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A hybrid app framework, such as Apache Cordova or Ionic, can also offer a native mobile feel, although it runs the app in a WebView.

Safety Insurance agency in Boston used Cordova to create a web-based app that is compatible with Android and iOS. Five years ago, hybrid apps suffered from performance issues because mobile devices didn't have the strongest processing power, so NativeScript or React Native would've been a better option then, said Keith Carangelo, web development manager at the agency.

"Now, the phones are fast enough to deal with all of the JavaScript," he said. "You don't tell that our app is web-based."

The ability to have different development environments for each mobile OS is a good option as well, Carangelo said.

"When you want to change things [in NativeScript or React Native], it takes so long to get to that environment and make sure your tooling is up to date," he said. "To make changes in two environments isn't necessarily the hardest thing."