List of Popular Mobile App Development Frameworks
By
Gillian Harper
|
Jan 11, 2024 |
App Development Frameworks
$673,778 million to be generated as revenue by mobile applications in 2027 is driven by technological advancement and innovative app development. As we have already stepped in 2024, the demand for user-friendly, intuitive applications that businesses can fulfill using the right mix of programming languages, frameworks, and other resources will continuously surge.
The selection of the apt mobile app framework plays a vital role in making the app successful in all aspects, from high performance to robust security. In this comprehensive guide, you can explore different types of mobile app development frameworks that top mobile app development companies leverage for app development and top frameworks that help shape the mobile app idea into a stunning reality. Go through the list to know their significance for your business application.
Table of Contents
What is a Mobile App Development Framework?
Wikipedia states, “A mobile app development framework is a software framework that is designed to support mobile app development.” Furthermore, it states that it could be considered a software library that offers a basic structure to facilitate mobile app development in a controlled environment.
What are the types of Mobile App Frameworks?
A lot depends on the type of mobile app framework. Though customization of any app can be applied to any product, market experts opine that a specific platform and framework could change the pathway of how businesses would work through its app. Hence, for businesses, be it Startups, SMEs, or enterprises, it is of paramount importance that they should choose the best framework for mobile app development that enables their internal and external operations to attain their business goals.
Broadly, mobile app frameworks can be classified into three types –
Frameworks for Native Mobile App Development
Native mobile apps are built particularly for a mobile device’s operating system known as OS. That said, you can have Android mobile app development and iOS mobile app development. Native applications are powerful mobile apps that work seamlessly on mobile devices. The mobile development frameworks for native programming are specifically built to support generic apps.
The technology used for native app development
Various programming languages are used to build native mobile apps such as Java, React, Kotlin, Python, Objective C, C++, Swift, and so on.
The Benefits of Native Apps
As native app platforms sheerly focus on single app development, the products built on them are more promising in their performances and features. The apps are well aware of the hardware devices and work more efficiently as compared to other types of apps. As a result, a native app developed on such application frameworks provides an unparalleled user experience. Also, providing security and consistency are some of the top benefits of native app development.
Frameworks for Web App Development
Quite similar to native applications, web apps offer a similar experience but through web browsers on handheld devices. Web applications aren’t standalone apps from the perspective of downloading by installing some codes into your device. Web apps are a kind of responsive websites that adapt the UI of different-sized devices/screens. It is interesting to note that when you come across something like ‘installing a web app,’ it means simply bookmarking the website URL on your devices.
Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are quite close to a mobile app and a web app as they are native app that runs inside browsers.
The technologies used for web app development
It includes HTML5, CSS, Ruby, JavaScript, and others.
The Benefits of Web Apps
Since web apps are browser-based apps, you don’t need to download them. In other words, you don’t need any space to use web applications and that is why it saves a lot of space on your mobile to save/store other apps. Furthermore, unlike native apps, web apps don’t eat up devices’ memories and they are easy on updates because you don’t require any app store dependency.
Frameworks for Hybrid App Development
Hybrid, as the term suggests, fall in between and they poke their nose into both domains. Hybrid apps give the flair and experience of native applications by having a home screen app icon, mind-blowing responsive design, and impeccably swift performance; even further, some special hybrid apps allow users to use them offline. However, hybrid apps are web apps built in a way that they look native and also function natively.
The mobile app frameworks required to build hybrid apps include a blend of web technologies and native APIs such as Ionic, HTML5, Objective C, Swift, and others.
The Benefits of Hybrid Apps
Hybrid applications are known for their quick development and are highly economical to their budget as compared to native app development. In a way, hybrid apps developed on specific mobile app development frameworks could be considered as a minimum viable product (MVP) because they prove their viabilities to build a native-like app. They load pretty quickly and hence they are ideal in a low-speed internet environment; furthermore, hybrid apps offer an uncompromised user experience and since they are based on single codes, they are hassle-free to maintain.
Best Mobile App Development Frameworks
There are some mobile app development frameworks available, and every year, the developers’ communities come up with something innovative. For the best mobile app development frameworks in 2024, there are many -from amazing native frameworks to the best cross-platform app development frameworks. Here is the list –
React Native
An adorable gift by Facebook, React Native mobile app development framework simply wins app developers’ hearts as they can use JavaScript to build natively rendered mobile apps. Also, it allows programmers to build native-like (cross-platform) apps, this open-source framework has been in great use for quite a long and has been used to build top mobile apps. React native app development crafts an eye-catching user interface and hence you find top React Native apps that have set an example of how apps can entice and engage customers.
Top Features of React Native
Cross-platform friendly: A single JavaScript codebase helps build cross-platform apps for multiple mobile OS.
Flawless performance: It uses native control and modules with Objective C base, Swift, and Java. As a result, the performance of the mobile app developed with React Native is flawless and fast.
Easy to get on: As it uses common user-interface building blocks such as image, text, and view, React Native developers find it easy to get on.
Best Mobile Apps Made with React Native
- Tesla
- Skype
- Airbnb
- Walmart
Flutter
An open-source mobile app SDK, Flutter is Google’s child and hence rules the programming world. Flutter is considered a boon to app developers because it can build natively-compiled mobile and web apps through a single codebase. As a result, Flutter app development is faster and buyers can have quick time-to-market for their products. Such benefits of Flutter make it a favorite for business people and developers. Flutter is also considered one of the best mobile app development frameworks for its stunning widgets, rendering engine, debugging facilities, and APIs to help mobile app developers build customized apps. Hence, many top-notch companies have chosen Flutter to build their apps.
Top Features of Flutter
Hot Reload: An amazing function that helps developers fix bugs easier and quicker through just-in-time checks.
Native-like experience: Flutter widgets give an amazing user experience on both Android and iOS. The sliding, navigation, and other fonts and icons offer native-like performance.
Charming user interface: Flexible and expressive, the UI built through Flutter is charming and eye-catching.
Looking for a Flutter Development Company to build a Cross-Platform Application?
Popular Mobile Apps Built with Flutter
- Google Ads
- Google Play
- BMW
- CrowdSource
- Abbey Road Studios
- Alibaba
Xamarin
Mobile app developers may build native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile apps using a shared codebase and with the support of Xamarin. Xamarin has been quite popular among other mobile app development technologies as it is written on C# and built on the .NET platform which means it offers high usability and security at the same time.
Top Features of Xamarin
Smooth functioning: As Xamarin uses the .NET platform, the performance, and functioning of Xamarin apps are quite flawless and smooth. Not to forget that .NET also assures stability and security.
UI/UX: Xamarin comes with a holistic set of interface components that can craft highly visually stunning user interfaces.
Cross-platform: when keeping a single codebase for programming, Xamarin mobile app development offers smooth development for all three Android, Windows apps, and iOS.
Top Apps Made with Xamarin
- Oro
- The World Bank
- Storyo
- CA Mobile
- APX
Swiftic
One of the most unique mobile app development frameworks, Swiftic is a no-code technology to build iOS apps. In mobile app development frameworks comparison, Swiftic won’t fall back because it offers an intuitive interface that enables mobile app developers in building, manage, publish, and promote applications right from their control panel.
Top Features of Swiftic
Quick development: Due to its coding technology, Swiftic apps can be built quickly.
Powerful analytics: As it provides advanced analytics, custom apps for specific business requirements such as eCommerce and food delivery apps are better with Swiftic
Amazing schemes: Swiftic comes with flexible payment plans and it also offers success-guaranteed schemes that offer free services if apps built on Swiftic aren’t doing well in a specific period.
Top Mobile Apps Developed with Swiftic
- Remix Coffee Co
- The Gentleman’s Barber Success Story
- Spa Cafe
- The Clubhouse
Ionic
Many opine that Ionic makes it to the top 5 mobile app development platforms. Mobile app developers can build hybrid mobile apps through the Ionic framework, an open-source technology. Ionic is famous for its beautiful user interfaces. The foundation of Ionic is Angular.JS and Apache Cordova and therefore Ionic can offer you native and web-based apps.
Top Features of Ionic
Multiple-platform: Android, iOS, and Windows apps can be built on the Ionic mobile app development framework with ease.
Smooth operations: As the technology uses Cordova plugins, Ionic mobile app development assures that the apps would perform at the optimum level.
Cutting-edge UI: a wide range of UI components are available with Ionic mobile app development. High-quality and visually appealing UI is possible through Ionic.
Top Mobile Apps Created with Ionic
- McDonald’s
- IBM
- GE
NativeScript
As the makers of NativeScript say, mobile app developers can empower JavaScript with native APIs. Native Script makes it a unique mobile application development framework and tools that help mobile app engineers liberate their programming by using platform APIs directly without losing their love for JavaScript.
Top Features of NativeScript
Bundle workflow: With the latest update, NativeScript offers developers to build source code in a much more effective way and as a result, the final product works at its best.
AndroidX support: NativeScript introduced Android app development support i.e., backward compatibility. Using NativeScript supporting AndroidX, Android app developers can leverage the benefits of material design components and much more.
TabView: The new NativeScript offers amazing and improved TabView using which developers can build a supreme user interface that looks different and superior to others.
Top Mobile Apps Made with NativeScript
- Aura CO2
- ActiveLook
- Badabee
- Checkpoint Curly
Corona
An apple of gamers’ eyes, Corona SDK has been offering amazing cross-platform development to build highly addictive games and mobile apps. Launched by Corona Labs Inc in 2009, Corona SDK could be opined as the fastest development tool or framework to build super-quality iOS and Android mobile applications.
Top Features of Corona
With More than 1000 APIs and plugins, Corona enables developers to transform any idea into a feasible digital product such as games and mobile apps.
With close to 350 studios around the world, Corona SDK has the mammoth support of its community so that any issues don’t remain unsolved for longer.
Developers, using Corona, have the freedom to call any native library such as C, C++, Objective C, and other API uses.
Top Mobile Apps Made with Corona
- Tiny Boxes
- Ava Airborne
- The Lost City
- Grow Beets Clicker
jQuery Mobile
jQuery mobile has a solid foundation of HTML5, CSS3, and jQuery along with highly engaging jQuery UI. Everything is available on a single framework and that is what makes it developers’ choice as they can achieve consistency throughout several platforms and devices with ease.
Top Features of jQuery
Simplicity and reusability: This mobile app development framework can make complicated things easier; developers can also reuse the code to save time and effort.
Lightweight: Mobile jQuery’s lightweight size makes it possible to run it and build code on it quite swiftly. Minimal image dependency also makes it faster than other frameworks.
Responsiveness: The full responsiveness of jQuery mobile makes the framework highly adapted to different devices with different screen sizes.
PhoneGap
Labeled as one of the amazing mobile frameworks, PhoneGap is a cross-platform technology that enables app developers to build first-rate mobile software that can run smoothly on multiple platforms such as iOS, Android, and Windows, and can still offer the same look and feel to users.
Top Features of PhoneGap
Quick development and TTM: With a win-win situation, PhoneGap brings smiles to both developers and buyers. While developers find it quick to build apps, buyers have the shortest time to market their products.
All-compatible: PhoneGap runs smoothly on all platforms. Hence, it is one of the most preferred mobile app development frameworks.
Powerful backend: PhoneGap offers strong roots to your app performance through its carefully crafted features and facilities. Ultimately, it helps stabilize your product.
Top Mobile Applications Built with PhoneGap
- ViziApps
- Convertigo
- appMobi
- Monaca
Want to choose the right framework to develop a mobile application successfully?
Choosing Your Mobile App Development Framework!
Mobile app development frameworks are the pillars to build customized mobile apps for various industry verticals. Depending on the business objectives and scopes defined by buyers, mobile apps can be designed and developed to render the ultimate user experience. You can always discuss mobile application development frameworks and tools with your tech partner to learn further about how your product shall be built using the same and how the framework will help to create your mobile app successfully.
Gillian Harper
| Jan 11, 2024
A professionally engaged blogger, an entertainer, dancer, tech critic, movie buff and a quick learner with an impressive personality! I work as a Senior Process Specialist at Topdevelopers.co as I can readily solve business problems by analyzing the overall process. I’m also good at building a better rapport with people!
