- AllZoneAdmin
- August 23, 2024
13 Ultimate hybrid App Development Frameworks
In this century people are looking forward to more advanced technologies. The launch of smartphones and tablets is one of the biggest technological achievements. With the increased use of these devices, the demand for mobile apps has also increased. This made the development of apps push its boundaries to see what its archives are. The worldwide market for hybrid mobile app development is expected to reach $583.03 billion, growing at an average rate of 12.8 yearly from 2022 to 2030.
But did you know what these apps can take to develop and work on devices? Do you want to develop a hybrid application but have no idea where to start? Don’t worry we have got your back!
Mainly there are two types of application development, one is Native apps and the other is Hybrid app development. In this blog, we will crack all about hybrid app development and the top 13 frameworks for it. These frameworks will help build apps that will work on every device whether iOS or Android. With the right frameworks, great tools, and features, you can build high-quality applications. Let’s jump right to it.
Understanding Hybrid Applications
A hybrid application involves a blend of both native and web applications. This means that it includes the features of both applications. Hybrid applications are native apps in the shell of web apps. When a user downloads a hybrid app the shell connects with the device features via a built-in browser. This browser works in the back end of the app which is not visible to the user.
These apps are popular because developers write code once and the app is compatible with all the devices. These apps will work on every device whether Android, iOS, or tablet. Just like web applications hybrid apps use these common front-end development technologies and languages like HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS, giving them cross-platform functionality. For more details, read our hybrid app development guide. In this blog, we are going to discuss the top frameworks for developing a hybrid mobile application.
Understanding Hybrid App Development Framework?
Hybrid mobile app development frameworks are tools that are used in the application development process. It helps in the development of an app that will work on iOS, Android, Symbian, and Windows just using a single codebase. Generally, a hybrid application framework uses web views inside a native shell.
This allows for the creation app’s interface and connects to device features like GPS, camera, and sensors. For hybrid apps, the most general frameworks include Flutter/Cordova, Quasar, React Native, and Ionic.
Understanding How Hybrid Applications Work
Hybrid apps work like web apps but when it downloads like native apps. It is built using languages like HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. There is a container inside in which hybrid apps run the code. In this way, the device’s browser engine shows the HTML, JavaScript, and native APIs to use hardware features.
This means just like any other apps these hybrid applications can be installed. So, how you work on these apps offline depends on what you need to do. Moreover, Advantages of hybrid app development are so many that can grow your business to the next level. If they don’t need to connect to the internet or use a database, developers can make them work even when you’re not connected to the web.
Want to know how to have the best hybrid app? The answer to this query is that you must find the best hybrid mobile app development company that offers services to develop a hybrid application that works across platforms.
Top 13 Frameworks Used In Hybrid App Development
Hybrid application frameworks help in building the software faster. They come in ready-made pierced of code so you don’t have to start from scratch. This fastens the application development process. Listed below are the three most popular frameworks used in hybrid development.
- React Native
- Flutter
- Ionic Framework
- NativeScript
- Kendo UI
- Quasar
- Aurelia
- Onsen UI
- Framework7
- Svelte Native
- Ext JS
- Axway Appcelerator
- Xamarin
React Native
Facebook creates this framework to help developers build mobile apps. Developers can build mobile apps with this frame using one language Javascript. Additionally, this framework lets you build cross-platform applications.
React native offers design similar to React helping you build a top-notch UI from declarative components. So as a result react native gives you the perks of a mobile app that works just like native apps. These use specific languages like Java for Androids and Objective-C for iPhones. Apps such as Airbnb, Skype, Tesla, and Amazon Prime, are the best examples of apps built with React native frameworks. A few key reasons for this framework’s popularity are:
- Its integration with third-party plugins and tools
- You can reuse parts of the app
- It’s easy to build the app’s look
According to research, 35% of software developers worldwide used React Native for their projects in 2023
Flutter
According to Google Flutter develops apps with a native-like experience while having control of apps through the UI toolkit. This framework can build amazing user interfaces for different platforms using just a single codebase. Furthermore, it features a collection of useful UI elements known as widgets and uses the Dart programming language. These frameworks give flexibility to the developers. In this way, they can tailor the app according to the needs of every project. Furthermore according to research on Statista, the usage of the fluter framework is around 9.4%.
One of the key benefits of this framework is it compiles apps to native machine codes resulting in amazing run-time performance. Lastly, it comes with a reloading feature, which enables them to view any change immediately made in the code. This feature allows them to debug or resolve any errors as spotted resulting in faster development.
Ionic
Inonic is also one of the most popular free and open-source frameworks in hybrid app development. It offers many tools which include HTML5, CSS, JS, and Sass for front-end and back-end.
Developers find this framework very easy to learn and use which helps them in the long run. With his frameworks, you can easily build progressive web apps with its rich library tools. It comes with more than 120 native device features which include Helathkit, Bluetooth, etc. Some examples of applications built using this framework are McDonald’s Turkiye, Justwatch, and Sworkit.
NativeScript
The native script was created by progress. It lets you build an app using languages like Javascript and any other language that could convert it into Javascript like typescript. These apps work smoothly with modern angular versions. With the Angular CLI, router support, and code generation it includes full-stack functionalities integration. Moreover, it integrates with Vue via a community-developed plugin that lets you use the Vue CLI, Vuex, and other nice Vue.js features.
But what would a hybrid application look like if built with a framework like native script? Well mobile apps developed with this framework are native apps. It uses the similar APIs just like their development was in Xcode or Android Studio. This means this application has a platform-native UI without WebViews and native performance. Lastly, Without the need for wrappers developers can incorporate third-party libraries from Android Arsenal, Cocoapods, Maven, and npm.js in their mobile apps
Kendo UI
This framework comes with various Javascript UI components for hybrid app development with libraries for Angular, jQuery, React, and Vue. The main target of this framework is to build apps with excellent performance. Even though this is an open-source framework still it is available according to unique business needs. Additionally, the key benefit is guaranteeing strict testing of each component. If you’re seeking an enterprise-grade solution with strong support, it is surely the best one.
Quasar
This framework lets developers write the code only one time and relies on Vue.js. They can deploy code simultaneously for websites (like SPAs, PWAs, SSR), mobile apps (iOS, Android), and desktop apps (via Electron). Quasar offers a modern UI following the Google material design front. It comes with advanced features while keeping the impact on performance low.
- Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Cache Busting
- Tree shaking
- Source mapping
- Code splitting and lazy loading
- Transpile ES6
- Lint Code
- Accessibility Features
Many developers love this framework because of its performance and features such as hot-reloading. One of the framework’s most known key benefits is its thorough documentation and active community.
Aurelia
This framework is a Javascript collection module. When used together it acts as a strong platform for building browsers, mobile apps, and desktops. Developers can use each of Aurelia’s modules independently in any JavaScript or Node.js project.
This framework comes in handy for creating efficient and powerful code. Additionally, it is according to developers preferring the use of vanilla JavaScript or TypeScript. It integrates with any framework/ library because it follows strict web standards.
The main sting features of Aurelia modules consist of metadata, binding, dependency injection templating, and routing. Its ecosystem comes with internationalization, plugin state management, validation, and tools like a CLI, Chrome debugger, and VS Code plugin. This app framework is open-source, user-friendly, and licensed under MIT.
Onsen UI
Since the release of this framework in 2013 it has quickly grown in adoption as an open-source framework licensed under Apache v2. Onsen UI is a framework that easily operates with multiple platforms and isn’t limited to any particular one. So to develop your apps you can use it with AngularJS, React, Angular or Vue.js, or plain JavaScript. The building of this framework is done in three steps:
- CSS Components
- Web components
- Framework bindings
From the start, it comes with a wide collection of ready-to-use components. Additionally, these frameworks come with flexible and easy-to-use features. Moreover, it has clear markup components and is free for commercial project use.
Framework7
This framework is also open source and free to use for hybrid mobile apps, web apps, and progressive apps. Additionally, the developers can combine it with extra tools like Electron and NW.js. It allows them to build native desktop applications. This framework is the best choice for quickly creating and showing working app prototypes as soon as possible, in case you need to. It focuses on bringing the best experience and simplicity in iOS and Google materials designs. Just like other hybrid app frameworks, it comes wide range of components for popular frameworks like Vue, React, and Svelte
Svelte Native
This framework is the youngest of all the above frameworks mentioned. Due to its simplicity, this framework is grabbing the attention of all the developers. Moreover, it has adopted the eldest framework footsteps quickly. It is powered with Svelte and NativeScript.
Let us inform you of one interesting fact about it. Mobile app frameworks like Reactnative operate on the device directly when the app is running. On the other hand, Svelte native starts running on the device before the app even gets to the device. It prepares everything during the build time. This means the app is ready and optimized by the time it is ready to run on the device. As the app has changing stages instead of using techniques like virtual DOM diffing Svelte creates code that updates the native view widget.
Remember that this framework is in its early trust-building stages, so be careful while using it. But who knows maybe this will be the new trend in the hybrid mobile development era.
Ext JS
This framework is powerful for developing cross-platform hybrid apps using languages like Javascript and HTML5. It is designed in a way so that it can handle intensive data and work well on all devices. This framework is popular because it states itself as the best JavaScript Framework In The World.
Major companies like Apple and Adobe use it because it suits large-scale projects more. For smaller enterprises, it is best to use frameworks like Ionic, Onsen UI, or Framework7. But when it comes to larger enterprises Ext JS is the best option. It builds best-quality hybrid apps that resemble native applications. It works well on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry and comes with pre-made widgets.
Axway Appcelerator
This one uses JavaScript language for hybrid app development and also known as Appcelerator Titanium. Because of its cross-platform functionality, it works smoothly with Android and iOS devices. This framework compiles the code combination of Javascript and native which results in improved performance. This framework is also considered one of the best frameworks for hybrid app development. It uses Hyperloop to combine Titanium’s cross-platform features with direct access to native APIs using JavaScript.Moreover, it comes with free and paid plans.
Xamarin
Xamarin, owned by Microsoft, is a San Francisco-based software company founded in 2011. It allows developers to build native Android, iOS, and Windows apps using a shared C# codebase. Xamarin supports cross-platform development, saving time by reusing code, skills, and tools. It also offers access to Android APIs and SDKs.
Bottom Line
Over the past few years, hybrid apps have gained enough popularity. There is no doubt why software companies are choosing hybrid application development instead of native counterparts. It is because of the faster development process, easy prototyping, and better ROI.
So, let’s windup this blog and this was all about the most popular frameworks for hybrid app development. Choosing the right framework depends on the project type and requirements. If you are looking to build a mobile app then hybrid must be your go-to choice. Here at AllZone Technologies, we will build hybrid apps compatible with all devices for you to reach your customers.