Mobile app development is growing at a rapid pace. With new and advanced frameworks surfacing each day, markets have become much more competitive. Applications that run on archaic systems become obsolete in no time bringing businesses on the verge of getting disrupted. Therefore, it has become critical to optimally use available frameworks and platforms to create modern and customer-centric solutions that will help businesses stay afloat and thrive.
There are numerous frameworks based on platform compatibility and configuration that enable developers to develop intuitive and engaging websites and mobile apps. Frameworks are designed keeping in mind the requirements of businesses and platforms they are intended to work on. In this blog, we compare some popular mobile app development frameworks and how you can choose one for your business. It is important that the available platforms are analyzed and researched well before implementation so that your business can reap the real benefits of implementing these frameworks. Let us now explore what each of these frameworks entails:
Ionic
Open source Ionic Framework is a mobile UI toolkit that helps developers create high-end, cross-platform web, and mobile applications. It offers a library of mobile-optimized UI components and is also loaded with gestures and tools that come in handy when building highly engaging apps. One prominent advantage of ionic is that it moves quickly and can work on a single codebase that runs everywhere. It has a CLI tool component that helps build and deploy Ionic applications in a hassle-free manner. The framework can use Native APIs as well as the device’s components such as the camera.
Advantages:
- Faster Execution and Development
- Partial Native Features
- Cordova Plugins
- Easy to implement
Flutter
Another open-source development framework is Flutter, by Google. These are good for mobile apps that are run only on mobile devices as it does not support web browsers. Its architecture allows better performance and programming that empowers developers to build functionally-rich and attractive looking apps through a unified codebase. The changes to Flutter apps can be made automatically, given that it is optimally coded. Flutter employs Dart language that can work on multiple platforms. It does not connect with any native APIs, instead, it is compiled on the platform. Flutter’s reload feature has enabled faster and dynamic app development. It also lets developers change the code snippets in real-time without requiring to restart the mobile app. Through Flutter, one can modify previously added widgets and create new ones with the utmost ease. This helps engage the audience better as the app becomes much more responsive.
Advantages of Flutter:
- Versatile UI
- Faster speed
- Light-weight components
- Native Performance
React Native
React Native is a hybrid development framework by Facebook. React Native is known as the most popular language for creating multi-platform apps. With the native resources and components, programming the apps becomes easier without compromising on the performance. React Native also comes with a hot reload boosting the development speed by refreshing the app whenever the code is changed. Hence, this framework is best for businesses and apps that require performance. The React Native development is also inexpensive as compared to other apps as its native APIs can be connected to operating systems of both iOS and Android. The framework changes the React Native codebase to native before orchestration so that it offers an experience similar to a native app for its users.
Advantages:
- Better Performance
- Reusable code
- High Proficiency
- Third-party plug-ins
PWA
The PWAs Web Apps support both Android as well as iOS app development. PWA has web stacks for HTML, CSS, and JS with enhanced attributes and consolidated user experience. PWAs also help save data, can be automatically upgraded, and operated offline without the need of an internet connection after being installed on your device. The apps built on this framework also tend to be budget-friendly. One of the major benefits of developing applications through PWA is that any applications developed through this framework comply with pretty much all devices and browsers. Moreover, through PWAs, users can also experience website features through a mobile app.
Advantages:
- Easy to build
- Responsive
- Inexpensive
- Supports multiple platforms
Conclusion
Ultimately, mobile app development frameworks help ease the development process and enhance app performance. These are just a few primary ones amongst the abundant others. Hence, all frameworks aren’t equal as some will support multiple features, and others will not. In exceptional cases, there are numerous plugins available that can be used to bring in an external feature. Cross-platform apps are difficult to update but are easy and inexpensive. Native apps are better in performance but are expensive to build. To choose a business framework that will work best for your business, you need to analyze your requirements and determine the best route to development. You can get in touch with an established mobile app development company to begin.