Top Cross Platform App Development Tools and Frameworks in 2021

Having an amazing app idea is a huge achievement. But wait, don’t celebrate too early. Have you figured out on which platform do you want to launch? Relax! You do not necessarily have to figure out the best development platform. Just use any of the following cross platform app development tools and launch your app on multiple platforms.

The guidelines for iOS and Android app designs are distinct and require different development methods. In this scenario, if you choose to launch on both platforms, you have to develop the same app for both separately. It takes too much time, effort, and money. Thus to find the middle ground, we have listed these cross-platform app development tools in this blog.

What is a Cross-platform App Development?

Cross-platform development gives the flexibility of developing using a universal programming language like JavaScript that can be extended to platforms like Android and iOS. It eliminates the need of programming the same app differently for different platforms. In a nutshell, it is a ‘one-code fits all’ concept to mobile app building. Let’s have a quick look at the top platforms of 2021.

Top Cross-platform Development Tools

Sr. No.	Logo Website	Tool Name	Overall Rating	Key Features
1		React Native	4.3 Ratings	Supports C++, Java, Swift, Objective, and Python Up to 80% of sharable codebase OTA updates Plug-n-play custom templates
2		Flutter	4.5 Ratings	Expressive and Flexible UI Native Performance Rich motion APIs,
3		Ionic	4.3 Ratings	Free and open source Library of mobile-optimized UI components Touch-optimized gestures AOT compiling Vanilla JavaScript
4		Xamarin	4.4 Ratings	Free courses, tutorials, videos Forms UI with XAML Xamarin.Essentials & SkiaSharp for native APIs
5		Apache Cordova	4.4 Ratings	Runs on Node.js Access native device APIs Hundreds of plugins Platform-centered workflow
6		Qt	4.3 Ratings	Free trial version C++ programming language Visual 2D/3D UI Editor Easy-to-use APIs Ready-made UI components
7		Unity	4.5 Ratings	Bolt Visual Studio Launch on 17 Platforms Incredible Graphics Quality C# Job System 2D animation
8		Sencha	4.3 Ratings	140+ UI components Ease of HTML5 Access to design tools Custom drag and drop Free online/on-site training courses
9		Appcelerator	3.9 Ratings	Uses Swift, JavaScript, Objective C Up to 90% code reusability Live app preview Incorporate 3rd party libraries Direct access to APIs

With the help of Capterra and G2 (top reviewing websites), we have created this comparison table, covering ratings and top features of these frameworks. We have selected these frameworks on the basis of their ratings and advanced features.

Top Cross-platform App Development Frameworks

1. React Native

   React Native is one of the best tools for mobile applications. This platform supports various languages for programming, such as C++, Swift, Java, Objective, and Python.

   

   This tool uses up to 80% of a single code base. Therefore, you have to develop only once for iOS and Android. This is one of the highest sharing percentages any app development framework will offer you.

   Other than that, it has OTA (Over the Air) updates. This means you can share the updated versions of the app with firewalls and improvements over the air. Ask an expert, you will hear this is one of the top mobile app development frameworks.

   Apps developed using React Native

   

2. Flutter

   Flutter is flattering. This is a cross platform app development tool that will never ask you to code again. You can design the same UI for various platforms whether it is for iOS, Android, or Windows operating systems.

   

   It allows mobile app developers to create apps with its expressive and flexible UI toolkit. Despite sharing a code-base, it can develop apps with a native performance for iOS and Android platforms (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) as well.

   Not just the UI but it has rich motion APIs. APIs let your app use data from other apps in the devices. This makes it a better user experience for customers.

   Thus, you do not have to worry about Android and iOS users at all.

   Apps developed using Flutter

   

3. Ionic

   Ionic being open-source, it is amongst the free-to-use tools. Don’t judge it on being free, it has a comprehensive library of mobile-optimized components of UI. With this, you can give a better UI than the native applications for all the app stores, such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

   

   To make it further easy, it uses JavaScript as the programming language making it a perfect tool for developing iOS, Android, and web apps.

   Other than that, this app framework comes with top-notch touch-optimized gestures and AOT compiling. Such advanced web technologies let the browser render the code without the need to compile an app first making your web apps smooth and seamless.

   Apps developed using Ionic

   

4. Xamarin

   Xamarin is one of the most popular tools. This tool is from one of the biggest tech giants— Microsoft. It is one of the most comprehensive open-source tools to develop apps.

   

   Xamarin uses the vibrant .NET ecosystem to share over 75% of your code across multiple platforms. This allows you to “write once, run anywhere”. The open-source .Net framework has a community of more than 60,000 contributors from over 3700 companies.

   This free mobile user interface framework lets you develop apps for Android, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and Windows from a single shared code-base. It helps you to develop apps for multiple platforms with consistency in the user interface.

   If you want to develop apps for mobile, cloud, and server using the same language, code, and tools, you can easily do it with the Xamarin. It supports the front-end to add storage, intelligent service, or a database in your mobile application.

   Apps developed using Xamarin

   

5. Apache Cordova

   Apache Cordova is a free-to-use open-source tool. This runs on Node.js and accesses various native device APIs, such as camera, compass, accelerometer, geolocation, messages, to name just a few.

   

   This tool allows developers to develop applications without any constraints. It has bagged hundreds of plugins for various functionalities. Apache Cordova has the best platform-specific workflow. It helps developers deal with various platforms, such as Android, iOS, Windows, and web apps easily.

   Some of the highly successful mobile applications that use it, such as JustWatch, Pacifica, and Gudog show how reliable this tool is.

   Apps developed using Cordova

   

6. Qt

   Qt is one of the best cross platform app development tools. Although this is a premium tool, developers can test a free trial version before buying the membership.

   

   It lets the developer code in the basic C++ language, and it converts the code seamlessly into various languages as per the guidelines of the native applications. And once the code is exported, the intuitive Qt interface lets you monitor on various platforms with respective devices.

   Relax! You do not have to own those devices, it has an in-built stimulator for all the devices like smartphones and tablets using the operating system. And if a function is not functioning as your vision, you can easily modify it through the Qt interface only.

   Apps developed using Qt

   

7. Unity

   If you want to develop a game, this is the best development tool for you. This is one of the best game development tools. It gives the premium graphics quality to make your game more than just a smartphone app.

   

   Additionally, you can develop your game with the advanced Bolt Visual Studio. It lets you develop games without looking at a single line of code. And to communicate with experts, you can join the community and help each other in building the best applications.

   When you are done with developing, comes the best part. To make sure that your game reaches maximum success and popularity, it can be deployed to over 17 different platforms, including Windows, PlayStation, Linux, Xbox, Wii, Web, and of course iOS and Android. And this is the reason, most of the developers choose Unity to develop their 2D/3D games.

   Apps developed using Unity

   

8. Sencha

   What else do developers need to fasten up the mobile application development process? Ready-to-use components right? Well, this tool comes with more than 140 components of the UI framework and widget. You can simply drag and drop these components to build a top-notch product.

   

   Moreover, developers can use technology stacks, like HTML5 (CSS and JavaScript) which is considered one of the simplest programming languages. This tool not only lets developers develop the app quickly but also gives access to the mobile app design tools.

   

   Once the coding is done, it is converted to be launched as native apps to both the platforms, but before that, you get the most accurate test results with the help of explicitly designed test features using Ext JS.

   Apps developed using Sencha

   

9. Appcelerator

   Are you in a hurry? Then, you should consider using one of the quickest tools for mobile applications and the need for rapid time to market. Don’t you want that before you start the project management, half of the coding is already done for you? This is the reason developers around the globe are using Appcelerator.

   

   The Appcelerator uses JavaScript as a programming language and also allows developers to use codes from Objective C and Swift.

   Appcelerator quickens the job by incorporating 3rd party libraries to the code and allowing direct access to APIs. This way, it cuts your efforts in half.

   Moreover, it lets you use from 60% to 90% of your code for various apps.

   Apps developed using Appcelerator

   

   Facing a catch 22 situation?

   To pick out the perfect cross-platform mobile development framework, you need to compare them. Therefore, let’s compare the above-mentioned software development tools.

Cross-platform Mobile Development Comparison

On the basis of the G2 ratings and reviews, we have prepared a quick compassion table to simplify the selection of software development tools.

So, as per your most required features and needs, you can choose the mentioned cross-platform app development framework and start developing your own mobile app step by step that runs smoothly on various platforms.

If you are thinking about the benefits of cross-platform development, then continue reading our next section.

Benefits of Cross-platform Mobile App Development

1. Fewer App Development Efforts

   The development process is no joke, and it needs a lot of effort, and cross-platform development allows developers to go through that only once. By using a single code base, it saves a huge amount of effort which you can put in further enhancement of the app.

2. Less Application Development Cost

   Multi-platform app development cuts down the app development cost by a significant factor. Since you have to develop it only once, it cuts down the time and hence the cost. Check all the factors that impact the cost.

   

3. Easy to Implement on Multiple Platforms

   Cross-platform development not only makes it easy to create but also to maintain them. The various tools that we discussed above, can be proven a blessing when updating apps. The mobile app development tools let you modify it with simple languages and convert them to different platform-specific languages. This way, developers can update the app, not only on the single platform but all the platforms at once.

4. Cross Platform Uniformity

   Providing users with the best user experience is on the checklist of all mobile applications, and the cross-platform development exactly checks that. As it uses the same code base for all the platforms, apps achieve a uniform user experience across all the platforms. The mobile application will be intuitive to the user on any other platform as well.

5. Greater Reach

   Why restrict the user base to a particular single platform when you can launch your mobile application on all the different platforms and solve the problems of as many people as you can. You can target a broader issue and hence allow your business to grow wider.

Cross Platform vs Native Development

Before you know the prominent differences between cross-platform apps and native apps, you must understand what a native app is.

When an app is built specifically for a mobile app development platform, it is known as a native platform. This means, if you intend to build an app, particularly for an iOS platform, it will not run on the Android platform and vice-versa. It will also not compromise with data security as they are intended to build for a single platform.

On the other hand, cross-platform apps smoothly run on various platforms as they use a single line of code. Therefore, it takes less time and cost to build cross-platform apps and more time and cost to build native apps.

Let’s understand this better with the following image and the table:

Note: Cross-platform apps are also known as hybrid applications.

Want to Create Your Own Cross Platform Mobile Application?

Cross-platform mobile app development is the new way to build apps quickly and effortlessly, and with time the technology is nothing but evolving. We can see cross-platform development dominating the market. Thus, this is the right time for you to explore the cross-platform tools to develop your app.

Having said that, if you want your app development to be handled by professionals to get promising results in a short time, we are here to serve you. We are an app development company with hands-on experience in developing over 3500 apps, maintaining a 98% success score on Upwork. Find why you must choose Space-O Technologies for the development.

In case, if you have any queries, get in touch with us.

This page was last edited on April 9th, 2021, at 3:10.