Last Updated on July 19, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed

The landscape of cross-platform development is defined by the robust frameworks that help developers create feature-rich and robust apps. 

The demand for apps that perfectly function across countless devices has increased, and businesses are seeking cost-effective solutions to reach a broader audience.  

This is where cross-platform emerged as the best solution, which prevented both businesses and developers from streamlining the development process without compromising on quality. 

However, there are many frameworks to create cross-platform apps, and they serve as the basis for creating apps that can run impeccably on multiple operating systems, such as iOS, Android, and even on the web. 

But opting for the right one makes the development process more efficient and ensures better long-term viability. 

Hiring a cross platform app development company can streamline the app development process, help you choose the right framework for your app, and provide you with a team of experienced professionals well-versed in tackling the difficulties of multi-platform technologies.   

So let’s explore the 7 best frameworks that gained popularity because of their versatility, and ability to simplify the development process. 

What is cross-platform app development? 

Cross-platform is one of the best ways to craft apps that can smoothly run on multiple devices and reach to mass audience. 

It’s like a game-changing tactic in mobile app development, which allows developers to craft apps for different OS by utilizing the same codebase, which excludes the need to write code again for every OS. 

The greatest benefit of cross-platform frameworks is that they accelerate the market time and help businesses promptly deploy apps without creating separate versions for every platform. 

The ability to offer broader reach and accessibility on multiple platforms makes the cross-platform the best choice among developers and businesses. 

List of Best Cross-platform Frameworks 2024 

Here we enlisted the best frameworks to develop cross-platform apps. So have a look. 

  1. React Native 

This open-source JavaScript framework introduced by Facebook is devised for producing mobile apps that function natively on both iOS and Android. It has the potential to allow a significant portion of the code to be shared across numerous platforms. 

React native is flexible in its implementation and allows developers to integrate React native components into an existing app’s code or to repurpose Cordova-based code with plugins.  

This makes it the best choice for cross-platform mobile app development agencies. React Native’s popularity is recognized for its effectiveness, scalability, and brilliant community of developers. 

Pros of using React Native 

  • React Native allows developers to write code once and employ it on both iOS and Android platforms, saving time and expenses. Because it already has a lot of pre-built components. 
  • It has a massive and active community, providing plenty of resources, libraries, and support. 
  • The framework supports hot reloading, granting developers to instantly view the impact of code changes during development. 
  •  A substantial portion of code can be reused across platforms, reducing duplication efforts. 
  • Access to a wide range of third-party plugins and libraries improves functionality and expedites development. 
  • React Native is backed by Facebook, ensuring continuous improvement and updates. 
  •  The Native’s ability to blend the performance of native development with the efficiency of cross-platform development makes it a key player. 
  1. Flutter 

Flutter is currently used by large eCommerce companies like eBay, Alibaba, and Google also use Flutter for the modules of Google Assistant, which makes it popular among other frameworks. 

Flutter is an open-nature, free UI software development kit (SDK) that aids the formation of natively compiled apps for diverse platforms, offering a rich set of pre-designed widgets and tools for developing appealing interfaces. 

As per Statista, 46% of developers prefer using the Flutter framework for the development of cross-platform apps. 

Pros of using Flutter 

  • Flutter lets developers write one codebase that can be employed on both iOS and Android platforms, reducing development time and effort. 
  • The hot reload feature of Flutter enables developers to promptly see the impact of code changes during the development process. 
  •  Offers a full set of customizable widgets that make it simple to create visually appealing and consistent user interfaces across different devices. 
  •  Flutter assembles native ARM code, granting near-native performance and ensuring smooth and responsive user experiences. 
  •  It has a growing and engaged community, offering support, resources, and a wealth of third-party packages that improve development capabilities. 
  •  Flutter allows developers to make real-time changes by utilizing the same code, and the best to fix instant errors. 
  1. Xamarin 

Developed in 2011 by Microsoft, popular for its efficiency in developing cross-platform apps. It enables developers to share up to 90% of their code across multiple platforms. 

Xamarin excels in offering a native-friendly interface and controls, streamlining the development of apps that render an authentic native experience. 

Notably, its seamless integration with Visual Studio stands out, easing the development of apps for Windows, iOS, and Android within a unified environment. 

Pros of using Xamarin 

  •  Xamarin allows the development of apps that offer a native user experience on both iOS and Android platforms. 
  • Developers can write and maintain a single codebase for multiple platforms. 
  • It grants the sharing of a significant portion of code logic between platforms, contributing to code reusability. 
  • Utilize C#, a widely adopted and versatile programming language, making it accessible and enabling the reuse of existing C# libraries. 
  •  Xamarin offers access to a broad set of APIs and libraries, including platform-specific APIs, allocating developers to leverage native functionalities. 
  • This framework is backed by Microsoft, assuring continuous updates, improvements, and alignment with industry standards. 
  • Xamarin extends its support beyond mobile platforms to include wearables and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. 
  1. Node.js 

An open-source framework has brought a substantial transformation in cross-platform app development since its emergence. It was built on Google’s V8 JavaScript Engine, and Node.js is mainly exploited for network app server-side development. 

It is mostly used by startups & established businesses because of its amazing features and functionalities. 

However, it is considered to be more robust than PHP and Java on the server side and comes with a rich library of JavaScript modules, which accelerate the development process. 

Pros of using Node.js 

  • This framework is built on the V8 JavaScript runtime, which compiles JavaScript code directly into machine code, which allows the faster creation of apps. 
  • It allows the use of JavaScript on both the client and server sides, allowing for unified and easier code sharing between frontend and backend developers. 
  •  Node.js has the ability to handle an increased load by adding more servers to the existing system. 
  1. Ionic 

Ionic allows developers to craft high-quality cross-platform apps utilizing the Ionic’s open-source SDK. Developers can create strong apps using its mobile-optimized UI elements. 

Ionic has experienced frequent updates since its release, introducing an excess of tools and features that raise the framework’s capabilities for developers. 

Pros of using Ionic 

  •  Ionic is based on standard web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it open to a wide range of developers. 
  •  Provides a rich set of pre-built UI elements and themes that ease the development of visually appealing user interfaces across different devices. 
  •  Ionic seamlessly combines with Apache Cordova, granting developers to access native device features and APIs using pre-built Cordova plugins. 
  •  The framework also offers a live reload feature, allowing developers to promptly view changes during the development process. 
  1. NativeScript 

This framework is famous for crafting programs, and apps with a native appearance. It acts similar to a native app designed for Android and iOS. 

When building apps on Android Studio, Xcode, or JavaScript is utilized to interact with the same native APIs. Which enables developers to build apps quicker with the code reusability and active developer community. 

Pros of using NativeScript 

  •  NativeScript grants direct access to native APIs, letting developers influence platform-specific features and functionalities flawlessly. 
  • It offers a set of UI components that spontaneously change to the native look and feel of each platform, ensuring a consistent user experience. 
  •  NativeScript has a growing ecosystem of plugins that extend its functionality. 
  •   It supports offline development, allowing the creation of apps that can run even when the device is not connected to the internet. 
  1. Firebase 

Introduced in 2011 and later purchased by Google in 2014, Firebase is a leading Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform with a suite of tools and services. Developers utilize Firebase to make custom apps and boost functionality, and revenue. 

Its cloud-hosted services allow seamless on-demand apps by offering features like push messages, authentication, analytics, databases, and scalable file storage. Allow developers worldwide with a powerful solution for cross-platform app development. 

Pros of using Firebase 

  •  Firebase supports a real-time NoSQL database, allowing synchronized data updates across clients in real time. 
  •  The framework also allows developers to deploy serverless functions in the cloud, easing the implementation of backend logic without managing server infrastructure. 
  • The Cloud Firestore is an accessible and flexible NoSQL database that simplifies data storage and recovery. 

Conclusion 

We have mentioned the best cross-platform frameworks that help businesses achieve success by reaching a wider audience. 

The main purpose of these apps is to endorse universal compatibility while maintaining the cost. But selecting the right framework needs thorough consideration and analysis of project requirements. 

For that purpose, you can collaborate with the cross-platform app development company to simplify the process, as they are experts and assist you in choosing the right framework. 

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