Crafting bespoke mobile applications has become effortless through ready to use frameworks, APIs, and other tools. With the little knowledge of HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, developers can start building mobile apps. But, building native and hybrid mobile app is completely different, and which is better between the two depends on the type of business and requirement customers have.
Building cross-platform is a good option to enhance business reach with a mobile application that's get built in less time and efforts. There are a few points that every business should consider during cross-platform mobile app development.
When it comes to the core hybrid app development, the mobile app can be built on-the-fly that run on every platform and device brilliantly. As, aforementioned the frameworks made the development a breeze, but there are lot of frameworks available that leave the developers in vague. The best 5 frameworks are enlisted that one should consider during cross-platform mobile app development.
1) Ionic
The open source mobile application framework is packed with mobile-optimized library of CSS and JS components that ensures interactive app development at ease. The framework is scalable, easy to read markup and keep up with latest trends to remain updated. It also uses Angular.JS and JavaScript MVVM framework to build powerful applications.
2) Appcelerator Titanium
The open source framework comes along with platform independent APIs due to which accessing any phone hardware becomes easy. It uses a software named alloy that follows MVC pattern, which makes development swifter because modules created using alloy can be reused to build variety of apps. Thus, development time, efforts and number of lines of code get slashed.
3) Onsen UI
Onsen UI comes with jQuery feature that end the frustration of lack of native-like performance. The simple and easy to implement framework is Phonegap and Cordova friendly, and supercharged with Angular.JS. The brilliant performance of Onsen UI help in delivering phenomenal user experience on myriad of devices and platforms.
4) Sencha Touch
Not so old MVC-based JavaScript framework is popular to engineer enterprise level hybrid applications. Sencha features ready to use widgets, drag and drop WYSIWYG tool and tons of custom templates. The app built using Sencha has adaptive layout, native like UI, smooth scrolling, fluid animations and respond to user actions instantly.
5) Mobile Angular UI
Using essential mobile UI components like overlays, sidebars, scrollable areas, switches and absolute positioned navbars that's absent in Bootstrap 3 and a few Angular.JS directives, HTML5 mobile apps are developed that run seamlessly from desktop to mobile. Interactive applications get built without leveraging jQuery dependency and fat bootstrap JS.
Conclusion
Hybrid app development is a way to go. Increasing number of businesses are shifting from "native to hybrid†platform to gain high traction is same amount of efforts and resources because hybrid apps are like the code written once, but can be run everywhere. The HTML5 frameworks are highly used in hybrid mobile app development. Unity 3D and Xamarin are also well-known frameworks for cross platform mobile game app development.
Well, there are a lot more frameworks embraced in cross-platform mobile app development. Do you know about some more frameworks? Do share them in comments below.
