What is a native app?

Technical definition

A native app is compiled for a target platform and distributed through that platform's app store. It runs against the operating system's own frameworks, which gives it full access to device capabilities: camera, sensors, background processing, location, secure storage, and system notifications.

Cross-platform frameworks such as React Native produce native builds from one shared codebase, which removes most of the duplicated work while keeping native distribution and device access.

In plain terms

A native app is the kind you download from the App Store or Google Play.

It has fuller access to the phone than a website does, and it costs more to build and maintain, because there are two platforms and a review process between you and your users.

Why it matters

Most small businesses assume they need a native app. Most do not, and the assumption is expensive.

What native actually gets you: deep device access, reliable background behavior, and presence in an app store where people search. That last one is the only reason that is about marketing rather than capability, and it matters if discovery is the point.

What it costs: two platforms to build and maintain, developer program fees, an app store review on every release, and a user who has to find, download, and install before they see anything.

For a booking tool, a client portal, an internal dashboard, or a loyalty scheme, a web app or an installable PWA does the job with none of that friction. You send a link.

The test: does this need the camera, sensors, or background location, or does it need to be findable in an app store? If neither, build a web app.