WebView vs Cordova

Developers should use WebView when building hybrid applications that need to leverage web content or existing web codebases within a native app, such as for displaying help pages, ads, or interactive forms meets developers should use cordova when they need to build mobile apps quickly and cost-effectively for multiple platforms without learning native languages like swift or kotlin. Here's our take.

WebView

Nice Pick

Developers should use WebView when building hybrid applications that need to leverage web content or existing web codebases within a native app, such as for displaying help pages, ads, or interactive forms

Pros

• It's particularly useful for cross-platform development where sharing web-based UI components can reduce development time and maintenance costs compared to fully native implementations
• Related to: html, css

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Cordova

Developers should use Cordova when they need to build mobile apps quickly and cost-effectively for multiple platforms without learning native languages like Swift or Kotlin

Pros

• It's ideal for simple to moderately complex applications, such as content-driven apps, prototypes, or internal enterprise tools, where performance requirements are not extremely demanding
• Related to: javascript, html5

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. WebView is a tool while Cordova is a framework. We picked WebView based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

WebView wins

Based on overall popularity. WebView is more widely used, but Cordova excels in its own space.