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Top 12 Best Hybrid App Development Frameworks in 2024
Hybrid app development is one of the hottest trends in the tech industry. In recent years, we have seen its popularity grow at a rapid speed. Given that the hybrid approach dramatically accelerates the development process while reducing its cost, such interest around it should come as no surprise.
You see, with hybrid development you can create your application once and then deploy it across different operating systems, be it Android, iOS, Windows Phone, or Windows. In other words, you don’t need to write separate app codes for each individual platform. Instead, you write it only once and then reuse it when building the app for each target OS. That way you significantly minimize development costs and can create your product even with a relatively low budget.
Considering the above, we couldn’t resist writing an article on the best and most popular hybrid mobile app frameworks. So let us introduce you to the top 12 frameworks you can utilize right now to create hybrid applications for your business.
#1 Flutter
Flutter is an open-source framework created by Google for building natively compiled, multi-platform hybrid apps from a single codebase. According to a Statista survey, it is currently the most used framework worldwide, along with React Native.
Flutter uses its own programming language called Dart, which is a combination of Java and Kotlin. It has an improved type system and helps developers create highly-productive applications for iOS and Android operating systems with ease. The framework also supports hot reloading, allowing you to make instant changes when debugging code to decrease development time.
Apps built with Flutter: Google Pay, SpaceX, iRobot, eBay Motors, Etsy, Google Ads.
Pros of Flutter
Flutter is fast because its code compiles to ARM, Intel Machine, and JavaScript code, allowing for high app performance on any device.
Unlike Ionic, Flutter supports the hot reload feature, enabling developers to update code and instantly see the changes without having to reload the entire app.
The framework boasts flexibility: you can control virtually every pixel and create fully customized adaptive designs that will look and work as intended on any screen.
Flutter supports a wide range of libraries and widgets that facilitate development.
You can find various Flutter App Builders that can help you build app prototypes or entire applications without using a single line of code.
Cons of Flutter
Flutter uses the not-so-popular Dart language, so it might be challenging to find developers who have experience with it.
Apps built with Flutter typically take up 40% more space compared to native applications.
The framework has a limited ecosystem and community support.
#2 React Native
React Native is a hybrid mobile app framework based on JavaScript and designed to create cross-platform mobile apps. The main advantage of this framework is that it allows you to build 100% native user interfaces. With many other hybrid app frameworks (such as Ionic, for one), you get a web application wrapped in a native container. However, in the case of React Native, the UI fully consists of native components. That’s why even seasoned developers often mistake React Native apps for native solutions.
Just like Flutter, React Native supports the hot reloading feature, enabling developers to easily debug mobile applications. What’s more, solutions built with this framework render their user interface elements with native APIs. Consequently, they boast high performance, on par with native Android and iOS apps.
Apps built with React Native: Facebook, Instagram, Bloomberg, Walmart, Airbnb, Tesla, UberEats.
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