If you are building a mobile app, native versus cross-platform is the choice that most affects your budget and timeline. The good news: for most apps the right answer is clear once you understand the trade-off.
What the terms mean
Native means building separately for each platform — Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android. Cross-platform means one shared codebase (typically React Native or Expo) that ships to both the App Store and Google Play.
Cross-platform: one codebase, both stores
- Typically 30–50% cheaper than two native builds
- Faster to ship and easier to keep in sync
- Indistinguishable from native for most apps
- Ideal for MVPs and most business apps
When native is worth it
- Heavy 3D, gaming or intensive graphics
- Deep, platform-specific hardware features
- Maximum performance for a demanding app
Our recommendation
We build cross-platform with React Native and Expo for most projects — from £6,500 — and go fully native when performance genuinely demands it. That keeps budgets sensible without compromising the experience.