Always choose the Native App on the AppExchange — Here’s why

Key Takeaways

• Native Salesforce apps run inside Salesforce, helping teams keep data within the Salesforce environment instead of routing it through external servers.
  

• True native apps can reduce security review friction, improve performance, and preserve the familiar Salesforce user experience because they are built for the Salesforce platform.

• Not every app marketed as “native” is truly native, so buyers should confirm whether the app processes data inside Salesforce or only offers a Salesforce-looking interface.
  

The world's biggest search engines understand that results they list are not created equal, so they write crazy smart algorithms that rank what makes page one/position one and so on. What's more, many of them look at the things their users care about and add filters to help find what they really want. On the AgentExchange, formerly AppExchange, one filter you shouldn’t ignore lies in the seemingly innocuous category of "other." But don't be fooled, "other's" third option may be the most important consideration you'll make when choosing a new app — it reads "native." Put simply, a native app offers benefits that non-native apps can't.

Even as Salesforce’s marketplace has evolved, truly native apps remain worth paying close attention to because they affect where your data goes, how much risk your architecture introduces, and how easily IT can approve the solution.

Example: Native App vs Non-Native App Document Generation

Your team already connects to the Salesforce cloud every day. At some point, in the course of their work, they will click on a button within the app to do something, like creating a document. In the case of a native app, like S-Docs, the creation of the document happens within that same cloud and is delivered back to the user.

With a native app, to complete a task your data never leaves the Salesforce cloud to connect with a third-party cloud. All of your information and interactions happen within the Salesforce cloud.

A non-native app requires the Salesforce cloud to share the information with a third party server/cloud to generate the document, and then send it back to the Salesforce cloud — meaning your data has left the secure environment of the Salesforce cloud.

This distinction matters even more as Salesforce workflows become more automated and AI-assisted. When document generation, approvals, signatures, and delivery happen inside Salesforce, teams have a clearer answer to a critical question: where does our data go? For regulated industries and enterprise teams, native architecture can make it easier to align document workflows with existing Salesforce security, permissions, audit trails, and governance controls.

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5 Reasons to always choose the Native App

1. Security: Because your information never leaves the Salesforce cloud, a native app is much easier for the IT department to approve — because Salesforce has addressed the security concerns. This also means apps like S-Docs inherit IT security controls that are crucial to meeting regulatory requirements like GDPR, data residency, HIPAA and more. And, because the app operates in Salesforce, users enjoy the same uptime, performance and reliability as Salesforce.
2. Speed: Because there’s no communication between clouds, an app function like document generation happens nearly instantaneously.
3. Ease: Because of how they are built, many native apps are simpler to use than non-native apps. For example, the S-Docs app was purpose-built for Salesforce, meaning it has the same look, feel, button icons and general user experience as Salesforce itself — making team training and use a breeze for everyday users.
4. Cost: Because a native app and its functions live in the Salesforce cloud, there are no added infrastructure costs passed on to the customer, since they are already included in your Salesforce subscription.
5. Update proof: We know Salesforce will make version updates. A non-native app would need to look at the update and make their own updates to reconfigure where required. Since the changes Salesforce makes must work with the Salesforce stack, users of native apps won't need to wait for a compatible version — it will already work.

Native apps sound great, right? They are, but we do offer a word of caution. Some apps that say they are native may be stretching the truth. Some apps touting themselves as native really just have a native user-experience (ie: an iFrame in Salesforce) and are built on external servers - a true native app is built on the Salesforce Platform. That’s where it becomes essential to read specs and reviews to get a firm understanding of the app’s native functionality. Do your research and ask the right questions to ensure you're getting a true native app.

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Just like major search engines, the AppExchange knows that not all apps are created equal; hence the all-important filtering functions they offer. When you’re searching for a new app on the AppExchange, consider filtering your search down, so only the native apps appear in the results — these are the only apps that can fulfill the benefits listed above.