Cross-platform app development has advantages that contribute significantly to its current popularity. With the expansion of its reach, several cross-platform app development tools and frameworks began to float in the market; slowly at first, then all at once, along with every other mobile app development company attempting to make use of this intriguing and one-of-a-kind technology.

We currently have a sea of these tools and frameworks, which you as a developer may find overwhelming. Here is a list of the top cross-platform app development frameworks to take into consideration for product development, including node.js, react, flutter, PhoneGap, and others, to help you in your search for the most excellent and ideal cross-platform framework.

What Is a Framework for Cross-Platform App Development?

To put it simply, cross-platform software is software that can run on multiple computing platforms such as Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, and so on. Apps built with this framework do not need to be coded separately for each platform; instead, coding once creates the foundation for the app to run as efficiently on all platforms. It is one of the most popular app development methods today, and almost all of the top mobile app development service providers swear by it.

Which Frameworks Are the Best for Creating Cross-Platform Mobile Apps?

Ionic

Ionic is a well-known and widely used cross-platform app framework based on AngularJS. It enables developers to access native platform controllers by combining top programming languages such as HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS and a Cordova wrapper.

Ionic allows developers to create an incredibly creative user interface while also incorporating user-friendly features into the app. Apps built with this framework are highly interactive and native-like, making Ionic an excellent choice for PWA development.

Features

• It is an open-source front-end framework, which means that it allows changes to the code structure, making it suitable for each developer and saving a lot of time. This puts its competitor Ionic to the test in the battle of Ionic vs React Native.
• A SAAS UI framework that is designed for mobile operating systems serves as the foundation for Ionic. It comes with a tonne of UI elements for building strong applications.
• Its use of AngularJS, which makes it simple to add extensions to HTML's syntax, essential functionality, and components into the app, is another of its standout features.
• This framework makes use of Cordova plugins, which provide access to device features such as the camera, GPS, and audio recorder, which is one of the major advantages of cross-platform development tools.
• The fact that Ionic gives apps a native-like feel is what makes it a developer favorite. It aids in the development of cross-platform apps and allows them to perform flawlessly across multiple platforms.

Native React

When discussing cross-platform app frameworks, it's difficult not to mention React Native. It is a JavaScript framework that is used to write real code and give a native-like feel to mobile applications that run on both Android and iOS. Due to its exceptional features, React Native is not only a well-liked option among developers but is also regarded by businesses as the best platform for their apps.

The benefits of JavaScript and React.JS are combined by React Native, which also enables programmers to create modules in Objective-C, Swift, or Java. Furthermore, developers can carry out complex operations like image editing, video processing, and other tasks that are not supported by the framework APIs by integrating native modules and libraries into React Native cross-platform apps.

Features

• That is a good thing. React Native, like Ionic, is a cross-platform open-source app framework. As a result, it has a large community that supports and improves it by fixing bugs, making improvements, and adding features.
• When developing apps for platforms as disparate as Android and iOS, one of the benefits of cross-platform development is that it only requires one-time coding (WORA). This eliminates one of the most significant issues with other frameworks, which require developers to write code twice for the same app on different platforms.
• One-time coding significantly shortens app development time while also lowering React Native app development costs.
• React Native works seamlessly with third-party plugins like Google Maps.
• React Native focuses heavily on user interface, resulting in a highly responsive interface. This means that the React Native environment speeds up application loading and provides a smooth user interface.

Flutter

Back in 2017, Google released Flutter, an impressive cross-platform app framework. It is a software development kit that aids in the rapid development of Android and iOS apps. It is also a fundamental and primary method for developing Google Fuschia apps.

Flutter provides apps that run uniformly and dynamically across multiple platforms.

Here are some of the outstanding features that make Flutter a popular cross-platform framework among developers.

Features

• Flutter encourages the use of portable GPUs, which provide UI power and allow it to work on the most recent interfaces.
• The reactive framework in Flutter eliminates the need for manual UI content updates. Flutter app developers only need to update the variables to see the UI changes.
• The Flutter cross-platform app framework is an excellent choice for creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) because it allows you to get started quickly and affordably.
• The developers can create a widget tree automatically and understand the code changes.
• Flutter comes with a built-in graphics engine. Developers would save time and effort by not having to create separate interfaces for Android and iOS.

Xamarin

Xamarin cross-platform app development frameworks are vastly different from the frameworks we've discussed thus far. It is a streamlined framework for developing apps for Android, Windows, and iOS using C# and.Net instead of JS libraries and HTML. It allows developers to reuse 90% of the code when creating an app for three different platforms.

With the help of its amazing APIs, Xamarin delivers applications with the aesthetics of a native app, making the decision between Xamarin and React Native much more difficult. Here are some of the features of Xamarin that explain why it is one of the best cross-platform development tools for mobile development.

Features

• Apps built with the Xamarin framework are written in C#, a modern cross-platform app development language that is more powerful than Objective-C and Java.
• With Xamarin, developers get native-level app functionality. It greatly reduces hardware compatibility issues with plugins and specific APIs that work with common device functionality. It also encourages the use of native libraries, allowing for customization and native-level functionality. It is one of the best Android app development frameworks simply because of this feature.
• Direct inclusion of Objective-C, Java, and C++ libraries is supported by Xamarin. This enables developers to reuse a large number of third-party codebases encrypted in Java, Objective-C, or C++, making it one of the best cross-platform frameworks.
• Because it supports WORA (Write Once, Run Anywhere) and has a massive collection of class libraries, Xamarin reduces the time and cost of mobile app development.
• Xamarin provides strong compile-time checking. Because of this feature, developers experience fewer run-time errors and obtain well-functioning apps.
• Xamarin has an incredible native user interface and controls that assist and allow developers to create a native-like app.

NativeScript

NativeScript is a fantastic free cross-platform framework based on JavaScript. NativeScript is a good choice for developers looking for WORA functionality.

NativeScript also provides all native APIs, allowing developers to reuse existing plugins directly from NPM into their projects.

Features

• NativeScript creates beautiful, accessible, and platform-native UI without the use of WebViews. Developers only need to define once and then let NativeScript adapt to run anywhere. They can even tailor the user interface to specific devices and screens.
• Unlike React Native, NativeScript provides developers with a complete web resource that includes plugins for a variety of solutions. Third-party solutions are inevitably eliminated as a result.
• NativeScript enables developers to easily access native Android and iOS APIs, eliminating the need for additional knowledge of native development languages.
• For programming, it employs Angular and TypeScript.
• NativeScript supports Cocoapods and AndroidArsenal segments, as well as calling local strategies from libraries.

Node.js

Node.js is an excellent framework for creating cross-platform apps. Node.Js is essentially a JavaScript runtime framework built on the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine. It is an open-source environment for developing server-side and scalable networking apps. Cross-platform Node.js apps are inherently fast and responsive.

The framework can handle multiple concurrent connections. It also includes a large library of JavaScript modules that aid in the development of web applications.

Features

• All Node.js APIs are asynchronous, which means they are non-blocking, which means Node.JS servers do not essentially wait for data from APIs. After calling it, it immediately moves on to another API. A Node.js notification mechanism allows the server to receive a response from the previous API call.
• Because it is built on Chrome's V8 engine, the Node.js library executes code extremely quickly.
• Node.js cross-platform apps do not buffer data; instead, they output it in chunks.
• Node.js employs a single-threaded model with event looping functionality to deliver smooth and flawless applications. This event mechanism allows the server to respond in a non-blocking manner, allowing them to be scalable.
• Node.JS applications reduce response time for slow requests, and each developer can execute all information inquiries concurrently.

Appcelerator Titanium

Appcelerator is one of many cross-platform app development tools designed to make mobile app development easier and faster. It is an excellent method for developing cross-platform apps from a single code base. Its primary goal is to speed up the app development process by utilizing native components found in JavaScript code.

Features

• Appcelerator provides a number of tools for rapid application development. This implies that a prototype for evaluating user interaction with UI can be created in much less time and effort.
• It includes ArrowDB, a schema-less data store that enables developers to deploy data models with no additional setup effort.
• It enables the integration of existing continuous delivery systems such as SCM and others.
• Appcelerator has pre-built connectors for Microsoft Azure, Microsoft SQL, Salesforce, and Box, to name a few.

PhoneGap

Phone Gap (Cordova) is an excellent cross-platform framework for mobile development that employs CSS, JavaScript, and HTML5. It also provides developers with a cloud solution that allows them to share the app during the development process for feedback from other developers.

It creates visually appealing apps by leveraging existing web technologies. Another significant advantage of PhoneGap is that it fully supports built-in device features such as GPS, Camera, Phonebook, and Storage.

Features

• PhoneGap is regarded as an outstanding cross-platform framework because it allows developers to create cross-platform apps using existing web technologies such as HTML 5, CSS3, and JavaScript.
• PhoneGap, as a cross-platform framework, enables the use of a single code base to create apps for various platforms such as iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and so on.
• It is built on a plugin-able architecture, which means that access to native device APIs can be extended in a modular fashion.

Sencha Touch

Sencha Touch, which was introduced nearly a decade ago, assists in the development of web-based cross-platform apps and is typically used to create efficient applications that use hardware acceleration techniques. Sencha Touch enables developers to create well-tested, securely integrated UI components and libraries.

In fact, it is possible to create large business apps and maintain them effectively and easily. Some of its notable characteristics include:

Features

• It is well-known for providing built-in native-looking themes for all major platforms, including Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone.
• It includes a powerful agnostic backend data package for working with data sources.
• One of Sencha Touch's most notable features is that it supports Cordova integration for native API access in addition to packaging.
• It allows for code compatibility between new and old versions.
• It includes 50+ built-in UI widgets that are fully customizable. It also includes a collection of rich UI designed specifically for mobile platforms, such as lists, carousels, forms, menus, and toolbars.

Corona SDK 

Corona SDK allows developers to create 2D mobile apps for all major platforms, including Kindle and Windows.

It allows for ten times faster mobile and game app development. The framework achieves remarkable results due to the dependability of its backend framework on Lua, a lightweight and multi-paradigm programming language. The language focuses on the most important aspects of development, such as speed, portability, extensibility, scalability, and, last but not least, ease of use.

Furthermore, it is a free framework that supports real-time testing and runs on both Mac OS X and Windows.

Features

• It has over 1000 APIs that allow developers to create sprite animations, audio and music, Box2D physics, object tweening, texture management, native elements, data, and so on.
• It reacts almost instantly to code changes while providing a real-time preview of the app's performance as it would on a real device.
• It supports nearly 200 plugins, including those for in-app advertising, analytics, media, and hardware.
• As previously stated, the Corona SDK is based on the Lua programming language, which makes the framework fast and powerful.

What Are the Advantages of Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks?

Maximum exposure to the target audience

Using a cross-platform mobile development approach allows you to build an application and distribute it across multiple platforms, including the web. This means that by creating a single application, one can target both the iOS and Android platforms, thereby expanding their reach.

Reduced Development Cost

The development of cross-platform applications is based on the concept of "compose once, run everywhere." Reusable code and agile application development using tools can help to reduce development costs. Cross-platform applications are the only way to improve your business on multiple platforms and tools in a practical way.

Easier maintenance and deployment

Because there is only one developed application that runs across all platforms, it is easier to keep up and also send code or changes made. Updates can be synced quickly across all platforms and devices, saving time and money. Furthermore, if a bug is discovered in the regular codebase, it should be fixed only once.

Faster Development Process

Another mutually beneficial situation when creating cross-platform applications is the rapid development process. Single source code for multiple platforms can reduce development efforts by 50 to 80%. It enables you to develop a feature-rich business application in less time. The team of developers can meet the expected deadlines for cross-platform application development.

Reusable Code

Another advantage of this platform is that the code can be reused. Instead of developers writing new code for each platform, a single code can be reused. This saves time and resources because it eliminates repetition in the errand of creating codes.

Simple Cloud Integration

Cross-platform mobile applications are completely compatible and can make use of various plugins integrated with cloud settings. In other words, the single source code is made up of various plugins and extensions that improve the scalability and usefulness of the application.

Final Thoughts

After considering all of the best options that a competent cross-platform app development company is looking for in this domain, there is nothing left to do but wait and see how these frameworks compete with each other to stay competitive, and how well they fare against the new frameworks entering the market as we speak.

OMNINOS SOLUTION is the most respected and dependable mobile application development company in the United States, South Asia, and Europe. We have experience developing world-class apps and have created a number of apps that have set new standards.