Top 7 Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks

Cross-platform app development is a popular method for building mobile applications. It lets developers create apps that function on different mobile platforms.

Mobile engineers use cross-platform frameworks to build apps for multiple platforms using one codebase. A key advantage of this approach is shareable code. Mobile engineers save time and accelerate development because they do not need to write code for each operating system.

Many new cross-platform mobile development tools are emerging. Choosing the tool that will best suit specific needs can be challenging.

This article lists some of the best cross-platform app development frameworks. It highlights the features that make them useful. This information can offer a starting point for deciding which framework is most suitable.

Here are some of the best cross-platform app development frameworks, with their introductions, key features, pros, and cons:

Top 7 Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks

1. Flutter

Released by Google in 2017, Flutter is a framework for building mobile, web, and desktop apps from a single codebase. To build applications with Flutter, you will use Google’s Dart programming language. Flutter has an active community of users around the world and many developers widely use it. According to Stack Overflow Trends, its usage has been trending up.

Key features:

Flutter’s hot reload feature allows you to see how your application changes as soon as you modify your code, without recompiling it.
Flutter is compatible with Google Material Design, a design system that enables developers to create digital experiences.
It offers an intuitive user interface across multiple platforms using the Skia graphic engine.

Pros:

Developers can experiment and resolve bugs quickly because they can view instant updates on changes in code without restarting the app.
Flutter offers ample widget options that developers can customize to build interactive UIs.
A single codebase can run on multiple apps, so you do not need to write different codes for different platforms.

Cons:

Flutter is relatively new and has a limited number of third-party libraries to extend functionality.
It uses Dart programming language, which could pose learning challenges, especially for novices.
Flutter apps tend to be bigger than their native counterparts, which could be an issue for users with lower space.

2. React Native

Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) developed React Native in 2015. It is an open-source UI software framework. It’s based on Facebook’s JavaScript library React. It allows developers to build natively rendered cross-platform mobile apps. React Native is used in Microsoft Office, Skype, and Xbox Game Pass.

Key features:

The Fast Refresh feature allows developers to see changes to their React components immediately.
React primitives convert to native platform UI components, allowing you to create a customisable and responsive user interface.
A common language (JavaScript) is used to build applications for iOS and Android devices with a single codebase.

Pros:

React Native enables developers to write code once and reuse it multiple times due to reusable components.
It supports component-based coding that divides application UI into components, so the code becomes manageable.
React Native apps offer performance identical to that of a native application.

Cons:

Learning can be a bit difficult for developers new to this platform because of the use of JSX, which is an extension of JavaScript language and concepts like bridge.
React Native uses JavaScript, which is quite popular and open source, making it more susceptible to security risks.
The reliability of apps on external libraries makes development intricate and fragile.

3. Kotlin Multiplatform

JetBrains developed Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP), an open-source technology. It allows sharing of code across platforms while retaining the benefits of native programming. It enables developers to reuse as much code as they want and write native code if needed. They can seamlessly integrate shared Kotlin code into any project. Kotlin Multiplatform is used by McDonald’s, Netflix, Forbes, 9GAG, Cash App, and Philips.

Key features:

Developers can reuse code across Android, iOS, web, desktop, and server-side platforms while maintaining native code as needed.
Developers can take advantage of platform-specific APIs while also leveraging native and cross-platform development.
Developers have complete code-sharing flexibility, including the ability to share both logic and UI.

Pros:

There’s no reason to add a new language to your codebase if you already use Kotlin for Android.
You can reuse your Kotlin code and expertise, making the transition to Kotlin Multiplatform less risky than other technologies.
Your questions will always be answered thanks to its regularly updated documentation and community support.

Cons:

Even though this cross-platform mobile development framework is one of the youngest, it has a mature community.
In November 2023, JetBrains promoted it to Stable, is growing fast and is already making a distinct impression on today’s market.
Many multinational corporations and startups already use Kotlin Multiplatform to create multiplatform apps with native-like user experiences.

4. Ionic

Ionic, an open-source mobile UI toolkit, was released in 2013. It enables developers to create cross-platform mobile applications from a single codebase, leveraging web technologies. These technologies include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as integrations with the Angular, React, and Vue frameworks. T-Mobile, the BBC (Children’s and Education apps), and EA Games all use Ionic.

Key features:

Ionic is based on a SaaS UI framework designed specifically for mobile operating systems and includes various UI components for application development.
The Ionic framework uses the Cordova and Capacitor plugins to provide access to device’s built-in features.
Ionic has its command-line interface (Ionic CLI), which serves as the go-to tool for building Ionic applications.

Pros:

Ionic cuts down development time and cost with “write once and deploy anywhere” because it helps reduce the time and cost by using a single codebase for iOS and Android.
It is quite a flexible mobile app development platform developed and maintained by Meta and is built on open standards that evolve with the rising complexity of today’s systems.
Ionic is comparatively easier to learn as it is based on standard web technologies – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Cons:

Complex and heavy mobile apps created with Ionic face performance challenges, causing lags, so performance can be poor for game apps or apps like Snapchat that require heavy graphics.
Developers must depend on plugins every time they build applications for native functionality.
The use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with libraries, plugins, and dependencies, makes apps heavy.

5 .NET MAUI

.NET Multi-platform App UI (.NET MAUI) is a cross-platform framework developed by Microsoft and released in May 2022. It enables developers to create native mobile and desktop applications using C# and XAML. .NET MAUI is an evolution of Xamarin. Forms is one of Xamarin’s functionalities that provides native controls for the platforms it supports. NBC Sports Next, Escola Agil, and Irth Solutions use.NET MAUI.

Key features:

.NET MAUI provides cross-platform APIs for accessing native device features such as GPS, accelerometer, battery, and network status.
A single project system supports multi-targeting for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.
.NET hot reload allows developers to change their managed source code while the app is running.

Pros:

.NET MAUI has already gained traction among developers and has an active community on Stack Overflow and Microsoft Q&A.
It helps write code once and use across multiple platforms.
Xamarin’s intermediate layer helps manage the connection between the core system code and the standard code, ensuring that the code runs smoothly without compatibility issues.

Cons:

Access to open-source libraries is limited.
It is not suitable for apps that require heavy graphics or rich UI/UX.
Creating apps with Xamarin results in larger app sizes.

6. NativeScript

This open-source mobile app development framework was first released in 2014. NativeScript enables you to create Android and iOS mobile apps with JavaScript or languages that translate to JavaScript, such as TypeScript, as well as frameworks like Angular and Vue.js. Daily Nanny, Strudel, and Breethe all use NativeScript.

Key features:

NativeScript gives developers easy access to native Android and iOS APIs.
The framework renders platform-native UIs and apps built with NativeScript, which run directly on a native device without the need for WebViews.
NativeScript provides a variety of plugins and pre-built app templates, which eliminates the need for third-party solutions.

Pros:

NativeScript is built on well-known web technologies such as JavaScript and Angular, which is why many developers choose it.
It is usually used by small companies and startups.

Cons:

It is not an optimal solution for large mobile applications because it runs in the WebView component, resulting in slower performance.
It needs higher-end plugins for game apps that aren’t currently available and is not suitable for such apps.
Debugging with Cordova could be hard, especially beginners might face difficulties in this process.

7. Apache Cordova

Apache Cordova works on standard web technologies – HTML, CSS3, and JavaScript. It is a cross-platform and open-source solution to build apps for varied mobile platforms.

Key features:

Plugins can be used with Cordova which provides APIs to implement native mobile functions such as GPS, filesystem, and Camera.
Cordova offers a rich collection of core components that serve as the base for different types of mobile applications.
There are app templates that offer pre-existing designs to build mobile apps for multiple platforms and accelerate the development process.

Pros:

Cordova is a compatible platform that can be used with other frameworks and IDEs, such as the Ionic framework and Visual Studio IDE.
Developing mobile apps with Cordova is fast because it builds apps that are supported on various platforms.

Cons:

It is not an optimal solution for large mobile applications because it runs in the WebView component, resulting in slower performance.
It needs higher-end plugins for game apps that aren’t currently available and is not suitable for such apps.
Debugging with Cordova could be hard, especially beginners might face difficulties in this process.

How to Select the Best Cross-Platform App Development Framework

Cross-Platform App Development

To choose the best cross-platform app development framework, begin by understanding the project’s goals and what the app should look like. Consider these factors to find the best fit for the business:

Team expertise Different frameworks use different programming languages. Ensure the mobile engineering team has the required skills and experience. For example, if the team knows JavaScript well, React Native may be a good choice.
Vendor reliability and support Check if the framework’s maintainer will offer long-term support. Research the companies that develop and support the frameworks under consideration. Also, examine the mobile apps built with these frameworks.
UI customization Assess how easily the UI can be customized with each framework. Kotlin Multiplatform, for example, allows code-sharing flexibility with Compose Multiplatform.
Framework maturity Determine how often the framework’s public API and tooling change. Some changes to native operating system components can disrupt cross-platform behaviour. Check the number of bugs and how they are handled on GitHub.
Framework capabilities Identify what features and tools each framework offers. Check for code analyzers and unit testing frameworks. Also, determine how quickly the app can be built, debugged, and tested.
Security Confirm that the chosen framework provides the necessary level of security. Critical mobile apps, like banking and e-commerce apps, need robust security. Review security tickets on the framework’s issue tracker, if available.
Educational materials The amount and quality of learning resources can indicate how easy it will be to work with the framework. Comprehensive documentation, conferences, and educational courses are positive signs.

Different types of mobile app development frameworks include native, cross-platform, and hybrid. Native frameworks are for building apps for a single platform, such as iOS or Android. Cross-platform frameworks allow developers to create apps that run on multiple platforms from a single codebase. Hybrid frameworks combine elements from native and web applications.

Conclusion

Mobile app development platforms offer ready tools and features to create apps for native iOS/Android or Hybrid. Businesses need to create mobile apps to stay competitive. However, confusion can arise about selecting the right technologies. Mobile application development platforms solve many problems by offering ready-to-use solutions for mobile app development.

Key Takeaways:

Flutter lets developers build apps for multiple platforms using a single codebase. It offers customizable widgets and hot reload features.
React Native helps build engaging, native-like apps for Android and iOS. It supports code reusability and provides excellent performance.
Ionic allows developers to create interactive applications using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It saves money and time by allowing you to “write once and deploy anywhere”.
.NET MAUI enables developers to create native mobile and desktop apps with C# and XAML. It provides cross-platform APIs and supports .NET hot reload.
Apache Cordova lets developers build apps using standard web technologies. It offers plugins and app templates to speed up development.

When choosing a platform, consider factors such as compatibility, cost, performance, and user experience. Selecting the right mobile app development team is also essential to create a tailored mobile app with the best platform.