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Native vs Web Apps

This cluster centers on debates comparing native applications to web apps (including HTML5 and hybrid approaches), focusing on performance, user experience, development effort, and platform limitations.

📉 Falling 0.5x Web Development
6,890
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#8959
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

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21
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2010
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2012
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2018
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Top Contributors

pjmlp (143) rimantas (54) coldtea (39) untog (36) cageface (33)

Keywords

DO JS MITM JVM DropBox UX CSS3 VM IMAP HTML5 native native apps apps web web apps app html5 native app web app mobile

Sample Comments

pjmlp • Jun 8, 2012 • View on HN

Or, how native development still beats "web apps".

rbits • Jun 5, 2025 • View on HN

Wouldn't native apps be even worse in that regard, most of the time?

rimantas • Feb 21, 2015 • View on HN

Hey, let's compare comparable things. I.e. native apps to web apps, not native apps to web sites, ok?

atat7024 • Apr 12, 2021 • View on HN

Can anyone explain to me the benefits of staying native, and not switching everything to web apps that use properly implemented web APIs for everything?

overcast • Feb 6, 2017 • View on HN

What do the majority of web apps need, to compete with native apps? 99% of them definitely DO NOT need to be native.

dimillian • Sep 4, 2020 • View on HN

Native app are better than mobile web for complexe application / website. Get over it.

coldtea • Dec 1, 2020 • View on HN

No, but that's why the web is a subpar experience to native...

bthrm • Jun 14, 2018 • View on HN

There will never be hope to web apps compared to native apps.

jacobcritch • May 17, 2020 • View on HN

Native apps are totally necessary. Why abstract everything to the browser?

rimantas • Feb 11, 2015 • View on HN

No, if you want native applications experience, make native applications. Now you are just breaking the web.