Whenever businesses think about creating a mobile app or custom mobile application development, their minds go straight to innovative cross-platform app development. Different SMEs and startups find cross-platform as quite an excellent type of technology to simultaneously develop an app on various platforms, such as Android, Windows, and iOS.
This technological up-gradation boosted the need for developers to compete in the market and for feature-rich, high-performance apps, making offshore expert cross-platform application developers turn out to be a real necessity. We have seen a sudden spike in application development on cross-platform in the entire app development market.
Also, when the number of applications in the entire Google Play Store was around nearly 3 million apps in recent times, businesses didn't wish to risk missing their actual presence on this store or any other platform.
However, budgeting is always quite an issue for businesses to develop different native-like apps, which is why various alternate cross-platforms are developed.
Frameworks for cross-platform app development that are open-source and cross-platform based on programming languages
- Programming Language Framework
- JavaScript React Native, Cordova., Appcelerator NativeScript
- Dart Flutter
- C# Xamarin
- Java Codename One
- Python Kivy and BeeWare
- Ruby RubyMotion
Cross-Platform App Development Process: Challenges
Cross-platform app development used to be limited to simple mobile games and apps. Cross-platform app development has become more flexible, adaptable, and robust over time, thanks to emerging technologies.
However, cross-platform development still faces many challenges:
- Performance issues due to inconsistency between native and non-native parts of gadgets
- Cross-platform app developers face difficulties maintaining cross-compliance between apps on different devices and operating systems.
- Poor user experience can be caused by performance-related issues.
- Cross-platform apps are only sometimes a good idea if a business app is responsible for managing a portion of a corporation's data.
Compared to the numerous advantages of cross-platform application development, these difficulties are modest.
Cross-Platform App Development: Benefits
Cross-platform development is the best option for enterprises due to the rapid increase in per-platform development costs and the urgent need to bring products to market quickly.
- Maximum exposure to the target audience
A business can develop an app and then deploy it across many platforms, including the Web, using a mobile cross-platform development strategy. You may create an app that works on both iOS and Android. They can reach the largest possible audience this way.
- Development costs reduced
The idea of "write once, run anywhere" is the cornerstone of cross-platform software development. By utilizing reusable code and Agile app development tools and methods, development costs can be minimized. Cross-platform apps are the only way to increase a company's effectiveness on different platforms.
- Easier Maintenance & Deployment
One app may work on all platforms thanks to cross-platform app development. This makes updating and deploying code when changes are made considerably simpler. All platforms and devices can easily synchronize updates. This reduces waste and costs. A bug can only be discovered and corrected once in the shared source. This can save time and money for developers.
- Quicker Development Process
The speedy development process is another win-win situation when it comes to creating cross-platform applications. Multiple platforms can share a single source code, reducing development time by up to 50%-80%. As a result, you may produce a business app with more features more quickly. Cross-platform app development deadlines can be met by a team of developers.
- Code that can be reused
This platform also has the advantage of allowing you to reuse the code repeatedly. A single code can be reused instead of being developed for each platform by developers. This reduces the time and effort required to create codes.
- Easy Integration with the Cloud
Cross-platform mobile apps may be fully compatible with a range of cloud-integrated plugins. This means that the single source code can be complemented by multiple extensions and plugins to increase the app's functionality and scalability.
- Speedier Time-to-Market & Customization
When developing cross-platform apps, it is essential to follow the 'write once and run everywhere' principle. This shortens the time to market for app developers and speeds up deployment.
Developers can also easily modify the code to make minor modifications to the app. This allows customers to engage with the developers faster and helps them deliver their products quicker than competitors.
- Uniform Design
Users can recognize user interface elements (UI) and predict how they will interact across different platforms. Any software or app needs to think about user experience (UX).
Linking the many development projects can be challenging when creating multiple apps. Using cross-platform mobile development technologies, developers and designers may produce a unified user experience for app users.
Some of the Cross-Platform mobile development tools for 2020 are:
React Native
It allows the creation of native apps readily and utilizes JavaScript as the primary programming language to develop apps. The most crucial side is that you can quickly write modules in different languages like C, Java, and Swift. The best part of this particular tool is that you can easily work on video processing and image editing, which aren't possible with different API frameworks.
It is unquestionably the most beneficial and best platform to be utilized for cross-platform app development as it interprets the source code and then converts it to the actual native elements in less time. Both Instagram and Facebook have utilized React Native to create their native apps, which are the most used in the world. Hence, a React Native app development company needs to leverage the popularity of React Native.
Read the blog- Xamarin vs. Native development vs. other hybrid and cross-platform frameworks
Pros of React Native
- Up to 80% of an app's code can be shared between platforms, depending on how complicated it is. Code reuse considerably speeds up the development process.
- React lets you preview results immediately and provides ready-to-use elements. This significantly reduces the development time.
- Developers can see code changes in seconds with Hot Reloading. This is not like native technologies that take minutes.
- React Native focuses primarily on UI, rendering a responsive interface.
- You can also access native functions like the accelerometer and the camera. This allows you to create a native-like user interface with high quality.
The Cons of React Native
- React Native does not entirely support cross-platform apps. Some functions, such as the accelerometer or camera, require native components. This will mean that there will be separate codes for iOS and Android.
- The framework is not designed to be used with iOS and Android. It sometimes lags behind native platforms. Udacity decided to stop investing in React Native to add new features.
- React Native is inconsistent when it comes time to release updates
- React Native speeds up development and increases debugging time, particularly on Android.
Additionally, React Native was discovered for the first time in the hated Frameworks category of the 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results.
Apps made with React Native Cross Platform App Framework
- Bloomberg
- Skype
- Tesla
Xamarin
Launched by Microsoft, it allows you to develop apps for various platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS utilizing a single .NET code.
Essentially, the best part of this cross-platform tool is that all of the applications built on it look as well as feel like native applications, and this appears due to the usage of the native interfaces, which work the same way as the user wants to utilize them.
With Xamarin, you can easily give your application a platform-specific hardware boost to achieve performance similar to native apps. Most of the coding will be the same, irrespective of the platform you are building your mobile app for. Also, Xamarin works on a single code, utilizing identifying it as well as accelerate the process for the entire cross-platform mobile application development.
It also works on both PC and Mac systems and provides you with debugging, code editing, and UI design tools.
Pros of Xamarin
- Xamarin app development using C# to code. It functions flawlessly on several devices, including iOS and Android.
- Xamarin has a robust community with more than 60,000 contributors from more than 3,700 companies.
- Xamarin allows you to transfer over 75% of the code between platforms. This makes it simple to "write once, run everywhere."
- Xamarin is a single tech stack that allows for faster development.
Cons of Xamarin
- Enterprises are not able to use Xamarin. Xamarin is a free framework for startups and individuals. However, businesses must purchase a license to Microsoft's Visual Studio.
- Xamarin is not recommended for apps that require heavy graphics, as each platform uses a different method of visually arranging screens. Native implementation is recommended for UX/UI-rich applications.
- Xamarinalso offers constrained access to essential libraries that developers need to create mobile apps. UI development takes a long time because it isn't primarily geared toward mobile devices.
Apps made with Xamarin CrossPlatform App Framework
- Fox Sports
- Alaska Airlines
- HCL
- American Cancer Society
- BBC Good Food
Ionic
It is among the most potent HTML5 SDKs, which generally allow you to easily develop mobile apps with a native feel by using advanced technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. This particular SDK focuses on the look as well as the UI interaction of the app.
The app development on this framework can be utilized on multiple platforms, like native iOS, Android, desktop, and the Web with a single code base. Also, this popular cross-platform offers typography, pre-designed components, interactive paradigms, and impressive themes. It is easier to use and understand and utilizes APIs like Virtual DOM, TypeScript, JSC, and async, which are best suited for PWA or progressive web apps when it comes to choice for hybrid app development services.
Flutter
It is an SDK, or software development kit, that allows the developer to build high-performance apps on platforms like Web, Android, iOS, and desktops from one codebase. Also, this particular open-source UI SDK is duly created by Google.
It uses Dart programming language, and it is easier for Java and JavaScript developers to understand. It even helps most object-oriented ideas or notions. Suppose you wish to develop any custom application for Android and iOS platforms. In that case, it is the best cross-platform for you. It is utilized to develop popular apps such as Google Ads, Alibaba, etc. The best, as well as the main feature of this app is that it supports a widget. It helps in improving the app's look. Widgets even offer different features like navigation, scrolling, icons, fonts, etc., to offer full native-like performance.
The benefits of Flutter
- Developers can see code changes in seconds rather than minutes.
- Flutter is a fantastic framework for creating MVPs. Instead of investing extra time and resources in separate apps, it is possible to easily create a mobile Flutter app that looks natural on iOS and Android.
- Flutter is based on Dart, an object-oriented programming language that is simple to learn for developers.
- Flutter provides a full set of widgets in both Apple and Google Material Design with the Cupertino Pack.
- To link native Android and iOS apps with Continuous Integration systems like Travis and Jenkins, developers can leverage a range of ready-made solutions.
Cons of Flutter
- Flutter apps do not support Apple TV or Android TV.
- Although Flutter is a Google-developed library, it still lacks native development functionalities.
- Flutter-enabled applications use built-in widgets rather than platform widgets. This means that the app's file size is often larger. Flutter currently allows for apps as small as 4MB.
Flutter Cross-Platform App Framework-created applications
- Alibaba
- Google Ads
- Tencent
Appcelerator
It is a cross-platform app development platform that helps get your entire app ready much faster by simplifying the entire process. Also, by utilizing a single JavaScript code, one can easily create native-like and mobile apps with cloud-like features and performance. One of this platform's major and crucial benefits is its inherent quality. It can easily be utilized for developing apps for different devices or operating systems.
This tool also makes it quite easier for you to use and test the apps utilizing the automated mobile test, which easily allows you to measure the app usage along with the results of the app project. One can detect crashes and bugs and even make a few adjustments to improve the actual performance of the app.
With this tool, you will be offered access to Hyperloop, which is among the best cross-platform APIs for multi-platform app development.
Read the blog- What are the advantages of cross-platform mobile development in enterprise mobility?
Corona
This cross-platform tool is best suited for any mobile application development company developing games and applications for desktop, mobile devices, and TV devices utilizing just one codebase. It speeds up the entire coding process. One can easily update the code, save all the changes, and even instantly see the results on the actual devices. With this, your apps are duly optimized for performance due to the lightweight scripting power of the innovative Lua, which enhances the application performance at every level.
It is free to utilize cross-platform application development tools, which are basically and majorly used in 2D games since it is great for high-speed development and high-quality graphics of games.
Adobe PhoneGap
Owned by Adobe, it is among the best cross-platform app development tools to utilize this year. It is based on the open-source framework known as Apache Cordova, which gives you complete access to a wide range of PhoneGap toolsets that help streamline the entire app development process and even include options.
Among the main reasons for suggesting PhoneGap is that one can easily learn how to utilize their tools without any experience. PhoneGap essentially takes care of the entire development process by compiling all of the work in the cloud, which means you don't have to maintain any native SDKs.
Qt
It is one of the best cross-platform tools when it comes down to mobile application development. It is best because its quality feature allows the creation of fluid applications, UIs, and embedded devices with the same particular code for iOS, Android, and Windows.
In case your app isn't performing well and you wish to rework it, you can make changes to the app using this tool, which will automatically make all of the changes applied to the app.
This tool even allows viewing how the application is performing on various platforms. It is quite easy to use and doesn't even have a complex interface like other cross-platform mobile app development tools. Android app development services should leverage the benefits of this tool.
Sencha
With this cross-platform tool, you are provided with modern JavaScript and Java frameworks that assist you in developing web apps easily for any device. It offers over a hundred fully supported and tested UI components, which you can readily integrate into the apps. It is among the most comprehensive tools for performing end-to-end testing of applications on all platforms.
It offers you the innovative "Themer" to create reusable themes utilizing customized themes built on Ext Angular, Ext JS, iOS, and Ext React. It provides a data visualization table, making it easier for the developer to track the app's formation.
Also, this tool makes it possible for you to easily organize the app content and how your entire content is duly displayed on the device, browser, and screen size.
Unity3D
This cross-platform app development tool is quite popular due to its impressive graphics quality, which is appealing and incredible. It is certainly quite easy to use, and one can utilize it for more than a mobile app. With the assistance of this particular tool, you can easily export apps or games to different platforms, which include Android, Windows, iOS, Xbox, Linux, PlayStation, Wii, and the Web.
Also, it can be utilized to track different user analytics and even share your app on various social networks. One can easily connect with the network of its developers known as Unity Connect to find help and get the questions answered in case you have any technical issues with the coding or anything else.
Conclusion
At present, businesses are facing immensely tough competition, and their major focus is on the actual target audience. Hence, businesses must take advantage of different cross-platform app development tools as much as possible. In this list of top 10 cross-platform mobile development tools for 2020, you can easily find a particular tool that can easily manage all of your mobile application development needs. However, this can be challenging to select the best development tool as so many options are available in the current market. Hence, this list of tools can be referred or you can consult any of the experienced mobile app developers or cross platform app development companies.
