Any organization, business owner, e-commerce business, online teaching/tutorial site, university, and nearly every corporation that wants to have a digital presence and promote their brand should invest in mobile app development.
To create a mobile application, you must know about some things before building a mobile application. For building a mobile application, you can build an in-house engineering team or hire an app development agency. However, no matter what option you choose, you should be well aware of the available mobile application frameworks that are available to you and choose the best framework that suits your needs.
What is a mobile app framework?
A mobile app framework is a platform for developing software that contains tools and software, compilers, debugging tools, and programming interfaces. Then, a developer can use that framework to create a mobile application.
Mobile frameworks offer pre-made solutions that enable developers to produce mobile apps more quickly and efficiently.
Mobile app frameworks can be divided into Native Apps, Hybrid Apps and Cross Platform Apps.
1. Native Apps
Native apps are created for specific operating systems, such as Windows, iOS, and Android. For example, frameworks like Kotlin or Java are used for Android platforms, and for iOS platforms, Swift or Objective C is used.
Native applications have a separate codebase. For example, the iOS application codebase will differ from the Android codebase. Native apps are the highest-quality applications in respect of both aesthetics and functionality. However, native application development is more expensive.
Some benefits of having a native app are high speed, more intuitive and interactive, enhanced security, and high performance. Some popular native apps are WhatsApp, Spotify, PokemonGo.
2. Hybrid Apps
Hybrid apps are built on top of browsers. Frameworks such as Ionic, Apache Cordova are used to embed the code written for browsers with HTML, CSS, JavaScript to a native-like app. Hybrid apps combine web and native apps.
These apps are built using a single codebase and can be used for multiple platforms.
Hybrid apps have the benefit of easy maintenance, faster development, low cost, and ease of development. Some examples of hybrid apps are Gmail, Twitter, Evernote, Untappd.
3. Cross Platform Apps
Cross-platform frameworks are used to build mobile apps for different OS. The same codebase is used to create mobile apps for multiple platforms. Frameworks like Flutter, React Native and Xamarin are used to build cross-platform apps.
The development time is faster as a single codebase can be used to develop apps on various platforms. And this also helps in managing the development cost.
Some of the cross-platform apps are Airbnb, Discord, Google Ads, Reflectly, Picturex.
Factors to take into Consideration while Choosing a Framework
There are multiple frameworks available. However, before considering one particular framework to use to build your mobile application, you must consider some aspects of that framework.
1. Speed Optimization
The user’s and developer’s perspectives need to be considered for speed optimization. For developers, you should select a framework that will speed up the development process and reduce the amount of coding required.
You also need the app to run smoothly and quickly from the user’s perspective.
2. Platform Compatibility
Before choosing a framework, you must decide which platforms you want to build your mobile application on. If it is only for one platform, for example, iOS, you could use native frameworks. On the other hand, you could use cross-platform frameworks if you want to build a mobile app for multiple platforms.
3. Development Cost
When choosing a framework, you should consider the development cost of that mobile application. The development cost should be affordable to build the mobile app.
The framework you select must satisfy user expectations and make the most effective use of available technologies.
4. Adaptability
The mobile application will have future updates and changes. And the chosen framework should be flexible to accommodate those new requirements.
What kind of application you intend to develop may depend on the application type(for example, an eCommerce store, educational app, or gaming app), which OS you’re targeting, and how easy it is to develop.
Also, how flexible and scalable the solution is, the community support, whether it receives frequent updates, and whether it is available on a free open-source.
Surprisingly, there are multiple mobile application development tools. It would help if you did a prior study before choosing any specific development tool. Let us see some popular development frameworks and discuss their key features.
1. Flutter
Flutter is an open-source UI software development framework created by Google. It helps to develop cross-platform applications for Android and iOS using a single codebase and uses a dart programming language. Recently, flutter has also added the feature of developing web applications. As a result, it can be used to build cross-platform applications for Android, iOS, and the web from a single codebase.
Key Features:
- Backed by Google
- Cross-platform development
- Same UI and Business Logic in All Platforms
- Reduced Code Development Time
- Increased Time-to-Market Speed
- Similar to Native App Performance
- Smooth Performance
- Efficient debugging
- Uses layered architecture;
- access to a broad library of customizable widgets
Some popular companies that use flutter are Google Ads, Reflectly, Cryptograph, Alibaba, The Hamilton, Tencent, Dream11, eBay Motors, and PostMuse.
2. React Native
React Native is an open-source UI software framework created by Meta, formerly known as Facebook. This framework uses JavaScript programming language. Like Flutter, react native helps to develop cross-platform applications for multiple platforms, such as iOS and Android using a single codebase.
Key Features:
- Backed by Meta
- Cross-platform development
- Modular and Intuitive
- Speed Up Development
- Community Driven
- Maximum Code Reuse & Cost Saving
- Single codebase
- Cost-effective
- Easy installation
- Community support
- Supports 3rd party libraries
Some of the popular companies that use react native are Meta, Instagram, Uber Eats, Skype, Pinterest, Airbnb, Discord, Bloomberg, Walmart, Myntra, and Wix.
3. Apache Cordova
Apache Cordova, formerly known as PhoneGap, is a well-known framework for building mobile apps that is user-friendly for developers. It is a hybrid application development framework that uses CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript to create mobile applications.
Key Features:
- Allows to use of hardware components like GPS, cameras, and accelerometers on smartphones
- Single codebase
- Available open-source
- Native device API access
- Allows for the distribution of web applications across several app stores, the blending of native app and WebView components
- Some of the popular companies that use Apache Cordova are Untappd, Sworkit, and SparkChess.
4. Xamarin
Xamarin is an open-source UI software development framework created by Microsoft. And this framework uses the .net programming language and the C# programming language. Xamarin can be used to develop applications on both Android and iOS and provides a development ecosystem with a backend, API, component, etc.
Key Features:
- Native user experience
- Memory Allocation
- Cost-efficient
- flexible backend architecture
- Active community support
- Android SDK administrator
- Manager for Google emulator
- Uses data-driven documents
- Native APIs and 2D graphics
Some famous companies that use Xamarin are The World Bank, CA mobile, Alaska Airlines, Oro, and Picturex.
5. Ionic
Ionic is an open-source framework that helps create cross-platform, interactive hybrid web applications and Progressive Web Applications. It uses Angular/Vue/React and Apache Cordova.
Ionic framework is introduced by -Max Lynch, Adam Bradley, and Ben Sperry, Drifty Co. It comes with many pre-designed UI components that create an appealing look on different mobile devices.
Key Features:
- Touch-optimised widgets for UI
- Seamless Integration
- Framework compatibility
- Responsive apps
- quicker time for development
- Easy-to-learn technology
- Rich UI components
- Seamless Integrations
- Single codebase
Some famous companies that use react native are Pacifica, MarketWatch, JustWatch, McLaren Automotive, Diesel, Sworkit, Firstly, and ChefSteps.
Let’s look at the graph that shows cross-platform mobile frameworks used from 2019 to 2021.
Final Thoughts
Nearly all businesses now need customers to use mobile apps. So your decision today will lay the groundwork for your company’s future success.
Does your business have a mobile app? If not, remember us for the complete mobile application development service. Fawesomeapps is a leading mobile app development company that has successfully developed multiple mobile apps for both iOS and Android.
Our expert team can assist you in selecting the most progressive mobile app development framework, creating an intuitive mobile UI, and developing a mobile app that meets your expectations and helps positively impact your business.
Feel free to contact us if you’re looking for a reliable partner to help you build your custom mobile application; and take your business to the next level by creating an excellent mobile application.
