5 Best Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks in 2022

Pros:

1. Dart
   The main problem domain for Flutter was creating superior visual experiences, and the team carefully chose Dart as their preferred programming language as it’s tailored to UI development. It has a graphics framework and VM implemented in C and C++. There is no competition between standards or design patterns. The syntax for the object-oriented language is clear, powerful, and easy to master if you are familiar with C #, Java, or TypeScript. Developers will access a detailed documentation section with real cases and support from a robust community.
2. Productivity Boost
   Thanks to the C/C++ graphics and visualization engine, apps are highly responsive. They deliver up to 120 frames per second on Flutter-supporting devices. Compared to cross-platform mobile frameworks on JavaScript, performance and visualization are superior, particularly for complex UIs. Its code compiles to Intel machine code, ARM, or Javascript for speedy performance on all platforms
3. Easy Customization
   Flutter gives developers control over every pixel on the screen. Everything is a widget, and most widgets are incredibly customizable. Even building a sophisticated UI requires less effort than in native environments. Changes like shape and color manipulations, transitions of shared elements and clipping are all easier.
4. Unified UI design
   Only Flutter allows sharing both the UI code and the UI itself. Its rendering engine guarantees cross-platform consistency on newer and older devices. Developers can make slight changes according to Material Design or build unique UIs. Most widgets are adaptive and compatible with both Android and iOS.
5. Time Saver
   Businesses that hire flutter app developers shorten their time-to-market to get a head start. On average, building a smooth MVP takes 2-3 months. Via App Builder, developers can mix and match features to speed up prototyping, MVP, and user testing.
6. Hot Reload
   Developers can modify the code without rebooting the app to the initial state. Any changes, from new features to colors, are reflected instantly even on a real device or emulator. Hot Reload facilitates experimentation, and it is a godsend for bug fixing.

Cons:

1. Larger app size
   When Flutter tried to estimate the size of their engine back in March 2021, they discovered that a minimum Hello World app with a single widget released as a bundled and compressed app was approximately 4.3 MB in size for ARM32. To be fair, React Native and Xamarin also have large app sizes, needing at least 7 and 16 MB, respectively.
2. Limited tools and libraries
   Some functions are in alpha and beta phases, as the technology is younger than other app development frameworks like Xamarin (2011), React Native (2015) or Ionic (2013). But its arsenal of out-of-the-box widgets is sufficient for most typical tasks.
3. May be still considered as less mature
   Dart is still thought of being less refined than Kotlin or Swift and not entirely stable. Now, many libraries are in the pre-alpha phase and integration of features like Google Maps has limitations. The year 2021 saw a lot of progress for the language. Developers can now easily implement Google Maps in Flutter. Dart 2.15 (stable release) was also launched with a host of new improvements, including support for function pointers. What’s more, Dart has been around since 2011 and is now over 10 years old.

Successful Apps Built on Flutter

Flutter underlies many popular apps. Its benefits have accelerated growth in many industries from retail to fintech. Here are examples of well-known apps that leverage Flutter:

• Xianyu (Alibaba’s shopping app)
• Google Ads (ad campaign management)
• KlasterMe (social media website)
• Reflectly (AI-powered personal journaling)
• BMW (Auto industry)
• Google Pay (payment solutions)
• eBay Motors App (auto app for hard-to-find parts and cars)
• Stadia (Google’s game app service)

Pros:

1. Speed of Development
   React Native has “ready-to-go” components and quick iteration cycles. Thanks to Javascript, developers have access to the biggest package ecosystem through the Node Package Manager (NPM). In comparison with Swift, a cross platform app can be built in 33% less time. Similar to Hot reload in Flutter, Fast Refresh gives developers near-instant feedback on new changes, which facilitates faster feature building and bug fixing.
2. User Experience
   Developers build high-performance apps with impressive UX. The interface is responsive and fluid in comparison with hybrid apps (built on web technologies). Yet, designs and interactions should not be extremely complex in React apps.
3. Advantages of JavaScript
   RN supports iOS and Android like other cross-platform frameworks. However, JavaScript gives developers an additional advantage. First, it is more widely known than Dart. Secondly, it facilitates code sharing between mobile and React web apps.
4. Convenient debugging
   RN has intelligent error reporting and remote debugging (Flipper). Apps run in an environment close to the production one, which gives developers confidence. Using an extensive plug-in library, they can create their own tools for special tasks.
5. More Mature
   RN is older than Flutter, so the Facebook team has had more time to stabilize the framework’s API. They are actively working on architectural improvements. For example, the recently added Hermes engine optimizes app size, reduces start-times, and reduces memory use.
6. Massive community
   In terms of articles, development tools, and materials, the RN repository is better placed than Xamarin or Ionic. Stack Overflow has over 50,000 active contributors to the tag with over 121,500 questions. Numerous tutorials, libraries, and UI frameworks facilitate learning and development.

Cons:

1. Native developers needed
   To implement some native features and modules, developers need detailed knowledge of the platforms they build on. Out-of-the-box support for functionalities like push notifications is imperfect. Often, components and styling for iOS and Android are different.
2. Less Efficient
   This iOS and Android cross-platform framework underperforms when designs or interactions are advanced. For instance, it is not suitable for heavy games. The JavaScript bridge and absence of native compiling make performance inferior to Flutter.
3. Lack of custom modules
   The range is not complete, and components are not always customizable enough. Developers add functionality using native technologies or build modules from scratch. The latter may result in components for three code bases instead of one (RN, iOS, and Android).

Famous Apps Built on React Native

This framework powers some of the most popular apps in the world:

• Facebook (currently a #1 social networking app in App Store)
• Instagram
• Skype
• Uber Eats
• Walmart
• Shopify
• Call of Duty
• Salesforce

Pros:

1. Developer-friendly
   Developers can use well-understood web technologies and a wealth of JS frameworks. All code runs in a browser, so porting it into PWAs is easy. The mobile app development kit comes with clear and well-structured documentation.
2. Flexibility
   Standard web technologies facilitate customization such that modifying the look and feel of an app may only require HTML and CSS changes. Ionic also allows integration with payment systems, testing tools, security, etc. Sometimes, developers may use only JavaScript in development.
3. Native Compatibility
   Connection to native APIs (camera, Bluetooth, etc.) does not require custom integrations. Apps resemble native products thanks to ready-made and customizable UI elements. Hardware-accelerated transitions are what Ionic excels in, and the V6 code base can now achieve scrolling on mobile and desktop at 60FPS and 1.8s time to interactive.
4. Quick prototyping
   The Ionic Creator tool allows the construction of app components via drag-and-drop. Web elements accelerate the development of UI logic and retention of native appearance. The Ionic CLI also supports Live Reload, where the view changes after detecting changes in the app.
5. Convenient Testing
   As Ionic runs on WebView, developers can test apps without deployment, via browsers. The only exception is native phone functionality, which requires debugging from a phone.

Cons:

1. Dependence on Plugins
   You cannot build native functionality without plugins, but they do not support all functions. Creating new ones requires native app development skills. Some native plugins also conflict with each other.
2. No Hot Reload
   While Ionic uses Live Reloading that adds a bit of convenience, the entire application still needs to be reloaded. This is slower than just patching the changed code, meaning that more time may be spent on development compared to other frameworks for mobile app development that support hot reloading such as Flutter. On that note, remember that Flutter Web specifically doesn’t support hot reloading.
3. Potential Security Pitfalls
   An app built by Ionic is essentially a website that relies on making calls to the backend. It may be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks if attackers interrupt the data transfer. That’s why it’s crucial to use HTTPS. Other issues may exist with the wrappers. For instance, because of Angular’s design pattern, it’s necessary to obfuscate the code at the origin before runtime to make it unreadable to hackers, and this may require extra steps.
4. Heavy Apps Are Slow
   Ionic is not the best mobile cross-platform development framework for complex features. Apps slow down because of browser-based graphic rendering. It includes several stages: JavaScript – Style – Layout – Paint – Composite.

Famous Apps Built on Ionic

Over 5 million Ionic-based apps are currently available. They include:

1. MarketWatch (financial and business news)
2. Pacifica (mental health)
3. Sworkit (fitness)
4. National Museum of African American History and Culture (stories and information for visitors)
5. Honeyfi (money management for couples)

Pros:

1. Complete ecosystem
   Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin gives developers a complete arsenal for building, testing, distribution, and analytics. They can run automated tests of the UI without requiring additional tools.
2. Performance close to native
   C# powers UIs that are highly customizable while looking and feeling native as they contain native UI controls. Xamarin.Forms turns interface components into platform-specific elements at runtime. Plugins and APIs enable seamless work with common devices functionality. Finally, apps can access features like camera and GPS and link to native libraries. Xamarin apps can leverage native hardware acceleration to deliver native performance. Because the code is not interpreted at runtime, there are no performance losses.
3. C#
   Unlike Dart, C# (the only language of Xamarin) is mature and compatible with multiple .NET features. Safety typing prevents unexpected behavior of the code. Native compilation supports high performance, native look, and feel.
4. XAML Hot Reload
   This tool is a debugging time saver. Developers modify XAML and see the changes reflected instantly in the running app. Navigation state and data are maintained.
5. Powerful Tools
   • Xamarin.iOS provides direct compilation into native code.
   • Xamarin.Android includes streamlined compilation via intermediate language
   • Xamarin.Forms facilitates interface design as developers share up to 100% of code between mobile OS.
   • Xamarin.Mac makes fully native apps for Mac OS possible.
   • The C# syntax gives access to platform-specific SDKs, such as Cocoa Touch for iOS.
6. Support of wearables, IoT, and TV
   Developers can build apps for Android Wear and Apple Watch. Xamarin also supports the development for tvOS and the Tizen OS, which is also used for IoT and TV. They can also build cloud-driven apps with .NET Core and Azure. It’s even possible to add machine learning capabilities, or bots for improved user experience.

Cons:

1. Delayed Updates
   Sometimes, updates are delayed or incompatible with the latest versions of Android and iOS.
2. Large app size
   Apps can be twice as large as native ones. Developers have to resort to additional optimization like linking.
3. High cost (professional and enterprise)
   Xamarin is only free for individual developers. A license for Visual Studio Professional costs $1,199 for the first year. Visual Studio Enterprise is almost five times as expensive.
4. Smaller Community
   In comparison with the other frameworks, Xamarin has the smallest community. This means finding an accomplished developer could be challenging. Microsoft Learn has a wealth of resources, but there is a lack of standards in education and documentation.
5. Compatibility issues
   The official Xamarin store does not have all components, and open-source resources are limited. Developers leverage other packages for specific integrations or capabilities. Third-party libraries and tools require wrappers.

Famous Apps Built on Xamarin

Xamarin has been selected by companies in industries such as energy and healthcare. It powers over 13,000 apps in Google Play alone. Some of the them include:

1. Alaska Airlines (booking, check-in, airport navigation, and flight information)
2. The Postage (planning for retirement)
3. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (streaming app for multiple platforms)
4. Fox Sports (personalized game stats)
5. UPS (customer service app with a bot)

Pros:

1. Easy to Learn
   Developers can use familiar web technologies and JavaScript libraries instead of unique methodologies like Dart. Platform-specific languages are not necessary. Most browsers are supported, and the code is simple. On average, beginners need 1 – 2 weeks to master the basics.
2. Powerful Apps That Feel Native
   Cordova can be used to create high-quality apps with excellent UX. It supports features like accelerometer, geo-tagging, compass, notifications, and messages. This ensures an experience close to native.
3. Plenty of Add-ons
   Thanks to plugin architecture, developers implement a wide range of functionalities. They have access to native features and cloud services. Third-party plugins enable feature-rich apps.
4. Enhanced Web-Mobile Transfer
   Compared to React Native, transferring code from a web app to a mobile app requires less effort. App bundling provides more stability. Cordova is more than a web-based application, as it supports writing of native plugins for all supported platforms. The JavaScript container integrates HTML applications with the native code.
5. Robust backend
   Cordova’s backend is solid, as this system is very mature. This speeds up development, reduces effort and ensures reliable performance.
6. Compatibility issues
   The official Xamarin store does not have all components, and open-source resources are limited. Developers leverage other packages for specific integrations or capabilities. Third-party libraries and tools require wrappers.

Cons:

1. Slower for Hybrid Apps
   Cordova runs within a browser as a JavaScript (UI) thread. This causes hybrid apps to slow down due to paints and repaints. Developers have to use caching or 3rd party solutions to accelerate graphics. Cordova is less than preferable for games and other heavy data-rich apps.
2. Compatibility Setbacks
   Compatibility issues may slow down the development process. Some plugins from different platforms must be modified. Plug-ins with hooks, which are popular in WordPress, are not supported, along with some native APIs.
3. Less Than Native UX
   UX is closer to an online software as a service (SaaS) app. Cordova imitates the native look and feel via web UI in HTML/CSS like other WebView frameworks. In comparison, React Native uses native UI widgets directly, creating a more authentic experience.

Successful Apps Built on Cordova

Cordova is mostly preferred by US-based businesses with 10-50 employees. According to Enlyft, it is used by 2,573 companies, mostly in the software development and IT sectors. However, Facebook and Salesforce are also reported to use forked versions. Popular apps include:

1. Localeur (a travel companion)
2. SparkChess (mobile game)
3. Untappd (drinking socially app)
4. Pacifica (relaxation and stress-management app)
5. SworkIt (at home fitness app)