Mobile computing devices and their software are playing an increasingly important role. Due to the nature of the hardware and the specifics of its use, mobile application development sometimes follows different processes and approaches than desktop applications. This paper focuses on the other options for mobile application development. It compares two basic methods, namely native application development and cross-platform development. It shows the advantages and disadvantages of selected multiplatform tools such as React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin by examples and comparison of solutions to practical tasks and patterns. The work compares cross-platform development tools and the basic tools for native development, i.e., Android Studio and Xcode. It includes a study and comparison of selected concepts, frameworks, and tools for cross-platform development. Another goal of the paper is to point out the fundamental differences from desktop application development. The differences between native and cross-platform mobile application development are in the technical and programming areas and the economic costs. Although, at first glance, it may seem that multiplatform development is more economically advantageous, this may not always be the case. A comparison of the development of practical projects shows that cross-platform development has the most disadvantages compared to native mobile application development in terms of application user interface and the use of the specifics of individual operating systems and hardware components. Based on the results of several case studies with high school and university students, this paper demonstrates the benefits of teaching native mobile applications and the potential of this area for motivating students in learning programming.