameworks matured. Today, React Native and Flutter often provide better performance and user experience while still enabling code sharing. True hybrid has a narrower set of ideal use cases.
Hybrid vs Cross-Platform vs Native
| Aspect | Hybrid (Ionic) | Cross-Platform (RN) | Native |
|---|---|---|---|
| UI rendering | WebView | Native components | Native components |
| Technologies | HTML, CSS, JS | JavaScript, Dart | Swift, Kotlin |
| Performance | Good, not native | Near-native | Best |
| Platform feel | Web-like | Native | Native |
| Web code reuse | Extensive | Logic only | None |
| Best for | Content apps, PWA+ | Most apps | Performance-critical |
When Hybrid Works Well
Existing Web App
If you have a polished web application and want basic app store presence with minimal additional development, hybrid provides a path forward.
Content-Heavy Applications
News apps, documentation, content readers—applications where reading and browsing dominate work well in hybrid since web excels at content display.
Internal Enterprise Apps
For internal business tools where users are required to use the app (employees), user experience trade-offs are more acceptable.
Maximum Code Sharing Goal
When sharing nearly all code between web and mobile is the primary objective and some UX trade-off is acceptable.
Web Team, No Mobile Skills
Teams with only web development experience can build hybrid apps with existing skills. The learning curve is minimal.
Hybrid Limitations
Hybrid apps run web content in a WebView, which introduces limitations. Performance for complex interactions, lists, and animations is noticeably worse than native. The app can feel "web-like" rather than native, frustrating users accustomed to native apps. Platform-specific features require plugins that may lag behind native APIs. App stores have increasingly rejected apps that are essentially websites in wrappers. For most new mobile projects, cross-platform frameworks (React Native, Flutter) provide better results with similar benefits. Hybrid remains relevant for specific use cases but is no longer the recommended default for mobile development.
Hybrid Development FAQ
About the Author
Elvira Dzhuraeva is an expert in AI mobile app development and React Native. A former Senior Product Manager at Google specializing in AI/ML and Generative AI, she is the Founder of Fastshot (YC-backed) and a founding contributor to Kubeflow.