For apps to make it big, it is important to have a presence on not just one platform, but on as much as possible. With that, cross-platform mobile app development tools are gaining increasing importance.
In recognition of the growing need for cross-platform mobile apps, the number of development tools that can help achieve that is also increasing. There is a wide range of tools that you can use to help you develop apps that can look and feel as if they were made specifically for the platforms they will be used on.
Why Cross-Platform?
Apps that are available only for certain platforms will certainly miss on a lot of opportunities. That is why it is essential that your app is present on as many platforms as possible. But building multiple versions of an application to is not efficient – it will take a lot of time and a lot of effort.
Thankfully, some tools will allow you to create just one version of the app, then optimize it to work on different platforms. This cross-platform optimization allows an app to look and work perfectly on any compatible platform.
Top 10 Development Tools for Cross-Platform Mobile Apps
If you are looking into developing cross-platform mobile apps, then there are numerous tools out there that can help you out. Here are 10 of the best cross-platform mobile app development tools that you should check out.
Top 1: Xamarin
Xamarin is a cross-platform mobile development software owned by Microsoft since 2016 but was created by the same team behind Mono.
Xamarin has a C# codebase and can help develop Android, iOS, and Windows mobile apps. It can further be used to come up with apps for Windows and macOS.
What’s great about Xamarin aside from its ability to develop apps for multiple platforms is that it allows develops to test out mobile apps from whatever language be tested in the cloud.
Furthermore, Xamarin allows app development in Microsoft Visual Studio.
Top 2: PhoneGap
One of the most popular cross-platform development tools is PhoneGap, which is now under the ownership of Adobe. It is based off Apache Cordova, an open-source development tool.
The tool makes use of CSS3, HTML5. And Javascript in developing apps instead of using application programming interfaces (APIs) that are specific for Android, iOS, or Windows. What happens instead is that the codes are made to wrap according to the platform, which means that the resulting apps are not native, but are hybrid.
Top 3: Adobe Experience Manager
Adobe is also offering another mobile development tool called Adobe Experience Manager which is part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud.
Adobe Experience Manager allows its users to work on multiple channels which include apps and the web.
A great thing about AEM is that it can work with all the other functions within the Adobe Marketing Cloud, allowing seamless coordination among them. Particularly helpful is Adobe Analytics.
Top 4: Framework7
Framework7 is another cross-platform mobile development tool that is based off Apache Cordova. Framework7 makes use of Vue.js, an open-source framework for JavaScript.
Framework 7 also comes up with hybrid apps instead of multiple native apps, but the apps do feel like they’re native.
Top 5: Appcelerator
The privately-owned Appcelerator has two tools: Titanium and the Appcelerator Platform. The first one is an open-source, cross-platform mobile development software while the second one helps create native cross-platform apps.
Appcelerator primarily caters to the retail, finance, healthcare, and the public sectors. It uses JavaScript programming to come up with apps whose codes can be used on different platforms.
Top 6: Sencha Touch
Sencha Touch also makes use of JavaScript to come up with apps that look and feel like native apps. However, Sencha Touch has now been replaced with Sencha Ext JS which help developers helps utilize HTML5 in building cross-platform apps.
Sencha Ext JS features numerous components that are tested and pre-integrated, helping developers create high-functioning apps for various platforms.
Top 7: 5app
Making use of JavaScript and HTML5, 5app can help developers come up with high-performing apps that can function on different platforms. 5app boasts of zero downtime for apps coursed through their platform.
Top 8: MonoCross
MonoCross helps develop cross-platform apps through the use of MonoTouch for iOS apps, Mono for Android for Android apps, and ASP.Net for HTML5 apps where it utilizes Javascript, CSS, and AJAX.
MonoCross helps provide presentations or views that are specific to the intended platform.
Top 9: Kony
Another tool that can be used is Kony. It features an easy drag-and-drop interface in the creation of apps which uses JavaScript. It has a marketplace filled with reusable components, but it also gives you the ability to import from your library easily.
Kony also boasts of the Mobile Fabric platform, its platform that helps integrate other backend services.
Top 10: RhoMobile
The RhoMobile Suite is based on the open-source Rhodes framework, which helps developers come up with cross-platform apps using Ruby, JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3. An app can be written just once, and then it can be used on iOS, Android, and Windows.
RhoMobile also has a lot of tools that can help developers perform debugging, deploying, and testing their apps.
Easily Develop Great Cross-Platform Apps through these Tools
These are some of the most helpful tools that you can use to develop apps that can work on multiple platforms. Again, having a presence on multiple platforms can set you apart from apps which do not understand the importance of cross-platform functionality. And instead of coming up with multiple version of your apps through the creation of native apps, it is always better to utilize these tools instead to easily come up with high-performing apps that are optimized to work their best on whatever platform.
All of these ten tools have their advantages and disadvantages so take your time to learn all of them, and then see which one can best deliver you the results you want. But one thing is certain, all 10 of them can help you out.
Author Bio:
Kenneth Sytian is the CEO of Sytian Productions, one of the leading web design outsourcing company in the Philippines. He has been designing websites and developing web apps for more than a decade. He is considered as one of the top influencers in web design and development.
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