Choosing The Best Mobile App Framework
Choosing the best technology and framework for mobile app development is a critical decision that can significantly impact the development process and the app’s success in the market. This chapter delves into various considerations that developers and businesses must take into account to make an informed choice.
Considerations
There are numerous frameworks available, each based on different technologies such as Native, Cross-Platform Native (sometimes referred to as Hybrid), and PWA (Progressive Web Apps). Each of these technologies, as well as the individual frameworks within them, comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Choosing the ”right” framework carries risks both in the short term and from a long-term perspective. Even if a particular framework is the most suitable from a technical standpoint for one project or company, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the best choice for another.
Mobile App Technologies & Frameworks
The table below is a summary of various critical aspects that can significantly impact the choice of framework, whether it’s a pure native framework or a cross-platform framework, that is best suited for a specific app. Each type of technology has its strengths and weaknesses, and although frameworks are continually improving in most areas, differences remain in how well these frameworks perform across different aspects. Each technology and selected framework will be explored in more depth in the chapters further down the page, where each aspect will be discussed in detail.
Native
In mobile application development, first-party frameworks refer to the official development frameworks provided by the platform owners, namely Apple for iOS and Google for Android. These frameworks are also known as native development frameworks because they allow developers to build apps using the native languages and tools provided by the platform.
Progressive Web App (PWA)
In mobile application development, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) represent a modern approach that leverages web technologies to deliver app-like experiences to users. PWAs are essentially web applications that are designed to work across all platforms using a single codebase, and they aim to combine the best of web and mobile apps.
Cross-platform Native
Cross-Platform Native frameworks leverage platform-specific APIs to build mobile applications. These frameworks, sometimes referred to as hybrid frameworks, use their own technologies while integrating with platform-specific APIs to deliver a native-like experience. Notably, they enable developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms, significantly improving development efficiency.