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March 17, 2023
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Businesses especially start-ups are going gaga over opting for cross-platform app development. Reasons are many including better reach to prospects, cost and time effectiveness, faster time to market, high performance across all platforms and devices, easy amenities and the list continues.
This leads us to find the best cross-platform app development framework or programming language that developers can leverage to develop the desired mobile or web application. As per Statista, the most used cross-platform development framework is Flutter.
Flutter’s rising popularity is quite known among developers. Let us find out more about flutter (meaning, features, companies using flutter, etc.).
Flutter is called many things by the developers whether it be:
And more but one thing that you will find all over on the official site of Flutter is the words “single code base” which makes high-quality native Flutter app development (mobile, web, desktop, and embedded apps) that work across various platforms.
Flutter’s built-in programming language is Dart(a reactive programming language with a syntax like JavaScript). The former comprises a software development kit (SDK) and a widget-based UI library. The widgets enable developers to build both visual and functional components of the app.
The companies using Flutter or having a flutter in their tech stack for building apps are Alibaba Group, Google Pay, Dream11, Kotak, CrowdSource, Bytedance, Baidu, BMW, eBay, Geeky Ants, Tencent, SpaceX Go, and more.
Having said everything good about Flutter, it is wise to have one thing clear not every project requirement may find Flutter as a framework that fulfills it. This is where you need to find the Flutter competitors or alternative to Flutter which may not be the most used framework but works best for your project requirements.
Let us explore these flutter competitors in detail.
This ideology is the reason this open-source JavaScript framework (released by Meta Platforms, Inc. previously Facebook on March 26, 2015) is known as one of the most developer-friendly frameworks.
Flutter was able to beat React Native by 4% as per the statistics making Flutter the most used cross-platform by 42% of developers and React Native stands at 38% making it the best Flutter alternative.
Developers use React Native (also known as RN) mobile-first platform to natively render mobile applications for iOS and Android. It is a cross-platform mobile application written entirely in JavaScript using React and offers an extensive collection of external UI kits to use during React Native development to get true native capabilities.
React Native Features
React Native is used by various companies for building apps like Bloomberg, Instagram, Skype, Pinterest, Salesforce, Facebook, and more.
Only a little difference between the popularity of Flutter and React Native makes the decision tough for the developer who is looking for the best cross-platform framework. To help you with this decision, here is a detailed Flutter vs React Native comparison for you to explore. The comparison guide includes a table with various parameters to better compare both these cross-platform development frameworks.
A must-read for aspiring React Native developers: React Native Roles and Responsibilities
ReactJS (FaxJS – early prototype) was created by Jordan Walke (software engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc. formerly Facebook) and released in May 2013.
It is an open-source declarative, component-based, efficient, flexible front-end JavaScript library (not a framework). It is the declarative paradigm that makes this library flexible and efficient.
React JS development involves developing User Interfaces or UI components using three core components – components, props, and state. It ultimately contributes to simple, speedy, and scalable apps.
React JS Features
Companies using ReactJS are Airbnb, Walmart, Wix, Discord, Dropbox, WhatsApp, Atlassian, The New York Times, and more.
When it comes to finding a library that fits best for your project requirement, it is absolute that React.js is not the only composition-focused JavaScript library out there. We have also compiled a list of React Alternatives for you to explore and make a data-backed decision of selecting a development platform.
Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
Chris Lattner in collaboration with other developers at Apple, Inc started developing Swift in 2010. It is a general-purpose, object-oriented, block-structured, interactive, statically typed, multi-paradigm, industrial-quality programming language. Its concise yet expressive syntax makes it easier for the developer to build safe, high-functioning, lightning-fast, and reliable apps.
All you need for Swift iOS Development is Xcode and Apple’s frameworks as Swift is a programming language and not a platform or framework.
Swift Features
The apps built in the Swift programming language are Uber, CRED, Slack, Lyft, SlideShare, Firefox, Accenture, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more.
Though React Native is one of the most popular cross-platform frameworks after Flutter, swift has a lot to offer in terms of features. We have put together a React Native vs Swift comparison guide.
Kotlin is an object-oriented, functional, statically typed, general-purpose, multiplatform programming language.
Kotlin took inspiration from many programming languages, including (but not limited to) Java, Scala, C#, and Groovy.
JetBrains (software development tool creator) in 2010 was designed to run on a JVM. Today, the most popular JVM language apart from JAVA is Kotlin. It was the announcement in 2017 by Google which it made Kotlin one of the official languages for Android development which tremendously contributed to its popularity.
With Kotlin you get the combined benefit of object-oriented and functional programming.
Platforms Koltin supports for Kotlin App Development: macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, Linux, Windows (MinGW), and Android NDK.
Kotlin Features
The companies using Kotlin are Robinhood, Tinder, Udemy, Tech Stack, Foursquare, Trello, Delivery Hero, and more.
Developers often go for Kotlin if they are not going for Flutter or React Native. Here is a detailed Flutter vs Kotlin comparison to provide you with in-depth details of both the frameworks and a comparison of various crucial parameters.
If you are an aspiring Kotlin developer, consider exploring Kotlin Developer: Roles and Responsibilities.
Developed by James Gosling (father of Java) at Sun Microsystems in 1995 to develop a small, reliable, portable, distributed, real-time operating platform.
Java (formerly Oak) is a platform-independent, object-oriented, class-based, robust programming language that offers developer ease of Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA) for developing web and desktop applications. It is both a programming language and a software platform. Apart from being one of the oldest popular programming languages, it is one of the best choices of language for Android development.
Java Features
The apps that are built from Java are Spotify, Opera Mini, Signal, NASA WorldWind, Minecraft, VisibleTesla, and more.
The previous framework Kotlin and Java have one thing in common i.e., both are object-oriented programming languages. However, to choose from one of either developers need to weigh them both on various criteria. We have done it for you, check out Java vs Kotlin.
Modern tools and resources to help you build experiences that people love, faster and easier, across every Android device.
Android Studio (Android Development Tools (ADT)) is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) based on the IntelliJ IDEA (IDE for Java). Google announced it be the official IDE for Android App development on 16th May 2013.
Android Studio provides the developer with an advanced build toolkit – Gradle allowing them to better manage, customize, and automate their build process. Apart from Gradle, it features various tools that contribute to enhancing the development productivity of programmers.
Android Studio Features
Companies with Android Studio in their tech stack are Google, Glovo, Paytm, Accenture, Myntra, 9GAG, Each Stack, and more.
Xamarin is an open-source, cross-platform mobile application development platform.
Before Microsoft acquired Xamarin in 2016, it was a San Francisco-based company that started in 2011. It does not work with any IDEs and needs Visual Studio instead. The .NET developers can utilize their existing tech resources (libraries, tools, code, and more) when developing an app with Xamarin. It empowers the developer to convenience to develop a mobile app with C# (C-sharp) which is an added benefit.
Xamarin Features
Companies using Xamarin are Olo, Zappiti, Alaska Airlines, Rumble, Siemens, The World Bank, Outback, Microsoft Azure, and more.
Created by Max Lynch, Ben Sperry, and Adam Bradley of Drifty Co. in 2013, Ionic is an open-source UI toolkit or a front-end SDK framework built on top of AngularJS and Apache Cordova. It is used to develop front-end user experience or UI interaction which can be run on various platforms all from a single codebase.
The developers can use it to build cross-platform mobile apps, desktop apps, and progressive web apps. For development, programmers can utilize web technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Angular, and Typescript.
To know more about the Ionic framework in 200 works read: What is Ionic?
Ionic Framework Features
Companies using an Ionic framework are DuckDuckGo, Untappd, Bobcat, Southwest Airlines, Sanvello, Airbus Helicopters, Zenefits, AppsFlyer, and more.
Choosing among the flutter alternatives like React Native and Ionic framework is tough for the developers. To back your decision for proper research, read our blog React Native vs Ionic which is a comparison guide.
One of the oldest frameworks (after Java)!
Cordova (Formerly PhoneGap) is a free and open-source mobile app development framework created by a startup named Nitobi in 2009. It was rebranded as Apache Cordova after Adobe acquired it. It enables the developers to develop mobile apps using standard web technologies – HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript
The developer gets a set of device APIs and pre-developed plugins for native device features accessibility and providing various functionalities to the application. It can also be combined with a UI framework such as Sencha Touch, Dojo Mobile, or jQuery Mobile.
Cordova Features
The companies using Cordova Zhoustify, Walmart, Adobe, NeoQuant, domclick, Insoft, JustWatch, Frontend, and more.
Telerik by Progress is the creator of NativeScript. It is an open-source cross-platform JavaScript framework that developers utilize for building native apps by using JavaScript, TypeScript, Vue.js, or Angular.
This framework is based on the write once and run everywhere ideology. The best part about this framework is, that the developer does not have to let go of the comfort of working with the JavaScript framework as it enables developers to empower Native APIs with JavaScript.
NativeScript Features
The companies with GeekyAnts, Monogram, FinTech Consortium, Navadra, TurkDevOps, Beachy, Traverse LLC, and more.
Apart from React Native, NativeScript does make it a worthy Flutter alternative. This would leave you in a dilemma of choosing React Native or NativeScript. To help you with this dilemma our comparison guide NativeScript vs React Native has just the information that you need.
Dart is a client-optimized language for developing fast apps on any platform. – Dart.dev
Developed by Google and designed by Lars Bak and Kasper Lund, this programming language used C-styled syntax. First released in 2011, this open-source general-purpose, class-based, single inheritance, object-oriented, asynchronous most productive programming language then got approved as a standard by ECMA.
Apart from good documentation and ease of learning, it’s the high performance of the app that this programming language offers which is unmatchable in comparison to other programming languages that sets it apart.
Dart Features
Companies with Dart in their tech stack are Flutter, Appwrite, DartPad, Aqueduct, Strapi, AngularDart, DartPad, and more.
ASP.NET Core is the open-source version of ASP.NET
Whereas ASP.NET is a popular web-development framework for building web apps on the .NET platform.
Created by Microsoft in 2016, it is a free, open-source, high-performance, lightweight, modular, scalable, cloud-optimized, cross-platform web framework. It is used for building cloud-based applications (web apps, IoT apps, and mobile backend), and data-driven web applications.
Developers use ASP .NET Core to build various types of applications like desktop, web machine learning & data, mobile, and cloud.
Further to gain added benefit from ASP .NET Core Development, This framework enables integration with various tools like Microsoft IIS, Docker, Polly, NGINX, Simple Injector, and more.
Features of ASP.NET Core
Companies using ASP .NET Core are Alibaba Travels, Cognizant.com, DevRain, ViaVarejo, AspNet Zero, FinTech, DREAMENTUM, and more.
If you are currently using ASP .NET and are planning to migrate to ASP .NET Core then make sure that you have done an in-depth analysis of both first. If it does not have the feature that you are looking for then things can go south.
A lot goes into the decision-making of choosing the right framework for your development project. The business owner’s or developer’s mind is surrounded by a lot of questions that they seek an answer to when considering alternatives to Flutter or any other framework.
And the list continues.
Developers who have worked with Flutter often struggle to find an alternative to this most chosen cross-platform. All these frameworks have some things in common with Flutter making them appropriate alternatives to Flutter for most projects.
However, the final decision is still affected by the answers that you are seeking corresponding to specific requirements of the overall development process and business goals. This way you would have a platform that works best for your project’s requirements and is cost as well as time effective.
Flutter is indeed one of the best choices for teams seeking cross-platform development, but this does not necessarily mean it is the best and developers are only compromising on the quality of the framework when choosing other frameworks or programming languages for mobile app development.
So, weigh each framework or programming language on your requirement criteria and choose the one that gets the best answers to all such requirements questions as above.
Having said that there is no denying that Flutter is the best cross-platform app developer framework. This is the reason most companies often are on the hunt for top-of-the-class flutter app development services. SPEC INDIA is where your search ends. Hire a Flutter developer with us and make your dream Flutter project a reality and a good one!
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