Hybrid mobile app development has become increasingly popular because of the straightforward approach to developing a single application that runs across multiple platforms. Besides being cost-effective, it’s also the fastest way to get the app up and running across the major mobile platforms like Android and iOS. Hybrid mobile app development significantly reduces the efforts invested by developers as they only have to code once. Owing to the code reusability, developers can easily build an app that may run across multiple platforms with minimal complexities. The process is quite simple and less convoluted as compared to native apps that require extensive coding efforts, multiple frameworks, tools, and SDKs.
Hybrid apps are molded into native containers across different platforms to facilitate seamless interactions between the app’s UI and the native features of a smartphone. Understandably, developing these apps requires special tools and frameworks and basic programming languages. For instance, developers who are skilled in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML can effortlessly create high-quality hybrid applications.
Nevertheless, selecting the right framework for hybrid mobile app development is imperative to deliver consistent user experiences across all platforms. Let’s delve into a technical comparison between the top hybrid mobile app frameworks with a focus on their pros and cons.
As we approach the year 2021, it becomes more important to reconsider your mobile app development strategy. To address the inevitable need for mobile apps in 2021, it’s better to develop a cross-platform app rather than the native one. That being said, hybrid mobile app development can be your best bet as it lets you save both time and money. At the same time, it ensures that you effectively target a wider and more heterogeneous audience across a wide range of devices. Below are the five most effective frameworks for hybrid mobile app development in 2021.
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React Native is an open-source mobile app framework that is developed and maintained by the Facebook community. Being one of the most popular mobile frameworks, it is extensively used for hybrid, native, and cross-platform mobile app development. When it comes to hybrid mobile app development, React Native is one of the best options that we have. The powerful features like live reload, availability of native plugins, and easy code reusability make it an ideal framework for hybrid apps. It is best suited for JavaScript developers that have some prior experience with the Node.JS framework. Let’s take a quick glance at the benefits and limitations of React Native.
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Ionic is yet another mobile framework that finds its use in hybrid mobile app development. It is also the framework of choice for developing progressive web applications that are preferred by many businesses to engage their audience.
Ionic provides a number of tools, modules, and plugins to support hybrid mobile app development using web technologies like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. It has a rich library of UI components to create high-quality designs and app interfaces that maximize user engagement. Besides, you get hundreds of eye-catching templates to choose from. The framework provides an intuitive command-line interface (CLI) to develop feature-rich hybrid mobile apps using TypeScript and Node.js programming. The Ionic CLI gives you access to a dedicated server with built-in debugging tools for a seamless development process.
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Flutter is an open-source framework that offers a complete package of development tools, widgets, and SDKs to facilitate cross-platform mobile app development. It supports a client-optimized programming language, Dart that enables developers to simultaneously develop an app that would work efficiently across multiple mobile platforms. At the same time, it accelerates the development process and significantly reduces project costs. Flutter is an extremely useful tool that lets you develop native-like apps for Android and iOS platforms using the same code base. In its infancy, Flutter has already been used by companies like Tencent, Alibaba, and is currently being used by Google for its ‘Ads’ platform.
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Apache Cordova (formerly known as PhoneGap) is a mobile framework that was first introduced in 2010 and it remains one of the top frameworks for hybrid app development. Like Ionic and React Native, it supports web technologies like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to develop cross-platform apps using a single codebase. When used for hybrid app development, it significantly reduces time-to-market and accelerates the software development lifecycle.
Apache Cordova offers several unique and powerful features such as native APIs, UI libraries, and robust support for the backend. Above all, it is backed by Adobe which definitely gives it an edge in the market.
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It is a Microsoft-owned mobile framework that supports programming in C# and is best suited for cross-platform mobile app development. Xamarin follows a more advanced approach to building hybrid apps and provides several improvements over Java and objective-C. Besides, it directly includes extensive libraries for Java, C++, and Objective-C.
It offers a host of powerful features with a focus on reducing project costs and time. Xamarin claims to have impressive community support and 1.4 million active developers across the globe. Some of its features include easy code reusability, .Net compatibility, native UI libraries, and faster GUI prototyping.
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It’s quite evident that hybrid mobile app development is the fastest way to get things done. Due to this reason, it is rapidly gaining traction, driving business investments from all major industries. In 2021, it is likely to show unprecedented growth as an increasing number of startups and small-to-medium enterprises are opting for hybrid mobile solutions. Besides, faster development, easier prototyping, and reduced project costs are some of the factors that are likely to propel its popularity to new heights in the coming months.
We are an ERP development company that provides 360-degree enterprise solutions to solve complex business problems using next-gen technologies. Our development team specializes in developing hybrid, native, and cross-platform mobile apps to address the varied business requirements of our clients. Our seasoned developers have years of experience in cross-platform app development using the aforementioned tools and frameworks. With a proven track record in mobile app solutions, we have 100+ satisfied customers from across the globe. For more information, reach us out at [email protected].