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White Label VoIP Apps: Should I Choose Native or Web App?

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Are you looking to implement a white label VoIP app for your business? Many companies find it challenging to choose between native and web apps.

While we’ve talked about the costs of developing an app before, there are other things you need to consider, including:

  • Making it compatible with a variety of operating systems
  • Having the right talent in place to build the app
  • Integrating specific functionality into the app
  • Keeping everything on schedule and budget

So, which choice is right for your company?

There is no wrong answer when it comes to this dilemma. Instead, you should understand the strengths of each method and that both options can coexist.

Having a capable app can make or break your business’s mobile strategy. Users today expect a flawless experience. Developers must pursue a hybrid approach if they want to deliver on that expectation.

What Are Native Apps?

Native apps are exactly what they sound like: downloadable programs retrieved through online marketplaces like Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. These apps include all the popular ones we use every day on our mobile phones from Gmail to TikTok.

Native apps use languages like Objective-C for iOS and Java for Android during development. This means businesses must develop them individually for a single operating system, requiring additional resources to port them to other platforms.

Advantages of Native Apps

  • Stronger performance: Native apps have direct access to your device’s processing power, resulting in much better efficiency and smoother, hitch-free usage. That’s why business professionals consider developing natively to be a smart investment; a great app experience means higher conversion rates and consumer loyalty.
  • Natural, intuitive usability: Native apps feel noticeably more “natural” than web apps. Developers have the flexibility to tailor the app to each operating system’s design language and standards. You also get hardware-level functionality like vibration, touch gestures, and push notifications. White label VoIP Softphone apps, which depend heavily on features like these, require native development for this reason.
  • Support from the app market: With millions of users browsing app stores every day, interested clients have a higher chance of finding your native app than your web app. Many app markets also provide quality control, security, and compatibility guarantees to their users, making your company more trustworthy from the start. You can further that point by accepting user reviews.

Disadvantages of Native Apps

  • Costly development: One area where native apps struggle is compatibility. Porting a native app to another operating system requires a hefty investment of time and money, as multiple versions of the app are required. The result is a higher cost, developmental constraints, and more time before launching to market.
  • Accessibility issues: Users on budget devices may not have enough storage space to install apps or might run on an older version of the operating system incompatible with your app. Web apps are the only option for these types of clients.
  • Less versatility: Websites are virtually mandatory for any modern company, but not every business needs an app. While you’ll want to order takeout or pick up a taxi via an app regularly, you won’t be seeing a plumber often enough to merit downloading an app.

Advantages of Web Apps

  • Cost-effective development: Since the providers behind your current company website likely offer mobile templates, there is less upfront costs to create a web app as opposed to a fully-fledged native app. Porting a web app to multiple mobile operating systems and browsers is much easier, as well.
  • Ease of maintenance: Web apps all share the same code base, regardless of whether they run on Android, iOS, Chrome, or Firefox. Users won’t have to handle updates either since the newest version of the site always loads first.
  • Improved accessibility: Web apps are the way to go if you want to target as many mobile users as possible. Without the need to download an app, web apps save on a device’s storage space.
  • More monetization options: Want some extra revenue through advertising? Some app stores and device manufacturers restrict what you can do on a native app. You have much more freedom when it comes to online advertising on a web app.

Disadvantages of Web Apps

  • Cumbersome usage: Users have to enter a URL or search term to reach your app. Web apps are also slower and less responsive than native apps, thanks to longer loading times and site layouts that may not be compatible with all phone sizes and screen resolutions. This extra effort results in frustration that can turn away potential clients.
  • Shackled features: Web applications don’t enjoy the same degree of functionality and hardware integration as native ones. Complex touch gestures, push notifications, and haptic feedback (vibration) are often not available, making non-native development unsuitable for white label VoIP apps.
  • Limited publicity: Because your app won’t be on a popular app marketplace, it can be difficult to gain users and publicity for your business. More and more people are scrolling through apps than through search results nowadays.
  • Reliance on Internet connectivity: While most native apps can run without an Internet connection, at least partially, web apps entirely depend on a stable connection. Any loss of reception can halt a user’s experience abruptly.

Why a Hybrid Approach Is the Best Option

There’s no need to choose between a native app or a web app. A successful development strategy should incorporate both to reduce the number of resources that you need to use during development.

Native apps are ideal for providing enhanced performance and seamless experiences, but coding in complex functionalities can strain your budget. These costs can quickly balloon out of control when you have to create different versions of your app for each operating system.

That’s where web apps can make a huge difference. You can easily integrate advanced functions across multiple platforms using a standard web browser. They are an excellent way for your company to implement specific features that are important to your products and services without drastically increasing development costs.

Hybrid apps merge the best of both formats to create a streamlined app that is capable of delivering a powerful user experience.

Cloud Softphone: The Ultimate Hybrid White Label VoIP App

Are you looking to integrate a white label VoIP app into your existing services? A fully customizable softphone can provide your company with all the functionality it needs.

Cloud Softphone is an Application Platform as a Service (APaaS) that makes it easy for you to create hybrid apps that can leverage all of the advantages of native and web apps.

Here are just a few of the benefits Cloud Softphone can offer you:

  • Less coding: Our platform makes it easier to port to other operating systems. There’s no need to build two separate apps for Android and Apple. Working with one code base makes it simple to update and add new features to your app as it grows.
  • Spend less on development: The goal of licensing a white label VoIP app is to save money. The hybrid approach allows you to create a solid foundation from which you can integrate other essential functions that your app may need.
  • Scale on your terms: Cloud Softphone scales with your company as you grow. You will receive constant updates and can enhance your existing app over time through our API.
  • Access device-specific features: You never have to worry about alienating loyal iOS and Android supporters. Your white label VoIP app can access features that are unique to a specific device and its SDK.

Are you ready to create a feature-rich white label VoIP app that performs like a native app and integrates like a web app?

Get in touch with the Cloud Softphone team today to see why the hybrid approach is the right choice for your company.

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