There is cut-throat competition in today’s mobile application market. Therefore, it’s crucial for startups to not only release mobile applications faster but also be cost-efficient in mobile application development. To suffice these needs, there is a vast range of cross-platform app development framework available.
It is worth noting that about a third of software developers employ cross-platform mobile application development technologies and frameworks, according to a survey by Statista.
Despite all these benefits, there are some shortcomings with most of the cross platform frameworks related to hardware compatibility, UI consistency, and app performance. Therefore, it is imperative to know the best cross platform mobile app development framework employed by the top mobile application development companies in the world.
We enumerate the 5 best cross platform app development framework and tools that are close to native in UI components and performance.
Kotlin
Kotlin was built natively for Android, but with Kotlin multiplatform, it extended beyond android app development. It allows developers to exchange data, code, and business logic across a variety of platforms, including iOS, Android, Linux, Web, MacOS, and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Kotlin is a statically typed, general-purpose, cross-platform programming language with type interface. It is developed by JetBrains with the goal of a framework that can compile as quickly as Java. The first version of Kotlin came out in 2011 and the latest version, Kotlin v1.5, was released in May 2021.
In May 2019, Google announced Kotlin to be its preferred programming language for developers. In its fourth version in 2020, Kotlin brought in some improvements to the support for Objective-C/Swift Interoperability, i.e., to the support for Apple’s Platform.
Why Kotlin?
Kotlin is an SDK
Unlike the others in the list is an SDK and not a framework. The best advantage of using Kotlin is that the developer doesn’t have to shift an entire application from one environment to another.
With Kotlin, the developer can start with a single module or feature and figure out how it works. Then, progressively migrate the remaining parts of the program.
Easy to Learn
Kotlin is a sophisticated, concise, easy-to-learn, and secure programming language that allows you to build complex apps quickly. It’s JAVA-compatible; therefore, you can use your favourite JVM frameworks and libraries with it.
Kotlin’s syntax is similar to other popular programming languages like Java, Scala, Swift, Groovy, etc. Therefore, learning Kotlin multi-platform development becomes easy and quick.
Native Style Code Delivery
Like React Native, another cross-platform app development platform, Kotlin also separates UI components and business logic.
Kotlin has, however, another advantage. It employs libraries and shared logics beneath UI. It allows developers to communicate with the native environment without relying on the bridge, allowing them to deploy code as they would in native app development.
Native Like UI
For UI creation, the teams don’t need to follow any set rules in Kotlin. Multi-Platform does not require developers to follow any rules. It allows UI app developers to work on the app’s design, behaviour, and performance like they would with native code.
Native Like Performance
Kotlin Multiplatform compiles the code in the same way as the native platform(s) that the team is targeting. As a result, the performance is as good as that in native app development.
Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility
If the focus of your project is to create a highly flexible and scalable mobile application, then the Kotlin multi-platform can be the perfect app development program for you. It allows developers to scale up the app and operate without using any virtual machine.
Some Companies using Kotlin Mobile SDKs
- Vmware
- Philips
- Yandex
- Netflix
- Autodesk
Google’s Flutter: UI Toolkit
Google released Flutter, an open-source platform, in 2017. It is a UI-centric software development toolkit that many companies are employing these days for faster app development.
Flutter toolkit allows app developers to produce natively built apps for iOS, Android, Google Fuchsia, and Windows from a single codebase.
The programming languages associated with Flutter include Dart, C, and C++ languages. The kit combines a dart platform, foundation library, flutter engine, and design-specific widgets to help you create appealing mobile applications. The new version of Flutter is expanding to web and desktop application development.
Why Flutter?
Stateful Hot Reloads Functionality
The stateful hot reloads in Flutter preserves the state of your app. It means that whenever a developer makes any change in the source code, he/she can immediately see it in the running app without the need to save their work first.
Highly Customizable
The rich set of fully customized widgets to build native interfaces allows the developer to create native interfaces quickly.
Seamless Rendering
Flutter’s layered architecture gives you complete control over layouts, sizes, etc. It allows you to flawlessly integrate and employ overlays, controls, animated graphics, text, and videos.
App Performance like Native
Flutter does not rely on any intermediary code representations or interpretation. It means that it can give one of the best application performance, close to the performance of native applications.
The code on Flutter is compiled to native ARM machine code using dart’s native compiler. It eliminates any performance issues that may arise during the interpretation process.
Firebase Integration
With Google’s Firebase integrated with Flutter, you can get the benefits of backend services like cloud storage, real-time database, authentication, crash reporting, remote configuration, static file hosting, and machine learning.
Who is using Flutter?
Flutter is most suitable for minimum viable product (MVP) development, which means if you’re a Start-up, you can consider Flutter as your cross-platform app development framework.
Among the big names, the following companies are using Flutter to build apps in record time:
- BMW
- Square
- Alibaba Group
- eBay
Ionic
Created by Drifty Co. in 2013, Ionic is an open-source and cross-platform app development framework. It has many Android and iOS app design elements using which you can create hybrid mobile applications with a native feel.
Ionic builds mobile, desktop, and web applications using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript technologies. It also integrates frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.
Why Ionic?
Rich UI Components
Fundamentally, Ionic is built on Cordova and employs a SaaS UI. Developers will find many UI components for building powerful applications.
Native Plugins
Ionic uses Cordova and Capacitor plugins to access native OS features such as Camera, GPS, Flashlight, etc. Capacitor offers complete control and access to the Native Android and iOS SDKs, which adds to the native feel in the application performance.
Browser Support
Ionic provides browser support, which is beneficial for both developers and product owners. Mobile application developers use web-views to build apps using Angular.
Popular Companies Who Built Their Apps with Ionic
- Amtrak
- National Health Service
- Southwest Airlines
- MarketWatch
- Pacifica
React Native
React Native is, like most in the list, an open-source, cross-platform app development framework. It was released in 2015 by Facebook.
Developers all around the globe use React Native to build apps for iOS, Mac, Android, Windows, and the Web. They also employ JavaScript and React.js libraries integrated with React Native. As per the survey on Statista, React Native is the most famous cross-platform mobile framework in the world.
Why React Native?
Faster Development & Cost-Efficiency
Depending on the app’s complexity, application developers can share up to 80% of the codebase on React Native. It empowers them to build applications for multiple platforms, like iOS, Android, even the Web (using React Native for Web and ReactXP) with the same codebase.
Apart from code reuse, React Native also facilitates developers with the visibility of the outcomes right away. It further offers ready-to-use components, thus reducing development time significantly.
With React Native, you may only need one team to write the code if they know how to work with JavaScript.
Business Friendly
Now since it saves time and resources, it is also a cost-efficient way of mobile application development. Businesses looking to release their apps sooner, and require custom-designed applications, can go for React Native.
React Native also allows third-party plugins so that you can add functionalities that your users want or need on the application.
Hot Reloads Functionality
Developers on React Native, like Flutter, can also enjoy hot reloads functionality. It lets the developers see changes in the app within seconds without requiring them to save those changes first.
Vast Community Support
Thanks to the immense popularity of React Native, there are contributions from various businesses and developers in its repository (like in Github). A wide range of built-in and community-driven components and APIs saves even more time in mobile application development.
Top Applications using React Native
- Skype
- Salesforce
- Gyroscope
- Bloomberg
Xamarin
Xamarin is a free open source cross-platform application development platform for building iOS and Android Apps by employing .NET and C#. It uses around 90% of shared codebases across multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. Although launched in 2011, Microsoft acquired Xamarin in 2016.
In January this year, they announced their version 5.0 with new features like Brushes, RadioButtons, CarouselView, SwipeView, new Shapes and Paths, new app themes, and more.
Why Xamarin?
Write Once, Run Anywhere
With Xamarin, the mobile app developers can build apps for any platform using C# and the.NET framework. For app development, you can also use Visual Studio or its code.
You can also access native APIs and 2D graphics from shared code using your preferred frameworks, tools, and Xamarin’s advanced libraries.
Native Performance
The applications built on Xamarin are as close to native in feel and design as possible. Whether you’re creating a uniform UI across different platforms or a native user interface, you can build app performances that delight your users.
Moreover, platform-specific UI components with “Xamarin.Forms” offers a consistent look across all operating systems.
Community Support & Learning Resources
Over 100,000 contributors from over 3,700 enterprises make up the Xamarin community. Additionally, Xamarin has a wealth of learning tools to assist users in honing their technical abilities in using this platform.
Hardware Support & Wearable Support
With Xamarin, you will not face problems related to hardware compatibility. Xamarin also supports portable versions of applications for IoT & Wearable platforms.
Applications built on Xamarin Platform
- HCL
- Microsoft News
- American Cancer Society
- Microsoft Azure App
- The World Bank
Final Thoughts
So, which is the best cross-platform mobile app development framework for your business? Well, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all cross-platform app development framework. What framework is best for your business depends on various factors.
- In what technology is your team expert?
- Which programming language(s) do you prefer for software application development?
- What are the requirements of your project?
- Which platforms are you targeting?
Cross-platform app development allows for faster deployments and cost reductions, which are crucial if you’re a startup, SME, or even a large corporation entering a new market.