In today’s competitive environment, it is the trending technologies that keep your business updated and growing. According to reports, the number of smartphone users around the world has crossed the 6 billion mark and is expected to reach 7 billion by the end of this year. Besides, mobile apps account for 57 percent of smartphone usage. This indicates why it is important that you have a functional app for your business. However, some of the questions that come to your mind when deciding to build an app for your business are:
Which technology should you use?
Which platform should you focus on – Android, iOS, or both?
What type of app should you develop – Native, Hybrid, Cross-platform?
What is the cost of developing an app for different platforms?
The aim of this post is to throw some light on these aspects, especially with respect to using the technologies Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin for app development.
Choosing the Platform for Your Business App
If you need to develop an app for both Android and iOS, it is best to consider the cross-platform app development option. This means you will need to write only one code and the cost of developing the app can be reduced by at least 50 percent. Furthermore, it reduces the time needed to develop your application.
When it comes to cross-platform app development, the frameworks that are commonly used are: Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin. Let us discuss the pros and cons of each technology so that it becomes easy for you to make an informed decision.
Flutter
Flutter, originally developed by Google for Fuchsia and later converted into an open-source framework, helps you quickly create apps with excellent user interfaces that run seamlessly on both iOS and Android. It offers readymade widgets, APIs, and command-line tools that you need to create an app. Flutter is written in the object-oriented programming languages C, C++, and Dart, and hence it is easy to use. Moreover, it supports app development for Android, iOS, Mac, Linux, Google Fuchsia, Windows, and the web. Flutter is also best suited for building an MVP.
Pros
Enables seamless integration of videos, text, animated graphics, and controls
The time needed for testing apps is less as they use one codebase for different platforms
Flutter offers native performance and allows you to use the same UI for all platforms
Easy to know the effects of code changes because of the Hot Reload feature
React Native
The cross-platform app development framework React Native, created by Facebook, was launched in 2015. As React Native is based on React, you are not required to use technologies such as WebView and HTML. As it makes use of the capabilities of React and JavaScript, React Native is considered to be the most widely employed cross-platform framework. React Native can be used for building apps for the Android and iOS operating systems. Furthermore, it enables custom design, significantly cuts down on production costs, and gets your product to the market quickly.
Pros
As it uses only one codebase, you need only a single development team with JavaScript experience
As React Native shares the codebase of the app with Android, iOS, and the web operating systems, the time needed to develop the app and upload it to the app stores is much less
The Hot Reload feature allows developers to see the results of code changes within seconds
React Native enables the development of highly responsive user interfaces
Xamarin
Xamarin is a cross-platform app development framework maintained by Microsoft. Besides, it resolves the problems posed by native technology stacks and reduces the complexity and cost of mobile app development. There are as many as 60,000 contributors in the Xamarin community and the "write once and run anywhere" features that it offers to enable faster app development. Moreover, the framework uses C# and .NET and shares 90 percent of the code on different platforms. Xamarin. Forms provide a native feel and a consistent appearance across all platforms.
Pros
Offers a performance that resembles that of native apps as it closely follows native app development standards
Eliminates hardware compatibility issues to ensure top performance across platforms
Maintaining apps built using Xamarin is quick and easy as changes will be reflected on the iOS and Android platforms
The use of platform-specific UI elements ensures optimal user experience
Flutter vs Xamarin vs React Native
It is a challenging task to choose the right technology for developing your business app. You need to consider various factors, including code reusability, performance, the programming language used, popularity, community support, and cost. In terms of code reusability, community support, and popularity, Xamarin stands out. It is difficult to judge in terms of performance as it is dependent on external factors such as features and functionalities, codes, and devices. Besides, you should choose the technology depending on the capability of the programming language you are comfortable with. Finally, Flutter and React Native is free to use, whereas Xamarin charges a subscription fee of $499 to $2,999, depending on the size of your business. However, start-ups can use Xamarin for free.
Zartek Technologies
Zartek Technologies is one of the leading software development companies in Canada. The start-up company has expertise in the development of technology products for mass consumers. The team of professional developers at Zartek can help you overcome your business app development challenges and achieve your sales and profit goals. Please call us right away at (+1) 6479220416 or write to us at info@zartek.ca.
