Which Platform Can Perform Better for an Enterprise App: Android or iOS?

source: itpro.co.uk

Whether they’re used for less-defined purposes like informing employees of the lunch specials, or for specific tasks that fill niches in the workplace, enterprise applications are as diverse as their non-enterprise counterparts. But, unlike consumer apps, enterprise apps tend to be predominantly productivity-focused. As such, more and more businesses are turning to them as a means of increasing productivity and enhancing task performance, thereby allowing them to grow.
Additionally, because an enterprise relies on varying software and applications to run its operations, and because it's only as good as the operating system (OS) it uses, enterprises everywhere are looking for the perfect OS to streamline tasks, manage internal operations more efficiently, and help support its employees’ daily work needs.

The question becomes, which development platform is best?

The Options: Android App vs iOS App

A mobile app development platform is software that allows developers to build, test and deploy mobile applications. Depending on the platform, it can also include tailor-made features to further customize apps. Because they are enterprise apps as opposed to consumer apps, these platforms must also account for variances like extra security to protect both business and user data.
That being said, the top two mobile app development platforms you’ll come across are Android and iOS. While it would be ideal to create apps in both, that’s not always feasible because of constraints like time and budget. Apart from this, some just prefer one over the other.


There are just as many similarities as the difference when it comes to the iOS vs Android debate. Both have their pros and cons, but ultimately, the choice to opt for one over the other depends on your business and the type of app you want. With that in mind, let’s go over both and see what each brings to the table.

source: buildfire.com

Leading up to the first quarter of 2018, Android users could choose between 3.8 million apps, while Apple’s App Store offered 2 million. Part of what goes into this is that the Android ecosystem is quite large and offers MANY choices in terms of what you can deploy. But, despite this lower number, 82% of work done on mobile actually takes place on iOS. This can be explained by the fact that, despite Android also getting a lot more downloads in the global market, iOS dominates the North American and Western European markets, which is where the majority of enterprise apps are deployed. Exemplifying this, iOS users are also typically younger, have higher incomes, spend about 4 times as much on apps than Android users, and typically download business, education and lifestyle apps from the App Store.

In terms of how fast these apps can be deployed, it usually takes Android apps a bit longer because of longer release cycles and Android device fragmentation, i.e. there are many Android devices and building an app that’s compatible with all will take much more time than dealing with a few. Don’t forget that this depends on the complexity of the app, though. But do remember that it’ll always be the case that it takes more time to create an app that’s responsive for the myriad of Android devices than iOS. Similarly, the longer it takes to develop an app, the more expensive it’ll come out to be. Apart from this, there’s really nothing inherent to Android or iOS development that makes one more expensive than the other.

Moving to security, this is of utmost importance for enterprise apps because any security flaw can compromise confidential data — companies usually handle their own and that of their customers. Both Android and iOS face similar threats and vulnerabilities, but due to Android being open source and supporting third-party apps, it’s more vulnerable than iOS. As it is, iOS has 1458 vulnerabilities, whereas Android has a higher number at 1834. Key here is Android’s device fragmentation and a high number of OS versions, which is one of the biggest contributors to an operating system’s security level. Because of this, while consumers may like the varying options, opting for Android for business comes with an intrinsic risk that it can’t shake off.


At the end of the day, the decision to build an Android or iOS enterprise app depends on many things, such as its type and function, user demographics, the deployment market, and the project’s timeframe and budget. For example, if your market is in South America, Asia, Central or Eastern Europe, you’ll do well with Android, as it’s more prevalent in these regions. If, on the other hand, you’re based out of the US or Western Europe, iOS will serve you best. You have to take all these considerations and choose what’s best not only for you but for those who will be using the app. Good luck!