Today mobile applications can do anything for you. Starting from playing a song online to finding your loved ones with Tinder, apps have made themselves so smart that your dependency on them keeps on increasing with every passing day. However, have you ever wondered about the point that what if these apps were able to run on iOS devices only and not on the Android ones? So to resolve this problem, cross-platform app development kicks in. Nowadays mobile app developers make use of emulators of a typical kind to test and run the apps they are developing for a platform they do not own.
If there is no cross-platform support for most of the applications we use, there would have been a serious concern over the conflict between iOS and Android platforms. As per the statistics, an Android user gets to choose between a selection of 2.56 million applications existing on the Play Store. While, on the other side, Apple’s App store has a collection of selected 1.85 million iOS applications only. Moreover, going with numbers isn’t the main issue here, as all the apps go through many quality checks before they get listed on their respective app stores.
Mobile app development is a critical process that must be carried out with the right mobile app development framework and software development kits. One of the most important tools that are frequently used to develop robust mobile applications is a mobile app development framework. Staying ahead of the curve in this ever-expanding digital world, businesses must use every tool at their disposal to reach more leads to create more customers. One way to make sure optimum financial success in today’s world is the development of mobile applications, which is important for businesses to remain competitive.
What is a Mobile Application Development Framework?
Mobile app development frameworks are toolkits that function as a frame for your mobile application and offer a pattern-derived set of code libraries and software development kits (SDKs) tools, with API tools – to help developers to build an efficient and robust mobile application without starting from scratch. Working with an already-existing skeleton means that app developers only need to provide the flesh out the application’s code with custom code to integrate with the provided frame. There are two different types of mobile app development frameworks to select from:
- A native mobile development framework is used to develop native apps on a particular platform such as Android or iOS.
- A Cross-platform development framework is used to develop cross-platform apps that work on multiple platforms and Operating Systems.
Although mobile app frameworks help to make development for mobile platforms stress-free, it is also possible to develop mobile applications without using any mobile app framework or platform, which includes using the Java language which is the best framework for Android app development, and Swift language to build apps for iOS devices.
Different development tools and framework methods support developers with different MSDLC procedures at different phases, i.e. design, development, and testing phases. However, whether you are developing a native mobile app or a cross-platform mobile app, be conscious that different mobile app frameworks have altered features, which can make the mobile app development process easier or harder, depending on the mobile app’s requirements. Developing a native app or a cross-platform app involves the SDLC phases that need to be aligned with particular mobile development frameworks that support native app development or cross-platform app development.
Some mobile app development frameworks help developers to deliver fast and efficient apps with an extraordinary performance for wearable technology, for example, while others might outshine more at providing security to a mobile banking app, and others may deliver an additional user-friendly user experience (UX), etc.
Pros and Cons of Different Mobile App Development Platforms
Let’s take a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of every development platform.
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Native iOS Mobile App Development Platform
The best native platform for your app leads to deciding between iOS and Android. Firstly, let’s take a closer look at iOS development. iOS is a closed platform, which means Apple has full control over its programming language, the apps it broadcasts, and the devices it releases. They have strict guidelines, where unconventionality may lead to the fatal outcome of your mobile app. You will need to follow those guidelines and get prepared for persistent changes. Alternatively, developers always know how to cooperate with designers and how to make a flawless product that will be fully accepted by the store and loved by users.
You will need to update your app to the latest OS regularly. Apple has made acceptance easy for the users, they only need to go to settings and launch an upgrade. The good news is that there are around 20 devices you’ll need to make the app compatible with. Whereas, Android platform has more than a hundred of them, which makes design optimization, a pretty challenging job. Less supported devices bring about lower costs for testing. If you are concerned about revenues and want to get the best out of your digital business, remember that iOS devices are the most luxurious and hence they interest people who are ready to spend money on applications. So if you aim to earn revenue from an application and not just make people aware of your brand, consider iOS development. As per stats, Apple users spend 60% more on purchasing apps as compared to Android users.
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Native Android Mobile App Development Platform
According to recent studies, Android is the top mobile development platform in the world. By developing an Android app you can acquire a large pool of target users. Whereas in iOS, the operating system is very flexible as an app can work on multiple gadgets like smartphones, tablets, watches, and TV-boxes. There are a variety of applications available on Google Play. You can find everything according to your taste. Therefore by publishing an app to this marketplace, be sure to get sufficient early followers.
The Java programming language is standard out there in the Android world. This retains the edge of entering the development pretty low. With the platform being not tough to study, it’s easy to find a skilled developer to take along your idea to execution. The development is possible on different OS among which are Windows, Linux, or Mac OS, as Android SDK can be installed and used on all of them. Google continuously builds and polishes suitable development tools, making it easy for programmers to build apps of various difficulty levels.
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Cross-Platform Mobile App Development
A cross-platform development framework is a combination of HTML5 and native plug-ins. This “write-once-run-everywhere” approach is a pretty cost-effective solution. React Native app development is one of the most popular and best cross-platform mobile app development frameworks, assures 20% faster development as compared to native languages, with reuse of up to 90% of developed code when supporting multiple platforms, and noteworthy cost reduction. It appears that cross-platform development is a pretty good choice for your project – no headache about the range of supported devices, number of ready-made solutions, and UI frameworks to implement even a complex feature. It’s much easier to support an HTML5 app instead of a native one. But then what is the catch? There are in fact lot of them:
1. Dependency on a framework
There are several cross-platform frameworks, each having its limitations. Before deciding React Vs Angular or any other frameworks in favor of this or that mobile app framework, carefully study its potentials. Not all features may be easily integrated with a cross-platform framework. When it comes to complex functions such as image processing or push notifications, only native solutions can perform exceptionally.
2. Compatibility
It’s tough to reach the impeccable compatibility of a cross-platform app on multiple devices. A back button on iOS and Android devices could be a good point in this case.
3. Low Performance
It doesn’t matter from where you have downloaded an app, either Google Play or App Store. The difference in performance between native and cross-platform apps is important because hybrid applications consume more memory. Certainly, they do, as apart from triggering their code, they also need to get the WebView to work.
4. Look and Feel
You won’t amaze customers with super cool and unique native designs, However, it may perhaps be a pretty challenging task for a cross-platform framework. Even the best cross-platform mobile app development tools such as Flutter, for instance, will not be able to help you here. Thus forget about the native look and feel. Both native and cross-platform solutions for mobile UI frameworks have their advantages and drawbacks. You just need to be aware of all of them and choose the best framework for mobile development as per your project requirements.
Factors To Consider While Choosing Mobile App Development Framework
There are several factors that will influence a company’s decision to choose one mobile app development framework over another. A diversity of industry standards should always be taken into account when considering which mobile app framework to use. Let’s discuss some of them:
1. Platform Feature Support
Numerous applications in today’s network of mobile apps are cross-platform, as they are developed to work on a variety of platforms without having to recode for an individually native system. This approach helps the developers to spend less time in coding for specific platforms when they use cross-platform development frameworks and helps users to obtain mobile applications on a variety of platforms that they own, allowing for smooth data integration between systems.
2. Speed Consideration
Native and cross-platform mobile applications need to function fast and efficiently like websites. This is essential for almost all apps but is critical for gaming apps, which involve a certain measure of speed and performance to be usable. Mobile app development frameworks that can help developers to use the top code and libraries for optimum speed are important for many apps.
3. Cost of Development
When officials plan the development of a new business application for mobile platforms and devices, calculating the ROI versus the cost of development is a serious talking-point when considering the divergent costs of using different mobile app development frameworks. The cost of developing a mobile app can range from $10,000 to $500,000 – can help a company define how much value they hope to obtain from their application, and how much money they are supposed to get from deploying such an app after development with a particular mobile app framework, consequently determining its ROI.
4. Security Risk
In an age of growing data breaches, mobile apps – which make use of a combination of software security, Wi-Fi security, and cellular network security are gradually more targeted. Along with complying with data legislation, such as HIPAA, CCPA, and GDPR – certain kind of mobile apps, like banking apps and e-commerce apps that consist of a payment system or gateway, must be hardened, secured, and tested with risk evaluations, practical penetration testing, and vulnerability testing.
Picking a safe and secure mobile app framework so payments can be made in a safe environment will pay off in the long span.
5. Enhance Efficiency
Selecting the best mobile app framework to use, working within the scope of the thin code pattern of a system that a developer is aware of can help to bring about the most effective mobile application possible. Choosing a mobile app framework that boosts the developers’ experience and guarantees the final output with high quality.
6. After Launch Updates
When considering the best mobile application framework to use for mobile app development, choose a framework that increases the processes of all future, regular maintenance (patching, updates, upgrading, fixes, support, etc.) workflows of the app once it is deployed.
When To Choose Which Mobile App Development Platform
To make a long story short, here are some quick tips on when to consider which platform:
Consider native platforms solution when:
- You need to develop a custom solution
- A project is difficult and challenging
- You’d like to spend less on testing thru devices
- You are eager to be stylish
- You want to deliver users with the best user experience
- You would like your app to have the native look and feel
Consider Cross-Platform solution when:
- Cost is important for you
- You want to develop a promo project
- Your project is simple and straightforward
- UI is not supposed to be stylish
- There is a requirement for multi-platform mobile development
Conclusion
Determining which framework to use for mobile app development is a critical and vital step that involves seeing a large figure of variables. The most significant variables of mobile app development comprise the end-goal of the mobile app along with its necessities and important challenges, the most noteworthy advantages of the selected mobile app framework, and how those benefits line up with the essential factors of the mobile application itself, such as its speed, security, performance, scalability, etc.
The selection process itself is a key step in mobile app development and will help shape the way the mobile app is developed and functions. If you are still confused about which framework is best suited for your business, don’t hesitate to take help from any reputed mobile application development company in the USA. Eventually, your choices will decide how the app affects your company’s end-result.
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You’ve made some really good points there. I checked on the internet about top development frameworks and found this article most informative.
Hey,
Thanks for sharing the factors to consider when choosing the framework for building mobile applications. I am planning to launch my Android application by mid of 2022 and came through your post and it really helped me decide the right framework for my project. I really appreciate your efforts. Keep up the good work.