Cloud Application Development Vs Desktop App Development
20 May 2013
The tech world is starting to be increasingly dominated by the cloud, as a result of which desktop apps are gradually becoming outdated. However, many developers still opt for desktop app development. Here is a brief comparison for your reference, which will help you understand whether developing an app is easier on the cloud or on a desktop. We have listed below the advantages and disadvantages of both Desktop applications and Cloud based applications. This would help you decide on whether cloud application development or desktop application development would be a better option.
Comparative chart of desktop and cloud based applications
| Desktop applications | Cloud based applications | Winner |
| Free from internet connectivity and bandwidth considerations | Rely on internet connectivity for transfer of data and content rendering | Desktop applications |
| Communication and collaboration difficult; have to rely on external resources for team work | Easy communication and collaboration since cloud- based workspace is centralized | Cloud based applications |
| Remote access to the data is restricted as the desktop application is not accessible via mobile devices; although there are some solutions like GoToMyPC, they are very slow | Cloud based applications enable the user to access information from any mobile devices as they need to be access via a browser | Cloud based applications |
| Configuration management is difficult since the developer partly works as system administrator | Entire workspace being in the cloud, makes it easier to manage since it is a combination of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), local build system, local run-time and their connections with tools | Cloud based applications |
| Software installation needs to be carried out on each of the system that a developer has | No software installation is required, since the application is rendered on the browser, using its tools such as flash content rendering and CSS | Cloud based applications |
| Uses maximum resources and requires high memory and processing speed for complex applications, affecting the productivity of a developer | Memory and processing speed requirements are handled by the service provider, thus increasing the productivity of a developer | Cloud based applications |
| Single-tenant applications, which allows the user to carry out configuration and upgrade, enabling the user to offer specific functions and customization | Multi-tenant applications, where application upgrade is carried out by the SaaS providers | Both |
| Application needs to be updated manually or updates are to be downloaded | Application automatically updated by the service providers | Cloud based applications |
| Needs to be prepared individually for various platforms – Windows, Linux, Mac | Since developed on the browser, runs on various platforms | Cloud based applications |
| Data is stored on your computer, which does not require any bandwidth and is easily accessible | Data stored on the server, since processing is handled on the server, and hence requires high bandwidth to store large and frequent data calls to the cloud | Desktop applications |
| Data stored on the internal details of your system – data storage location, user privileges and encryption used | One of the biggest challenges of cloud apps – vague information on data storage location, recovery policy, encryption used and trustworthiness of the cloud service provider | Desktop applications |
To conclude, going in for a desktop or cloud application development is based purely on the need of the hour. You can choose either according to your needs, requirements and expectations from the app developed. You can talk to our developers for guidance on what to choose. Call us at 1-877-RISHABH (1-877-747-4224) or fill in the contact form.
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