+1, because I had the urge to say the same thing. I think the question needs to be a lot more specific about the type of app and the platforms it needs to run

+1, because I had the urge to say the same thing. I think the question needs to be a lot more specific about the type of app and the platforms it needs to run on. Web-based applications give you the broadest reach for the lowest cost if you can assume internet connectivity and if the GUI that's possible from within the browser sandbox is sufficient for your needs. (Capabilities are growing all the time, but it's still not the same as native.) If your app needs to be offline, it's still possible with web tech but it's harder to justify, unless you're doing a hybrid of online and offline and the online part isn't just service calls.