Blockchain 22 Apr, 2025.
Businesses and organizations look for cheap and effective ways to create an app. This is where cross-platform app development comes in, providing a cheap and reliable app development platform.
These platforms allow the developers to develop top-notch applications with a local touch using one codebase. The worldwide market for cross-platform mobile application development is expected to be worth $7.5 billion by the year 2026, projecting the increasing necessity of adaptable solutions in mobile-based across industries.
Individual platforms (e.g., iOS and Android) require separate mobile app development that is not only expensive but also takes a long time. Cross-platform app development frameworks allow developers to write code for many platforms with a single codebase, thereby saving time, money, and effort during implementation.
Choosing the right framework can go a very long way in optimizing the performance and user experience of an iOS, Android, or even web-based application. This article discusses the top ten cross-platform app development frameworks that make mobile app development easier and faster.
Read More: Is Cross-Platform the Future of Mobile App Development
Best Cross-Platform Development Frameworks
1. Flutter
Google developed the open-source, cross-platform Flutter framework for mobile apps. It is rapidly becoming renowned as one of the best ways to develop beautiful and robust custom mobile apps. The fact that Flutter can produce native-like apps from a shared codebase is its most impressive aspect.
The Dart programming language is utilized to develop the Flutter application. Programmers worldwide love its “hot reload” feature as it enables them to view changes immediately while working on a project. Flutter offers a large array of pre-built widgets, enabling developers to build visually appealing and responsive user interfaces.
Flutter-built applications behave practically as native applications, providing consumers with a smooth and seamless experience on both iOS and Android. Alibaba, Reflectly, and Google Ads are some popular applications built on Flutter.
Read More: What is Flutter? Overview, Features and Working Process
2. React Native
Another widely used framework is React Native, developed by Meta (formerly Facebook). Developers use JavaScript and React to build mobile applications with React Native. The major advantage of React Native is that it is compatible with the iOS and Android operating systems without any compromise on speed.
React Native has a big community behind it, and as such, has a wide prevalence. Via modules and external libraries, it is capable of delivering native speed and native API access. Reusing component parts minimizes the development time required.
Some of the world’s most used apps, such as Uber Eats, Facebook, Instagram, and Skype were built using React Native. Ideal for developers that want to natively develop mobile apps and don’t mind learning JavaScript and React.
Read More: React Native vs. NativeScript – Which Framework Wins
3. Xamarin
Microsoft created the cross-platform mobile application development platform called Xamarin. This option works well for developers already working within the Microsoft ecosystem, as it builds on C# and .NET.
With Xamarin, developers can reuse almost 90% of the code across platforms. They build apps that function like native ones by using native APIs. It provides a rich platform to code, debug, and test and integrates well with Visual Studio.
Large enterprise mobile applications heavily depend on Xamarin, an organization tool employed by entities such as Alaska Airlines and the World Bank. Xamarin remains the first choice in developing web applications. Although new platforms have entered the market and slightly shifted its popularity, many developers still choose NativeScript for its ability to deliver robust and scalable applications.
Read More: Mobile App Scaling Post-MVP – 6 Best Tips for Startup Success
4. Ionic
Ionic is a cross-platform app development framework that builds hybrid mobile applications by using web technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Its developer-friendly framework on the Ionic app includes Angular, React, or Vue, which can be used.
Ionic excels due to its enormous set of UI elements and plugins. It can be used to leverage native device functionality with Cordova or Capacitor. Web developers new to the mobile app development space find it especially enticing.
Developers can easily accomplish easy to moderately complex projects using the Ionic App. Two of the apps developed with the help of this framework include Sworkit and MarketWatch.
Read More: Flutter vs. Ionic | The Right Framework for Your Mobile App
5. NativeScript
This open-source platform can create fully native apps with Typescript, Angular, Vue, or Javascript. Contrary to certain frameworks that utilize WebView, the NativeScript app directly uses native APIs, providing improved performance and more native behavior.
Developers write once and deploy on both Android and iOS but still get native UI and user experience. NativeScript also supports a vast set of plugins for accessing hardware capabilities such as GPS, camera, and sensors.
The NativeScript app works best for developers who want full control over performance and design without writing separate codebases for each platform.
Read More: API Development – Complete Guide to Developing Robust APIs
6. Apache Cordova (PhoneGap)
Apache is a veteran web-based framework for developing mobile apps. Still popular in the open-source community even though Adobe dropped support for it. To deploy it through app stores, Cordova encapsulates your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code in a native container. It uses a plugin architecture to access native device capabilities.
Cordova remains sufficient for building basic apps or prototypes, although it is not as robust or current as newer frameworks. Mature web development teams that desire a simple way of deploying mobile apps will find it sufficient.
Read More: How to Start Building Web Apps from Scratch
7. Unity
Unity is best recognized as a game development tool but is also capable of building interactive 2D, 3D, and AR/VR apps on multiple platforms. It supports scripting in C# and can be deployed to more than 25 platforms, such as Android and iOS.
Unity is employed to build graphically rich and interactive applications. Pokémon Go and Monument Valley games were built with Unity. It comes with a full-fledged toolset that includes a game engine, physics engine, rendering system, and others.
Unity is not a standard app framework, but developers use it to build other applications that need immersive user experiences.
Read More: Unity Video Game Engine: The Future of Gaming
8. MAUI (.NET Multi-platform App UI)
MAUI is the successor of Xamarin. Forms and is included in Microsoft .NET 6 and onwards. It allows developers to create native applications targeting Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows from a single codebase.
MAUI integrates well with Visual Studio, hence becoming a valid option for developers in the Microsoft ecosystem. It allows complete control over the UI and behavior of an application since it supports XAML and C#, thus developers can create any UI layout they want.
Enterprise applications, commercial applications, and in-house tools benefit from this principle, especially when security, maintainability, and performance are paramount.
Read More: Your Enterprise App Security Checklist
9. Sencha App
Sencha is a JavaScript framework for building enterprise-level applications. The Sencha app is the one that uses Ext JS, which offers rich UI components, data grids, and powerful charting tools.
Sencha gives a complete toolset for developing truly responsive apps for desktops and mobile devices. Developers often choose Sencha for heavy data-oriented applications that require complex UI and reporting tools.
This software also carries a visual app builder and supports testing and debugging tools, forming a complete suite for enterprise app development.
Read More: How to Write an Essential Mobile App Usability Test Script
10. Hybrid App Frameworks (General Concept)
Hybrid app development means the framework that combines native and web apps. Developers produce hybrid apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and then wrap the application into a native shell such as Cordova or Capacitor for it to run on Android and iOS.
This is the fastest and easiest way to construct and maintain such apps. These apps may not be as excellent as a native app, but they are good enough for many business applications. Startups and businesses that want to validate their ideas fast often choose hybrid frameworks because they suit this purpose incredibly well.
An easily developed hybrid app can be created using popular tools like Ionic, Cordova, and even React Native.
Read More: Native vs. Hybrid – Which is Right for Your Enterprise App
Comparison Table: Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks
|
Framework | Language | Performance | UI Capability |
Community Support |
| Flutter | Dart | High | Excellent | Strong |
| React Native | JavaScript | High | Good | Strong |
| Xamarin | C# | Medium to High | Good | Moderate |
| Ionic | HTML/CSS/JS | Medium | Good | Strong |
| NativeScript | JS/TS/Angular | High | Excellent | Moderate |
| Cordova | HTML/CSS/JS | Low to Medium | Basic | Weakening |
| Unity | C# | Very High | Excellent (3D) | Strong |
| MAUI | C#/.NET | High | Good | Growing |
| Sencha | JavaScript | Medium | Rich (enterprise) | Moderate |
| Hybrid (General) | HTML/CSS/JS | Medium | Varies | Depends on stack |
How to Choose the Right Framework
Several factors apply to selecting the best framework. Some important points include:
- Expertise of the Team: Ionic and React Native appeal to developers experienced in JavaScript. C# developers might choose Xamarin or MAUI.
- Complexity of the App: For rich graphics or complex user interfaces, Flutter or Unity works best.
- Implementation of Performance: An application requiring native performance can benefit from NativeScript or Flutter.
- Target Time-to-Market: A Hybrid App launched quickly using Ionic or Cordova can do well.
- Long-Term Maintenance: Frameworks like MAUI and Sencha would be more appropriate for an enterprise-grade availability.
“Selecting the right framework isn’t just about writing code—it’s about aligning your application with business objectives, leveraging your team’s strengths, and meeting user expectations.”
— Shoaib Abdul Ghaffar, Vice President at Cubix
Build Your Next App with Cubix
Cubix is the right partner for you in turning ideas about mobile applications into success stories. With several years of experience building high-performance iOS apps, Android apps, Flutter apps, and hybrid app solutions, Cubix specializes in scalable and user-friendly mobile applications that use the most reliable cross-platform app development frameworks.
If you are a new startup wanting to launch products rapidly, or if you are an enterprise needing a robust digital solution, you will find the company offering dedicated services that suit your needs.
From concept and design to development and post-launch support, the Cubix team engages clients throughout the workflow to ensure that applications do not just work well but also shine in the marketplace. Make your cross-platform mobile app a reality with Cubix today!
Maaz Tariq
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