5 Successful Frameworks that Would Rule App Development in 2021

Developers are always searching for more efficient ways to bring a mobile app’s concept to life. Every business/start-up wants to reach out to a more significant number of people in a short time and with limited resources. This piques developers’ interest in selecting the right technology stack, which considers various aspects of mobile app development and accounts for success.

As a result, iOS and Android are the most popular and widely used platforms for mobile applications. And when it comes to frameworks, the choice is between native and hybrid apps. The Google Play Store has 2.47 million apps, and the Apple App Store has 1.8 million, indicating fierce competition in the market. As a result, selecting the right platform is critical for developers.

I will talk about hybrid app frameworks here, but first, I will go over native and hybrid app frameworks. Then, it will provide an overview of hybrid frameworks and prove their significance in mobile app development.

2021’s Best Hybrid Mobile App Frameworks

As we are getting past 2021, it is more important than ever to rethink your mobile app development strategy. For example, it is preferable to develop a cross-platform app rather than a native app to meet the inevitable need for mobile apps in 2021. On the other hand, hybrid mobile app development may be your best bet because it allows you to save time, resources and money. At the same time, it ensures that you can reach a larger and more diverse audience across various devices. The five most efficient frameworks for hybrid mobile app development in 2021 are listed below.

1. React Native

The Facebook community develops and maintains React Native, an open-source mobile app framework. It is widely used for hybrid, Native, and cross-platform mobile app development and is one of the most popular mobile frameworks. When it comes to developing hybrid mobile apps, React Native is one of the best options available. It is an ideal framework for hybrid apps because of its powerful features like live reload, native plugin availability, and accessible code reusability. However, it is best suited for JavaScript developers who have worked with the Node.JS framework before. Let us take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of React Native.

Key Points

• It allows developers to work on heavy operations like image editing, video processing, and other tasks not covered by the framework APIs.
• It has a big community to back it up.
• Its one-time coding feature cuts app development time in half and keeps React Native app development costs minimal.
• Third-party plugins, such as Google Maps, are supported.

2. Ionic

Ionic is yet another mobile framework that can be used to create hybrid mobile apps. It is also the framework of choice for creating advanced web applications, which many businesses prefer to use to engage their customers.

Ionic offers various tools, modules, and plugins to help developers create hybrid mobile apps with web technologies like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. It comes with an extensive library of user interface components that can be used to create high-quality designs and app interfaces that increase user engagement. Furthermore, you have access to hundreds of eye-catching templates. The Ionic CLI gives you access to a dedicated server with built-in debugging tools for a smooth development process.

Key Points

• It enables developers to work flawlessly across a variety of platforms.
• It allows changes to the code structure, which saves a lot of time for developers.
• It is built on a SAAS UI framework that is optimised for mobile devices.
• It uses Cordova plugins, which enable devices to have built-in features like a camera, GPS, and audio recorder.

3. Flutter

Flutter is an open-source framework that includes a complete set of development tools, widgets, and SDKs to help developers create cross-platform mobile apps. It supports Dart, a client-optimised programming language that allows developers to create an app that simultaneously works across multiple mobile platforms. At the same time, it speeds up the development process and lowers project costs significantly. Flutter is a fantastic tool that allows you to create native-like apps for Android and iOS using the same code base. Flutter has already been adopted by companies such as Tencent, Alibaba, and Google for its ‘Ads’ platform, despite its infancy.

Key Points

• It encourages the use of a portable GPU, which renders UI power and allows it to work with the most up-to-date interfaces.
• It does not necessitate manually updating the UI contents.
• It is an excellent option for creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

4. Xamarin

It is a Microsoft-owned mobile framework that supports C# programming and is best suited for developing cross-platform mobile apps. Xamarin takes a more advanced approach to hybrid app development and offers several advantages over Java and Objective-C. It also comes with extensive libraries for Java, C++, and Objective-C.

It comes with a slew of useful features aimed at cutting project costs and time. Xamarin claims to have a strong community behind it, with 1.4 million active developers worldwide. It has several features, including easy code reusability and. Compatibility over the internet, native UI libraries, and quicker GUI prototyping

Key Points

• C# is used to develop apps using the Xamarin framework.
• It greatly reduces hardware compatibility issues with the help of specific Plugins and APIs.
• It enables programmers to reuse a large number of third-party codebases that are encrypted in Java, Objective-C, or C++.
• It cuts down on the time and cost of developing mobile apps. In addition, it supports WORA (Write Once, Run Anywhere) and a collection of class libraries for it.
• It has a fantastic native user interface and provides robust compile-time checking.

5. Apache Cordova (PhoneGap)

Apache Cordova, also known as PhoneGap, is a mobile framework that was first released in 2010 and remains one of the most popular frameworks for developing hybrid apps today. It supports web technologies like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript, just like Ionic and React Native, allowing developers to create cross-platform apps with a single codebase. When used for hybrid app development, it significantly reduces time-to-market and accelerates the software development lifecycle.

Apache Cordova’s unique and powerful features include native APIs, UI libraries, and robust backend support. Above all, it is supported by Adobe, giving it a significant competitive advantage.

Key Points

• It is simple to learn and master.
• Compatibility with all major programming languages
• It Uses a single codebase for Android, iOS, and Windows devices.
• A robust, dependable, and user-friendly backend interface
• Quicker bug fixes and easier software testing
• Compatibility with a variety of third-party plugins and modules
• It provides comprehensive support for a wide range of hardware platforms.

Final Thoughts

The basic idea behind choosing a framework is to ensure that an app runs smoothly and to give it the ability to run natively on all platforms. The best thing about the Native framework is that it helps with cost-effectiveness and WORD support. This feature aids developers in creating a useful application. However, which of the aforementioned Hybrid app frameworks should you pick? The answer is that it is debatable. It all depends on what you want to accomplish.