Tag: Cross-Platform App Development Company

So, you have that million-dollar idea for your next mobile app. 

Everything’s ready. But…you don’t have a budget for creating two different apps for Android or iOS? 

What should be your next plan? How can you ensure that all platforms work the same? 

One answer: cross-platform app development! 

And where did you get that?

Simple answer: Cross Platform App Development Company or an app development company that provides Cross Platform App Development Services.

But before that lets understand, What’s a cross platform app? 

cross platform application development, or cross platform app development for short, is a process of creating a single app for multiple platforms. 

If you are confused, don’t be. This article will help you understand the following: 

• What is the cross platform app? And top 3 examples of cross platform apps. 
• What are its benefits over native applications like Android or iOS?
• How does it compare with other app development methods like a hybrid, PWA, native, etc.? 

Let’s understand more in detail.

What is cross-platform mobile App Development? 

Cross-platform app development is an approach that most of Cross Platform App Development company  uses technologies to aid in the creation of apps for both the iOS and Android platforms at the same time. 

Building a high-end application using only one type of technology (such as iOS or Android) isn’t enough to create applications that require entering multiple data types.

But why would businesses want to run one app on several platforms? Here’s why:

Top Three Examples Of Cross-Platform Apps Going Strong

#1. Google Ads with Flutter

Google Ads App

Google Ads is one of the most popular cross-platform mobile apps created with Flutter. This mobile app allows you to create and manage Google Ads directly from your smartphone. Essentially, it is similar to the desktop application, except users can track ad output anywhere – which means no need to be in front of a desktop or laptop to track ads. Users can view campaign statistics, update bids and budgets in real-time, get live alerts, edit keywords, and get in touch with Google experts. 

#2. Instagram with React Native

Instagram Mobile App 

Instagram is one of the hottest social media sites today, with over a billion users worldwide. However, before going cross-platform, Instagram was a native app.  But seeing the benefits of React Native, the app makers slowly shifted each function, like push notifications and profiles, to React Native to see whether it made any difference. To their surprise, Instagram fared well on React Native, and today it used hire dedicated React Native developers as its framework. 

How did Instagram benefit from shifting to cross-platform:

• Both Android and iOS platforms benefited greatly from React Native’s ease of maintenance.  
• Faster performance due to lightweight interface. 
• Quick new feature shipping of React Native helped it gain an edge over other social media platforms.

Best Cross Platform Framework Technologies To Develop Your App

Below are the top preferred frameworks that most Cross Platform App Development companies use.

#1. React Native

Facebook (now Metaverse) created React Native, an open-source UI software platform, in 2015 (a little sooner than Flutter). It is based on the JavaScript React from Facebook and allows developers to create natively rendered cross-platform mobile apps. Skype, Bloomberg, Shopify, and many tiny modules of Facebook and Instagram all have mobile apps. 

Why is React Native a top cross-platform app development framework?

• With Fast Refresh functionality, developers may view their changes in their React components immediately. 
• One of React Native’s benefits is its emphasis on the user interface. React primitives are rendered to native platform UI components, allowing you to create a unique and responsive user experience. 
• As one of the most popular cross platform app development frameworks, React Native has a huge and active developer community that shares technical information.

Read also: A Quick Guide To Top Cross Mobile App Development Tools

#2. Flutter

It was released by Google in 2017 and is a popular framework for developing mobile, web, and desktop apps from a single codebase. To create applications using Flutter, you’ll need to utilize Dart, a programming language developed by Google. Example apps for mobile: eBay, Alibaba, Google Pay, and ByteDance.

What So Unique About Flutter? 

• The hot reload functionality in Flutter lets you see how your application changes as soon as you alter the code without having to recompile it. 
• Flutter is compatible with Google’s Material Design, a design system that assists developers in creating digital experiences. When developing your app, you may use a variety of visual and behavioral widgets. 
• It is not dependent on web browser technologies and instead uses its own rendering engine to draw widgets. 
• Flutter has a relatively active user community all around the world. Many developers make extensive use of it.

#3. IONIC 

Ionic is a 2013 open-source user interface toolkit. It enables developers to create hybrid mobile and desktop apps by combining native and web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as integrations for the Angular, React, and Vue frameworks. T-Mobile, BBC (Children’s and Education applications), and EA Games provide mobile apps.

What Is So Unique About IONIC? 

• The Ionic framework makes use of the Cordova and Capacitor plugins to provide users access to built-in smartphone functions such as the camera, flashlight, GPS, and voice recorder. 
• Ionic features its own integrated development environment (IDE) called Ionic Studio, which was created for developing and prototyping apps with minimum code. 
• The Ionic Forum is buzzing with activity as community members share information and assist one another in overcoming development obstacles.

These are the top three cross-platform app development frameworks. 

However, it’s also important to look for the right Cross Platform App Development Services, so you can make an app that your audience truly loves. 

Doesn’t matter how good a framework is, the quality of code, and architecture play a huge role. Thus, a professional Cross Platform App Development Company ensures that the app maximizes the framework’s potential to create a chart-topping cross-platform mobile app.

How Does cross-platform App Development Compare With Native, Hybrid, and PWA development? 

Conclusion

We hope that the above article provided you with all the answers that you had regarding cross-platform mobile applications and their development. 

You significantly limit your potential user base when you develop for only one platform. That’s where cross-platform apps fill the gap. As you can see, the most appealing aspect of the cross-platform app is its ability to work on multiple operating systems with a single codebase! However, it’s also important to hire the right Cross Platform App Development Services to ensure wide reach.

So, are you ready to develop your own cross-platform mobile app? WeDoWebapps can help you. We are a US-based mobile app development company with a record of creating chart-topping cross-platform apps. We have built apps for clients in multiple industry verticals such as SaaS, medical, education, etc. Contact us today. 

FAQs

• What is the difference between native app development and cross platform app development?

The native app development for Android and iOS requires two standalone apps, which takes time. In contrast, cross platform applications will have lower costs since they provide code reusability features. By using the same codebase for Android and iOS apps, development costs and time can get reduced.

• How does hybrid development differ from cross platform development?

Hybrid development and cross platform development can look similar, but they are not the same. However, they only have one thing in common: ”code reusability.” Creating cross platform mobile applications allows developers to reuse code across platforms once they have written it.

• How are cross platform apps different from native apps?

Native and cross-platform application development differ significantly. During native app development, it’s mandatory to develop separate apps for iOS and Android. While in cross platform development, one app works on both devices.

As technology and advancement rise, developers have to put their best efforts to keep up with the expanding market. To find better solutions and keep the struggle at its minimum, developers have upgraded the cross-platform app capabilities in order to get work done efficiently and accurately. Being a renowned cross-platform app development company, we are well aware of the market’s ups and downs and aim to create futuristic app solutions for your business. The recent digital growth has been quite competitive, and developers are bound to find the latest development tools to deliver the best results.

The demand for cross-platform app development has reached a new level in the corporate world, especially after the pandemic. The main reason behind it is the vast outreach of hybrid applications compared to native applications. Such apps allow your business to reach a diverse range of people across the globe regardless of platform or device. 

So, if an app is not cross-platform, a programmer will have to develop a new one for the respected platform and the set of users; that too using different programming languages. So instead of creating multiple apps, it is better to consider hybrid mobile app development in order to wide-spread your network and reach a targeted audience. But, wait, that is not possible without effective cross-platform frameworks used for progressive app development. Hire our dedicated PWA developers for your upcoming project.

Ionic framework

One of the most stunning frameworks for cross-platform app development, Ionic works on the base of AngularJS. Created by Adam Bradley, Ben Sperry, and Max Lynch in 2013, Ionic is an open-source programming language with Apache Cordova and Angular JS prior versions. Apps created with Apache Cordova principles for Ionic app development are hybrid HTML apps. Instead of adding just user-centric features, the Ionic framework allows you to craft creative UI as well. These user interfaces are so eye-pleasing that users often find themselves immersed for a long duration while using the app. Apps built on Ionic frameworks are a lot like a native, and hence, it is used in PWA app development. Some noteworthy benefits of Ionic are as below:

– Ionic framework offers several ready-to-use UI elements.

– Ionic programmers should be aware of HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Angular to develop high-performing ionic apps.

– There are ample plugins developers can use to provide native features on smartphones.

– Based on the SAAS UI framework, Ionic is specially designed for a mobile operating system.

– – As it is an open-source front-end framework, Ionic app developers can alter the code structure as per the business requirement.

– Tools supporting the framework: Visual studio code, Ionic app flow, Firebase.

Flutter

Flutter is the newest and youngest, yet has secured a distinguished image in the present market. Released in May 2017 by Google, Flutter is an open-source framework of cross-platform app development that uses Dart programming instead of Javascript. This feature differs from the rest of the hybrid mobile app development frameworks. The hot-reload feature allows developers to see modifications in real-time while programming the Flutter app. Not just Android and iOS, one can create revolutionary applications with the help of Flutter for the Fuchsia operating system too. Flutter apps have the caliber to run effectively on multiple platforms with equal intensity. The benefits it provides are as below: 

– Developers do not need to create separate interfaces for different platforms such as Android and iOS as Flutter comes with a built-in graphic engine. 

Flutter apps provide fast, efficient, and top-class performance compared to other cross-platform app development frameworks. 

– Dart programming language allows developers to write structured codes, making it easier to maintain synchronized hierarchical structure regardless of how complex the app requirements are. 

– Working on the latest interfaces is effortless as Flutter uses GPU, which offers UI power. 

– Developers can understand code modifications easily and rebuild a widget tree automatically. 

– Tools supporting the framework: Emacs, Android Studio, VS Code.

Node Js:

Node JS is a V8-based framework that helps transform Javascript into a generic language, and it is one of the best USPs – user selling propositions. As it offers an open-source atmosphere, developers can craft server-side network apps with superb scalability and robustness. By compiling JavaScript to machine code, V8 increases the speed of Node Js as developers don’t need to execute the code as byte code. This cross-platform framework is capable of managing multiple concurrent connections altogether as it contains a rich library of various JavaScript modules. With quick and efficient APIs, Node Js builds highly performing and responsive cross-platform apps that meet clients’ business requirements. Below are its advantages:

– NodeJs has a large community of developers, and hence the users

– Being one of the fastest, dynamics, and famous language interpreters, the V8 engine of NOdeJs is constantly expanding its boundaries.

– Database queries can be executed simultaneously, and NodeJS applications reduce the time of responses for slow requests. 

– This framework uses a single-threaded model to deliver ultimate smooth and equally functioning Node JS cross-platform apps. 

– Tools supporting the framework: Express.JS, PM2, Meteor, Socket.io, Babel, 

Read also: What Is Cross-Platform App Development, and Why Is It Important?

React Native

How can we forget React Native when we are discussing leading hybrid app frameworks? One of the most popular cross-platform apps and substantially used for Android and iOS, React Native is a renowned entity for hybrid mobile app development. After it was created in 2015 by Facebook, the React Native community has grown exponentially. Built on JavaScript, it renders a unique native-like environment and feel for iOS and Android. Developers can build intuitive and effective user interfaces according to business demands. This framework consists of JSX and CSS-like polyfills and refrains from using HTML or WebView technology. The best thing about this cross-platform framework is, it provides a combination of React Js and JavaScript; thus, it does not need DOM – Document Object Model API. Furthermore, programmers have the luxury to use Objective-C, Java, and Swift as well to code some of the parts of React Native applications. It provides the below-given benefits:

– React Native allows developers to develop a highly responsive and engaging user interface.

– Having a large community, React Native developers can obtain necessary support any time they seek it. It is a great relief, especially when coders are developing complex cross-platform apps using React Native and look for help.

– Developers need to code once only in React Native as its one-time programming is enough for applications to run on diverse platforms of mobile operating systems. 

– React Native is the right choice if you want to develop stunning cross-platform apps for Android TV, MacOS, UWP, or Windows.

– React Native is compatible with almost all third-party plugins such as Google maps; and is flexible for customization.

– React Native is also famous for its features like hot reload and code re-usability.

– Tools supporting the framework: Emulator, JS Editor, SDK, Android Studio

Corona SDK

Corona SDK (software development kit) is just right for you if you want impeccable two-dimensional cross-platform mobile apps for varying platforms. This open-source app framework renders ten times faster mobile games when it is about cross-platform app development services. Based on lightweight and multi-faceted programming language Lua, Corona SDK helps create exceptional games on multiple platforms like iPads, TV-Os, desktops, etc. Some advantages of Corona SDK are given here:

– It comprises great plugins for media, in-app advertising, analytics, and some other things as well. 

– The Lua coding language makes Corona SDK a fast, fantastic, and fruitful hybrid framework that helps you draw and engage customers.

– This framework responds instantly to any changes, and hence code changes can be seen in real-time and quickly. 

– Tools supporting the framework: Android studio project and Xcode.

Cross-platform development has been a blessing to developers and users. The cross-platform app frameworks mentioned-above play a vital role in redefining your hybrid app development procedure. After reading about them and exploring their salient features, it would be easier for you to select the right platform for your product/business. Choosing the right cross-platform app framework is important as it would be a pivotal point in expanding business across the borders.