Frameworks are used to build mobile apps since they offer a consistent way of writing code that can run on multiple platforms, such as iOS and Android. Cross-platform apps are the future of mobile application development. They provide a way to develop applications that work on multiple devices and operating systems. Choosing the right cross-platform framework allows you to create an application that works on iOS and Android without much effort.

There are several cross-platform frameworks that you can choose to create a robust application. If you want to learn which cross-platform app frameworks will suit your needs, keep reading to learn about the top six choices.

React Native

React Native is the most popular cross-platform app framework. It lets developers create native apps using JavaScript and React, allowing them to write renderable components on Android and iOS platforms.

With React Native, you can build mobile apps that look and work exactly like their web counterparts. It takes advantage of the power of the JavaScript language, so you can use the same skills you already know to build beautiful, performant mobile apps.

Furthermore, it can also be used with other languages like Swift, Java, or Kotlin. React Native makes building apps on multiple platforms easier, as it uses a standard set of APIs across all platforms that you can reuse in your app. It is installed via npm, but this library's version varies depending on the platform you’re building on.

Flutter

Flutter is a mobile app development framework that makes it fast and easy to develop beautiful, high-quality apps for iOS and Android. Flutter uses hot reloading to allow developers to change their code without restarting the app. Hot reloading enables developers to debug their apps easily and provides a more intuitive development experience for beginners.

Flutter supports using widgets, the Dart language, and other features that allow developers to build a single codebase that can target multiple popular platforms. It uses Google's Material Design system for layout, animation, and interaction.

Flutter also has many advanced features, such as:

 • Hot reloading of code during runtime (no need to restart the app)

 • Complete type safety: no runtime errors

 • Fast compilation times: no build step required

 • Native look and feel: built with the native toolchain

Ionic

Ionic is a hybrid mobile app framework that lets you build native-like apps with web technologies such as HTML and JavaScript. It's built by a team of industry veterans to address several challenges in the mobile development space.

Ionic provides services for building mobile apps, such as Cordova plugins for third-party services and web technologies, packages for different device APIs, and AngularJS directives for UI components. It also includes material design components with its own style guide based on Google's Material Design specification.

It comes with tools like ionic CLI and ionic-CLI, which help you to create hybrid web apps using Cordova, Ionic, and AngularJS. The framework supports the following features:

 • Routing - routing for dynamic pages and components.

 • Data - data binding, form validation, filters, etc.

 • Sensors - Device detection support for iOS and Android.

 • Ionic View - view layer that helps build custom views of your application.

Cordova

Cordova is an open-source application framework that allows you to create native mobile applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s built on top of Apache 2 and ECMAScript. Cordova has been around since 2009 and has gained popularity over the last few years. The framework has been used in many apps, providing an excellent way for developers to create apps for multiple platforms without writing code for each operating system.

The Cordova framework includes a set of APIs that let you write your own plugins for the platform. For example, you can use Cordova to add support for geolocation or push notifications to your app. The Cordova Framework supports all major platforms, including Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7+.

Cordova is compatible with various platforms, including Windows Phone, iOS, Android, Tizen, and Sailfish OS. The framework can be used to build both native applications and hybrid apps that use a web view to run the app in a browser.

Unity

Released in 2004, Unity is a cross-platform game engine that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It supports the development of 2D, 3D, and mobile games, supporting scripting languages such as C#, Java, and JavaScript. The Unity Editor provides an integrated development environment (IDE) for building 2D and 3D games with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality.

The framework offers a variety of features such as real-time shadows, physics simulation, lighting effects, and more to help developers create high-quality games. However, the framework requires you to write code for every platform separately, which is time-consuming and expensive.

Unity offers developers a range of monetization options, including in-app purchases (IAP), a revenue share model, advertising, and subscriptions, which can be used to sell virtual currency or premium content inside your game.

Xamarin

The Xamarin Framework is a cross-platform mobile development framework that allows developers to create iOS, Android, and Windows Phones apps.

The framework includes both MonoTouch and Mono for Android, which allows you to target multiple operating systems with one code base. The Xamarin University website offers resources and support for new and experienced developers and tutorials on using the platform successfully.

Xamarin also has an app development portal called Xamarin Studio that features tools for creating apps for multiple platforms. Xamarin also has a suite of tools for building mobile apps for iOS and Android, such as Xamarin Studio and Xamarin Test Cloud. With these tools, you can rapidly develop an app without worrying about writing separate code for each platform's native SDKs.

Bottom Line

With more and more companies moving to a single codebase across multiple platforms, cross-platform application development is on the rise. As a result, companies hire Android and iPhone app developers to meet their custom mobile app development needs.

If companies want the best Android and iPhone app developers, they should hire Zorbis. Zorbis has created outstanding mobile apps for companies of all sizes. Zorbis has also provided web design and digital marketing services. To learn more about Zorbis’ mobile app development services, visit https://www.zorbis.com/.