What is the Difference Between Mobile Development and Software?

Mobile development refers to native apps (apps used for mobile devices) while software development refers to mobile web apps (apps that don’t need to be downloaded or installed). Some companies have both types of apps; for example, Facebook has a mobile app in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in addition to having an app that can be accessed online via Safari, Google, etc. Mobile and software applications have several similarities and differences when it comes to their development. Some of them include:

Similarities:

Mobile development and software development have many similarities and overlap frequently. At a basic level, both of these types of development require critical thinking skills and a specific technical skill set to complete a project; both mobile and software development require developers to use a base code for their application. For both mobile development and software development, there might be some differences in the user interface but users can generally access similar versions of the same application as long as they have an internet connection. Regardless of the type of development you select, each type has its own set of unique security and privacy issues that developers must keep in mind to protect users and strengthen their application’s security.

Differences:

Mobile development: Although mobile developers use many of the tools that software developers use, what separates them from software developers is their mobile-first approach to developing applications and programs. Mobile development requires apps to be developed on the iOS and Android operating systems. Mobile developers focus on tailoring every part of the development process to produce a final product that exploits every advantage mobile users provide. In addition to a mobile-first approach, mobile development requires faster product-release cycles. Mobile users are very fickle and are not tolerant of slow download speeds or bad touch interfaces. Without fast product-release cycles in mobile development, your application will likely fail due to customer dissatisfaction and competitors.

Software development: Software development has several key characteristics. First, software development is focused on developing applications and programs that are run in computer systems; this differs from mobile development because software development creates applications that run optimally on stand-alone desktops and laptops. This differs from mobile development because they have two options (iOS and Android) for their application development. Software development also differs from mobile development because they have a common code for all their platforms and they don’t need the approval of iOS and Android for product releases. This flexibility allows software developers to make any changes they deem necessary and release products on their own timeline.

If you’d like to learn more about which type of development you should choose for your application, learn more here.