In 2024, cross-platform app development remains a smart choice for efficiently reaching a wider audience. These frameworks enable developers to write code once and deploy it across both Android and iOS, streamlining the development process and ensuring consistent performance across various devices. This approach not only saves time but also provides users with a native-like experience on different platforms.
What is a cross-platform app development frameworks?
Cross-platform mobile development frameworks are used by the software engineers to work on native-like applications for both iOS and Android from one codebase. One of the primary benefits is shareable code which this approach offers over let say native app development and there are many. Having a unified codebase allows mobile engineers to save time and write less code for every operating system, leading to faster development. A Quick guide to the best cross-platform app development frameworks of 2024 These frameworks are created to assist you in making better quality apps as well as be able to reach more people and program with less difficulty. Here’s a friendly guide to the top 6 cross-platform app development frameworks in 2024 that can help you create amazing apps:
Popular cross-platform app development frameworks
- Flutter
- Hot Reload: Instantly see changes in your app without restarting, speeding up the development process.
- Rich Widget Library: Access a wide array of customizable widgets that enhance the look and feel of your app.
- High Performance: Compiles directly into native code, resulting in fast and smooth performance.
- Single Codebase: Simplifies maintenance and updates by allowing you to develop for multiple platforms with one codebase.
- Strong Community and Google Support: Benefit from extensive resources and support from Google and the global developer community.
- React Native
- Code Reusability: Write once and deploy across both iOS and Android, reducing development time and effort.
- Large Community: Leverage a robust ecosystem with numerous libraries and frameworks.
- Native Modules: Integrate native code to access device features and achieve high performance.
- Live and Hot Reloading: Make and view changes instantly to streamline development and debugging.
- Flexible Architecture: Easily integrate with existing apps and use native components.
- Ionic
- Web Technology Stack: Utilize existing knowledge of web technologies for mobile app development.
- Pre-Built UI Components: Access a library of pre-designed UI components and themes for a consistent look across platforms.
- Integration with Popular Frameworks: Compatible with Angular, React, and Vue.js for added flexibility.
- Cordova and Capacitor Integration: Use Cordova or Capacitor to access native device features.
- Rapid Prototyping: Quickly build and prototype apps with a unified codebase.
- NativeScript
- Native Performance: Achieves high performance by directly accessing native APIs without web views.
- Native UI Components: Provides a seamless user experience with native UI components.
- Supports Multiple Languages: Develop apps using JavaScript, TypeScript, or Angular.
- Access to Native APIs: Full access to platform-specific APIs for deeper customization.
- Strong Community: A growing ecosystem with various plugins and extensions.
- Unity
- Powerful 3D Engine: Advanced graphics and physics engine for immersive experiences.
- Cross-Platform Support: Deploy applications across iOS, Android, Windows, and more.
- AR/VR Capabilities: Robust frameworks for developing augmented and virtual reality applications.
- Asset Store: Access to a large asset store with pre-built assets, plugins, and frameworks.
- Community and Documentation: Extensive community support and detailed documentation for development.
- Kotlin Multiplatform
- Code Sharing: Share business logic and core functionalities while writing platform-specific code for UI and features.
- Native Performance: Maintains native performance by compiling to native code for each platform.
- Integration with Existing Projects: Easily integrates with existing projects and codebases.
- Supported by JetBrains and Google: Backed by JetBrains and supported by Google, providing a strong development ecosystem.
- Flexible Development: Allows for tailored user experiences by balancing shared code and platform-specific features.
Flutter remains a top choice in 2024, thanks to its capability to create stunning, natively compiled apps for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. Its popularity stems from its simplicity, powered by the Dart programming language, and a vast array of pre-built widgets, making it an excellent option for developers of all levels. Flutter allows developers to design consistent UIs across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows. This open-source framework offers an expressive, flexible UI toolkit with native-like performance, thanks to Dart. Developers benefit from rich motion APIs, seamless data integration from other apps, and enhanced user experiences.
Programming language: Dart
Mobile app examples: eBay, Alibaba, Google Pay, ByteDance apps
Key Advantages:
React Native, backed by Facebook, is another reliable choice for building cross-platform apps. If you're familiar with JavaScript and React, you'll feel right at home. React Native allows you to reuse up to 80% of the code across iOS and Android, making it easier to build apps that look and feel native without the extra effort. React Native enables developers to build native apps without compromising the user experience. This framework supports multiple programming languages like Java, Swift, and C++. The high code-sharing percentage makes it one of the most efficient frameworks for app development. Additionally, React Native offers Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, allowing developers to push updates and improvements seamlessly, bypassing app store approvals and ensuring timely fixes.
Programming language: JavaScript
Mobile app examples: React Native is used in Microsoft’s Office, Skype, and Xbox Game Pass; Meta’s Facebook, desktop Messenger, and Oculus.Instagram, Facebook, Uber Eats, Pinterest.
Key Advantages:
Ionic is an excellent choice if you enjoy working with web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Built on Angular, Ionic focuses on creating sleek, responsive apps that run seamlessly across mobile, web, and desktop platforms. It’s perfect for those looking to quickly prototype and deploy apps with a consistent look and feel. As an open-source tool, Ionic is free to use for developing both progressive web apps and cross-platform applications. It includes a rich library of mobile-optimized UI components, making it easier to design interfaces that can rival even native apps. Ionic supports JavaScript, SASS, HTML5, and CSS, allowing developers to create apps for web, iOS, and Android. Additionally, Ionic provides advanced touch-optimized gestures and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compiling, further simplifying the app development process and enhancing performance.
Programming language: TypeScript (uses Angular, React, or Vue).
Mobile app examples: T-Mobile, BBC (Children's & Education apps), EA Games.Sworkit, MarketWatch
Key Advantages:
NativeScript is perfect if you’re looking to build truly native mobile apps using JavaScript, TypeScript, or Angular. Unlike other frameworks that rely on web views, NativeScript gives you direct access to native APIs, making your apps faster and more responsive.
Programming language: JavaScript, TypeScript.
Mobile app examples: Strudel, Daily Nanny, Regelneef, Dwitch
Key Advantages:
Unity is renowned for game development but has also expanded into app development, especially for applications requiring complex visuals or AR/VR functionality. If your project demands cutting-edge 3D graphics or immersive experiences, Unity is an excellent choice. Unity stands out as the best tool for developing gaming apps due to its premium-quality graphics, ensuring a rich user experience.The advanced Bolt Visual Studio allows developers to create game or app logic visually, without needing to write any code. Its intuitive, node-based graphs make it easy for non-programmers to design complex logic. With support for deployment across more than 17 platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, PlayStation, Linux, Xbox, Wii, and Web, Unity provides maximum flexibility. Additionally, it offers seamless integration with push notifications, making it a robust choice for cross-platform development. Unity’s ability to create both 2D and 3D games, combined with its extensive platform compatibility, makes it the top pick for game developers.
Programming language: C#
Mobile app examples: Pokémon Go, Angry Birds 2, Monument Valley, Call of Duty: Mobile
Key Advantages:
Kotlin Multi Platform is gaining traction as a way to share code between Android, iOS, desktop, and web apps. It’s particularly attractive for Android developers, as Kotlin has become the preferred language for Android development. With Kotlin Multiplatform, you can keep your code DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) while still delivering a native experience.
Programming language: Kotlin
Mobile app examples: McDonald's, Netflix, Forbes, 9GAG, Cash App, Philips.
Key Advantages:
Pros and Cons Comparison:
Flutter:
Pros: Fast development, expressive UIs, strong community.
Cons: Relatively new, smaller talent pool.
React Native:
Pros: Reusable components, large ecosystem.
Cons: Performance may not match native apps in all cases.
Ionic:
Pros: Uses web technologies, fast development cycle.
Cons: Performance may lag for complex apps.
NativeScript:
Pros: Full native API access, cross-platform codebase, uses popular web technologies.
Cons: Limited plugins, performance can lag, smaller community.
Unity:
Pros: Excellent for 2D/3D graphics and AR/VR, huge community, cross-platform deployment.
Cons: Heavy on resources, not ideal for simple apps, steep learning curve for non-game development.
KMM:
Pros: Shared codebase, modern language.
Cons: Still evolving, may require native development knowledge.
Conclusion
As cross-platform app development gains traction, collaborating with a trusted development company can provide the expertise and resources needed to turn your multi-platform app ideas into reality. Whether you’re creating an innovative healthcare app, a revolutionary educational platform, or a game-changing fintech solution, choosing the right cross-platform framework and development approach is key to succeeding in today’s competitive landscape.
