Frameworks are the backbone of mobile app development. They are essential to building dependable apps quickly. When choosing a framework, you can choose between native or cross-platform applications. Though both approaches have advantages, cross-platform applications work on multiple devices regardless of their operating system.

Different companies use different technologies to build and design great apps. Various company requirements have led to the emergence of four major frameworks in the market – React Native, Flutter, Ionic, and Xamarin.

If you are considering building a cross-platform application, you must understand the basics of the available frameworks and their unique strengths and features. Doing so will help you choose one that is most relevant to you. That is why we have put together this comparison. We will help you understand the key differences between Flutter, React Native, Ionic, and Xamarin.

Top 4 Characteristics to Consider While Choosing A Mobile App Framework Of 2022

The six most significant reasons to choose a cross-platform mobile development app are:

  • Decreased development process
  • Cost efficient
  • Improved user experience
  • Improved performance
  • Improved quality
  • Increased reach

You can determine the best mobile app framework based on the characteristics on which we can compare the four tools. Let us begin with features.

1. Features

Flutter

Flutter is the best UI toolkit that comes with fully customized widgets. Its layered architecture will ensure quick component rendering. Several popular organizations use Flutter.  Its features include:

  • Built-in Cupertino widgets
  • Supports iOS and Android platforms
  • It is comprehensive and precise
  • Visuals are both appealing and engaging
  • Ability to develop high-performance apps
  • Rich motion APIs

Xamarin

Xamarin allows code sharing on multiple platforms. It is known to offer a development ecosystem with a back-end, API, and components. Xamarin’s’ features include:

  • Faster development time
  • Lesser bugs
  • Best backend infrastructure
  • A component store that contains cross-platform libraries, third-party libraries, and UI controls.
  • Allows application indexing and deep linking

Ionic

Ionic is useful if you want to build interactive hybrid mobile and progressive web apps with cross-platform applications. It also has another lightning and powerful version called Ionic Studio that provides an easy visual development environment. Ionic’s features include:

  • Fast and powerful
  • Allows complete control over app building
  • Allows development of both native and progressive web applications
  • Easy to handle
  • Allows for a single code base app building

React Native

React Native is a widely used JavaScript library that helps to develop rich apps to give the best user experience. It allows developers to create platform-specific versions of various components. React Native’s features include:

  • Single codebase across multiple platforms.
  • Low-code requirement.
  • Declarative API for predictive UI.
  • Compatible with third-party plugins.
  • Supports both iOS and Android.

2. Development ease

Development of the app should be easy and should offer smooth user engagement.

  • Flutter is known to provide the best. It is extremely efficient and offers great performance.
  • Xamarin can be used to develop the UI. Using Xamarin.Forms to develop apps can reduce time and simplify the process.
  • Ionic does not apply native elements. Instead, it applies Cordova to offer a native look and feel.
  • React Native works in tandem and offers a better user experience similar to native apps.


3. Performance

Performance is a crucial factor to consider as it shows how apps will perform when different frameworks are used.

  • Flutter tops all of the other apps in performance. It offers amazing speed as it uses Darts.
  • Xamarin can be used to develop apps similar to native apps. It is focused on business rationale. On the other hand, Xamarin. Forms work with the concept of broad code sharing. This may decrease the performance of the code in various operations.
  • Ionic does not offer performance similar to native apps. Since Ionic tools use web technologies to render the app, it tends to reduce the speed.
  • React Native can be leveraged to build apps similar to native apps. It allows developers to use native modules for scripting code for complex operations.

4. Top pros and cons

Each framework has its pro and cons. Please take a closer look at them:

Flutter

Flutter

React Native

React Native

Ionic

Ionic

Xamarin

Xamarin

Read more: Top Technologies Used to Develop Mobile App

Identifying What Suits Your Project

Every situation is unique. It might turn out that your technical requirements will lead to a solution. Still, this is how you can identify what suits your project:

  • Flutter is a good option if the existing tech stack no longer satisfies your needs but it should be a very careful choice for startups.
  • Xamarin usually fits most projects. It might be a little tricky to have everything you want, but in the long run, you will get it.
  • Ionic excels in terms of performance. If you are a beginner in cross-platform development, Ionic may be the best option.
  • React Native works wonders for MVPs and projects that need heavy interactivity. However, if your project is loaded with performance-hungry features, it may be best to skip it.

How Fingent Can Be Your Right Mobile App Development Partner

As a leading custom software development company, Fingent has years of experience in developing apps using various platforms for app development. Our app development team has hands-on experience in developing iOS and Android apps. No matter how complicated your app idea is, we can help you find the best solution. Let’s get talking.

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    About the Author

    ...
    Girish R

    Girish R, Programmer for 17 yrs, Blogger at Techathlon.com, LifeHacker, DIYer. He loves to write about technology, Open source & gadgets. He currently leads the mobile app development team at Fingent.

    Talk To Our Experts

      Everyone uses software products. From toddlers to grandparents, in one way or the other, almost everyone has used a software product. The number of mobile devices operating worldwide stood at almost 15 million in 2021! Today, software development permeates the entire world. You are reading this blog on a device whose lifeblood is software. It is no surprise that businesses invest in software development. But what is the cost? That is probably the single most important question to businesses intent on making wise business decisions. This article discusses everything that may affect the cost of app development in 2024 to help you estimate the cost of your app development.

      Is App Development Necessary for Your Business?

      Adding to the Statista report that put the 15 million number on the number of mobile devices, did you know that the number of mobile app downloads surpassed 200 billion in 2019? And there is no slowing down.
      Along with mobile devices, there are other devices like tabs, laptops, and desktops. And we know that all of these function by the operating system. The operating system is a piece of software with lots of integrated functions known as software.
      Individuals and businesses across the world depend heavily on software and enjoy many benefits. In this digital age, the software is essential to run different operations in transportation, electrical grids, and many other functions that offer the basics of life.
      To the question “Is App Development Important?”, the answer is a resounding YES. Now to the costs involved.

      App Development Cost Estimates For 2024

      It is important to remember that app development cost depends on various factors. Mobile app development costs will be different than web app costs. The cost could also depend on the complexity of the app.
      A small app with core features can be developed at lower rates. However, a complex app with intricate features will be expensive. Building a minimum viable product may cost less than $10,000. On the other hand, if you want an app that is compatible with both android and iOS platforms you will need a bigger budget.
      App development cost also depend on whether you develop the app in-house or outsource it. Before you choose to develop it in-house you must ask yourself if your team has the necessary experience to take an app from design to delivery.
      If you do not have the expertise on your team, it may ultimately end up costing you more in terms of lost work and demoralized teams. Otherwise, the best option is to seek out an external partner who can develop an app for you.
      Read more: Top Technologies Used to Develop Mobile App
      mobile app
      Keeping all this in mind, is there a formula to calculate app development costs?

      Top Factors That Drive App Development Costs

      1. Based on the complexity of the app

      A simple app might take hundreds of hours while a complex app might take thousands. These hours also depend on how efficient the developing team is.
      A simple app includes basic features like a login screen, user account, admin tools, and so on. It may have limited integration with other apps. Thus, it may take about 3 to 6 months to develop.
      Along with all the features of a simple app, a complex app includes features such as integrations, profile feeds, enhanced admin tools, media streaming, and more. Such an app would take 6 to 12 months.
      The most complex of all is an advanced app. This includes multi-language support, versioning, lots of user customization options, AI and AR, and more. This could take somewhere between 12 to 24 months.

      2. Based on region

      You will find potential developers around the world, over various time zones such as the US, India, and Europe. Each of these areas has expert developers but their rates vary depending on their location.

      3. Based on development stages 

      The budget of the project starts to become clearer during the research stage. In this stage, you will be able to clarify your requirements and finalize goals and deliverables. You will also be able to assess risks and threats.
      The next stage would be designed where the development team needs a clearer idea of what the app should look like. This stage will take longer and will be more expensive depending on the complexity of the user interface and so on.
      During the development stage, each feature will add to the cost. The next stage of testing may require human users to ensure the correct functionality, and this will add to the cost. The final stage is maintenance and support. Bugs and unexpected behavior will need to be addressed; hence, it is important to budget in the final phase.
      Watch now: How To Choose The Right Mobile App Development Approach

      Top Ways In Which One Can Initiate Cost-Effective App Development

      Are you wondering how you can get the app that you wanted in your limited budget? Here are a few tips that help you initiate a cost-effect app development.
      1. Use software development kits wherever you can: Software development kits could trim weeks or months off your development schedule. Thus, reducing thousands off your development budget.
      2. Find a vendor that can design and develop: Finding a vendor that does both designing and development can help you deal with communication problems and optimize workflow.
      3. Get the MVP made: Getting the MVP made and testing on your users will help you identify what needs to be added. Eventually, your full-featured app will be ready. Besides, you will also learn how to optimize your budget.
      4. Cross-platform development: Opting for cross-platform development can heighten your potential to reach a wider audience.
      5. Do not rely on older operating systems: Just a couple of years older can make a huge difference. It is worth the effort to focus on consumers who keep up to date.

      How Can Fingent Help Develop Top-Notch Apps On A Budget?

      We at Fingent custom software development experts understand considering how much it costs to develop an app can be an overwhelming experience. How about a consultation with our expert to get a quote?
      We assure you that we have the specialized skill and experience to build a successful and budget-friendly app. Don’t take our word for it. Have a look at some of our case studies.
      As your technology partner, Fingent can bring your brilliant ideas into digital reality!
      We have helped many businesses grow their business with our innovative, modern mobile app solutions. Take a look at our most success stories here!
      We can help you too. Connect with our experts today!

      Stay up to date on what's new

        About the Author

        ...
        Sreejith

        I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

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          Mobile App Development – Complete Guide for 2025

          Introduction

          Mobile applications aren’t anymore a luxury or simply a channel to tout your business. More than 70% of our digital media time is consumed by smartphones today. Mobile apps claim 93% of the total time spent on a smartphone, while the remaining 7% of mobile time is consumed by web browsers. This proves why the demand for mobile application development services is intensifying year over year.
          A well-structured native iOS, native Android, hybrid, or cross-platform mobile app boosts your digital engagement, leading to long-term bottom lines such as unswerving customer loyalty and recurring sales. Though an astounding number of small and large businesses are experiencing the benefit of mobility, some are yet to build the right strategy. If you are planning to build a mobile app for your business or want to enhance your existing application, you’ve come to the right place.
          This blog covers the key aspects of mobile app development, including the development process, approaches, platforms, cost of development, and the tips to avoid failures and attain success with mobile app development. Let’s get started without further ado.

          What is Mobile Application Development?

          Mobile application development is the process of creating specific software applications that run on a mobile device (such as applications for smartphones and digital assistants), and utilize a network connection to work with remote computing resources. The development process involves creating installable software bundles, implementing backend services, and testing the application on target devices. In short, mobile app development is the strategic process of designing, building, and launching a mobile app successfully.
          The importance of building a business mobile app is growing rapidly as businesses across industries aim to meet user expectations and seek real-time, convenient ways to conduct transactions and access information. By the end of 2023, it is estimated that the total number of mobile app downloads will amount to 299 billion, worldwide.
          Data Source: Sensor Tower
          A well-structured mobile app helps you leverage all the benefits offered by the mobile device and the OS for which it is developed. The development process takes into account the limitations of mobile devices and allows you to balance cost with functionality.

          Top Mobile Application Development Platforms

          Mobile application development platforms bring together all the tools you would require to build your app from start to finish under a single umbrella, as a unified software offering. A mobile development platform saves your developer from juggling different software to complete various tasks involved in the development lifecycle. This prevents data loss and eliminates the risks caused by the wrong classification of data. Using a single software package to carry out the development process – from planning to UI/UX design and testing – saves your cost and time.
          Mobile application development platforms differ according to the operating system (OS) they cater to. Here is a list of the top mobile app development platforms:

          1. Android

          Sponsored by Google, the Android mobile OS is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. As of July 2022, Android holds 44.46% of the mobile OS market share in the United States. The biggest advantage of Android OS is that its source code can be downloaded, customized, and distributed by anyone at no cost. The Android OS supports running multiple apps simultaneously on a single mobile device and offers immense flexibility to customize the UI during development to get the desired outcomes.

          2. iOS

          Unlike the Android OS that can run on numerous hardware brands, the iOS operating system is a proprietary software that runs only on Apple’s devices, such as iPhone or iPad. Developers can leverage the iOS Software Development Kit (SDK) to create mobile apps for Apple devices and distribute the apps through the App Store maintained by Apple Inc. As of July 2022, Apple’s iOS holds 55.22% of the mobile OS market share in the United States.

          3. Hybrid

          As the name suggests, a hybrid mobile application blends both native and web programming capabilities within a single application. It allows developers to build applications for multiple operating systems on a single platform. A hybrid application is written using the web technologies – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – and then the code is embedded into a native application wrapper, which gives it the power of a true native application that can work efficiently on any native platform. Hybrid mobile development platforms are used by organizations that wish to reach a large audience base within a short time, so they don’t have to build two or more separate but similar applications for each OS type.

          Mobile Application Development Approaches

          Here are the top four mobile application development approaches adopted by businesses worldwide:

          1. Native Mobile Applications

          Native mobile apps are platform-specific applications developed using the programming languages, SDKs, tools, and frameworks provided by the platform itself. These apps are designed to run natively on the operating system (OS) of the device such as iOS or Android. As they are built to work on a specific OS or platform, native mobile apps are faster, more reliable, and offer offline capabilities.

          2. Hybrid Mobile Applications

          Hybrid mobile applications are built using standard web technologies such as JavaScript, CSS or HTML5. These apps combine the elements of both native as well as web applications. Some of the world’s leading apps such as Gmail, Twitter, Amazon, etc. are examples of hybrid apps. Developers can leverage plugins and APIs to integrate web technology with native app features. Hybrid mobile apps are faster to develop and easier to maintain.

          3. Cross-platform Mobile Applications

          A cross-platform mobile application works across platforms using a single code base which makes it compatible to run on different operating systems like Android, iOS, and Windows. A cross-platform app can be written using different programming languages and frameworks, but it’s compiled to run like a true native application running directly on the device’s OS. It’s easy to build and maintain cross-platform apps.

          4. Progressive Web Applications

          Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) present an alternative approach to traditional mobile app development by avoiding the need for app store delivery and installations. PWAs are cheaper, more secure, faster, and easier to develop. They operate via a browser, but act like native apps. PWAs provide users an “app-like” experience by leveraging a set of browser capabilities such as performing a background process, adding a link to the device home screen, and working offline.
          Each mobile application development approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. So, choose a method that matches your business purposes and strategy. Right choice helps you achieve the desired user experience and build the native features needed for your application.

          Top Mobile App Development Technologies

          Mobile app development technology refers to the various tools, frameworks, programming languages, components, libraries, and other technologies used to create applications that work on smartphones and portable connected mobile devices. Let it be native Android or native iOS, or a cross-platform app, you need to familiarize yourself with the leading technologies and frameworks that power your app.
          Here are some of the top mobile app development technologies that dominate the market in 2022:
          React Native

          React Native offers a best-in-class JavaScript library for building native user interfaces for your iOS and Android apps, using a single code base that can be shared across all platforms. It allows developers to iterate at lightning speed and create truly native apps without compromising your user experiences.

          Flutter

          This software is distributed freely to the users on a trial basis, usually with a limited-time offer. After that, the users are expected to pay if they want to continue to use this application software. Some examples of shareware are WinZip, SnapTouch, and Adobe Acrobat.

          Xamarin

          Xamarin is an open-source mobile app platform for the .NET which offers tools and libraries specifically for building apps for Android, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and Windows.

          Swift

          If you are building something specific to Apple OS (native to Apple), Swift is the language to seek. Swift is a popular iOS application development language that offers advanced features with minimal coding that can be easily maintained. Swift is a powerful and intuitive language loved by Apple developers who use it for macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and so on.

          Ionic

          Ionic is a modern, open-source mobile development framework that offers seamless app UX across iOS, Android, and the Web from a single shared codebase. Ionic is built on top of Angular JS and Apache Cordova. Ionic is the easiest way for web developers to build, grow, and scale cross-platform mobile apps.

          Apache Cordova

          Apache Cordova is a free and open-source mobile development framework that leverages HTML, CSS, and JS to target multiple platforms with one code base. The framework is an ideal choice if you want to extend your application across more than one platform, without having to re-implement it with each platform's language and tool set.

          Sencha Ext JS

          Sencha Ext JS is a highly comprehensive JS framework for building data-intensive, cross-platform web and mobile applications for any modern device. It offers numerous enterprise-ready tools, components, and libraries to create stunning mobile and web applications.

          The list of mobile app development frameworks and tools is expanding day by day. To choose the right development technology for your mobile app, you need to consider factors such as platform feature support, speed considerations, cost of development, security risk, efficiency of the app, and after launch updates.

          Mobile Application Development Process

          With all the facts and trends substantiating the significance of business mobile apps in 2022, it is important to look at the mobile application development process step-by-step.
          Here is an overview of the mobile app development lifecycle:

          Mobile Application Front-End and Back-End

          Front-end and back-end are two interconnected core components of a mobile application.
          The mobile front-end (client-side rendering) is the visual and interactive part of the mobile application that a user interacts with, while the back-end (server-side rendering) stores, secures, and processes the data.
          Some of the key front-end jobs include web designing, UI designing, UX designing, and front-end development. Back-end developers create the services to process the business logic and access the database, cloud services, and file servers to render the app on the server-side.
          For applications where there is no interaction with a server, front-end and back-end developer roles can be performed by one person. For applications that require internet connection and interaction with a server, you need to hire separate developers for developing each component.

          End-to-end Mobile Application Testing

          To stay on top of competition in the mobile application market, you must test your application before starting the actual sprint. Here are nine steps to ensure the success of your mobile application:
          These steps of mobile application testing ensure efficient performance of the entire software system.

          White Paper

          Have you selected the right mobile app development approach? If not yet, download our white paper to learn more about native, hybrid, cross-platform, and progressive apps.

          How Custom Mobile Apps Help Grow Your Business

          Custom mobile apps are tailor-made applications created to address the requirements of a specific audience rather than a massive group of people. Custom mobile app development provides the functionality and features that plain off-the-shelf solutions cannot. Compared to pre-packaged, canned solutions, customized applications offer the following benefits:
          Custom mobile app development reduces your TCO by automating repetitive manual tasks, increasing employee productivity, lowering integration costs, and quickly accommodating new changes or processes. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of our prominent customers, reported an 80% increase in productivity and a 67% faster ticket resolution rate after Fingent helped them implement a mobile-based smart ticketing system.
          If you are looking for a tailor-made mobile app that can simplify your business operations and enhance your customer experience,
          take a look at our case studies.

          The Cost to Develop a Mobile App

          Mobile app development cost hinges on several factors. Arriving at a ballpark figure depends on whether you want to develop the app in-house or outsource your project to an external app development agency, or if you want to modernize your existing legacy system. Building an in-house team incurs additional costs, such as renting an office space, hiring new employees, and meeting hardware and software requirements.
          The cost of developing a mobile app largely depends on its features and functionalities. The price also hinges on various other factors such as the development team’s size, number of devices and platforms supported by the app, and more. Here are a few aspects that decide the cost of your mobile application.

          1. Features of The App

          Before starting the development project, find out what you expect the application to do. What type of features do you like to include? What are the different functionalities that you are planning to cover? Having more features and functionalities means paying a higher price to your developer. Make a precise list of features and functionalities you would like to include as it influences your app development cost.

          2. Different Devices and Platforms

          Regardless of the type of application you develop, ensure that your app is compatible with the latest and earlier versions of the device’s OS you are opting for. If your app has more screens, you will need better design and user experience to make your app easily navigable. So the development cost also depends on the device OS and platform selection.

          3. Native or Cross-platform Development

          Both native and cross-platform development methods have their own pros and cons, specifically with respect to the development cost. Cross-platform gives your mobile app a uniform look and feel across all the OS that you target and is highly reusable through multiple OS. A native app, on the other hand, offers 100% hardware support and allows you to access the inbuilt capabilities of a user’s device, without sacrificing on the design elements unique to the native platform.
          Native mobile app development cost is higher than cross-platform or hybrid due to its exceptional personalization features, speed, performance, and platform-specific advantages. However, if you want to launch a mobile app quickly at minimal development cost, a cross-platform approach is the right choice. In simple words, the cost of developing a mobile app differs on a case-to-case basis.

          4. In-house Development or Outsourcing

          Arriving at a ballpark estimate also depends on whether you want to develop your mobile app in-house or outsource your project to an external app development agency. Building an in-house team incurs additional costs such as renting an office space, hiring new employees, and meeting hardware and software requirements.
          When you choose to outsource your work to a mobile app development company, you can enjoy cost efficacy and competitive advantage. Consider the agency’s location, technical and industry expertise, previous projects, size, turnaround speed, and references from their clients before engaging them. You should also define the scope and complexity of your app and back-end scalability requirements before employing a third-party developer.

          More insights on mobile app development cost:

          Are you planning to develop a mobile application for your business? Explore our template and share your requirements with us. Our team will get back to you with a ballpark estimate.

          Five Reasons Why Mobile Apps Fail and How to Prevent the Letdown

          Though mobile application development technologies advance year over year, failure of mobile applications is a major concern for entrepreneurs. Only poorly-executed and ill-planned apps are subject to fail in the market. Here are five pitfalls you should avoid to prevent your app from losing out:

          1. Lack of Market Research

          If your mobile app does not address the needs of your target market, it will not enjoy sufficient downloads. Data shows that 80 to 90% of mobile apps downloaded are abandoned after the first use.
          The solution?
          First, do not rush into creating a mobile app just because your business needs it. Conduct a detailed market study to understand what your users actually need. Ask yourself, “Which solution should my app provide that my target audience needs?”
          To answer that question, you must define your target audience and analyze their buying patterns, online behavior, and overall customer habits. This will help you create a mobile app tailored to your goals and customer needs.
          Second, know who your competitor is. Do a competitor analysis to improve your mobile strategy and connect your idea with your target audience.

          2. Absence of a Robust Mobile Strategy

          A poor strategy can fail your app. It takes a bit of creativity and thoughtfulness to incorporate customer needs into a mobile app that can accomplish a specific task quickly and effectively. Proper goal setting improves your mobile app strategy. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
          Clearly defined goals are crucial in mapping out a robust mobile app strategy.

          3. Poor App Design

          Users will ditch your app in the first eight seconds if they find your app’s design and usability unappealing. Substandard coding and outdated technology can cause epic failures.
          What can you do?
          Remember, great designs bring happy customers. Nearly 58% of iOS apps failed in 2021 due to insufficient testing. Smart mobile app developers take time to conduct several QA tests throughout the different phases of app creation. End-to-end testing ensures that your app is bug-free, user-friendly, and intuitive.

          4. Failure to Execute the Plan Precisely

          It’s common for new business owners to encounter aggressive competition, manage conflicting priorities, or run out of cash. How can you resolve these predicaments and launch your mobile app?

          5. Failure to Market Your App

          After all the hard work, it might still fail if you do not market your app rigorously. Here are a few tips to boost your marketing efforts:

          Tips to Build Successful Mobile Apps

          billion
          $ 0

          According to a report from data.ai, the global app downloads reached 37 billion in the first quarter of 2022, with the biggest ever consumer spending on apps hitting a whopping $33 billion. The message is clear. There is hope for every mobile app. Here are three important tips to help you approach app building with confidence.

          Staying agile and responding quickly to the ever-changing customer needs take you to success, but it comes with a price. It is important to know when to be agile. So pursue realistic goals.
          It is good to be enthusiastic and optimistic about your product, but be wary of the risks and problems. Identifying the risks early will help you react faster and more accurately.
          Make your users feel unique and appreciated. Transparency and trust boosts genuine interactions between your application and its users. To achieve this, you can create a trustworthy rating or review system and a functional service system.

          Develop Your Mobile Application with Fingent

          As we enter the second half of 2022, it’s evident that mobile is the key to success. Investing in a mobile app is the most effective way to match your business model to your key audience’s behavior. If you are an influential enterprise with an active mobile app in the market, your mobile app growth strategy should focus on improving your existing product and deliver more value to customers.
          Fingent specializes in mobile app development and our experts can position your app for success, right from idea to launch. Leveraging insights from the above mobile app development tips and guidelines can help you get a leg up on the competition, cut costs, improve your brand’s visibility, and engage your customers in incredible ways. Contact us to know more.

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            About the Author

            ...
            Girish R

            Girish R, Programmer for 17 yrs, Blogger at Techathlon.com, LifeHacker, DIYer. He loves to write about technology, Open source & gadgets. He currently leads the mobile app development team at Fingent.

            Talk To Our Experts

              Progressive Web Apps: New Cutting-Edge Trend in Web Development

              Speed and convenience have become crucial in keeping online shoppers engaged. Progressive Web Apps development is a solution that allows the shopper to enjoy an app-like experience via a website (using web browsers). Users can install the PWA application from the browser window and access it just like a native app. In addition, progressive web apps improve the quality of your web applications, making them reliable, fast, and engaging.

              Are you considering PWA for your business growth? Is it worth exploring this option? This blog will help you take a closer look at why Progressive Web Apps are turning to be the new cutting-edge trend in web development.

              What is a Progressive Web App?

              Frances Berriman and Alex Russel coined the buzzword “Progressive Web Apps” in 2015. To date, PWA has been a big player in this mobile-first world. Progressive Web Apps (PWA) have caused digital marketers to rethink how they design and deliver sites.

              Progressive Web Apps can deliver a blazingly fast and slick app-like shopping experience to the end-user. It combines the best of two worlds: your website and the native application. It can be called a hybrid app as users can now browse your website on their mobile. Besides, PWA promises to solve two vital issues:

              1. Performance and usability
              2. Mobile-web conversion rates

              Read more: Native Apps vs. Web Apps: Choosing the Best for Your Brand

              Native vs web app

              Business Benefits of Progressive Web Apps

              Several companies that focused their efforts on PWAs instead of having a separate native app have experienced increased conversions. A best case in point is the world’s largest online B2B trading platform, Alibaba.com. Alibaba.com increased its conversion rate by 76% across browsers after upgrading its website to PWA.

              Here’s how your business can benefit from PWA:

              1. High-performance rate

              Response time is crucial for audience engagement and better conversion rates. PWA responds quickly as the browser uses caching to save the elements of the layout that are repeated in the template. This improves the speed of downloads and reduces page load time. Subsequently, better performance leads to a better user experience, which in turn increases customer retention rates.

              2. Ease of use across multiple devices

              Progressive Web Apps are built with a responsive layout in mind for an improved user experience. A responsive design will fit into any size of the screen with ease. In other words, PWA will adjust the experience as per the device screen size. You can further improve the user experience with a PWA manifest file that controls the full-screen view.

              3. Seamless browsing experience

              A traditional website is virtually useless without a stable internet connection, but not a Progressive Web App. PWA can be easily viewed offline as service workers automatically cache important application features and information from the user’s last online access. This way, the user can access it without any network. Plus, you can add a brand logo, product descriptions, and few advanced features to your offline page.

              This is an additional incentive for shoppers to choose businesses with a Progressive Web App over those that use native apps. Such a seamless browsing experience rewards you with better engagement rates and customer retention.

              4. Resembles native-built applications

              PWAs can be designed to look and behave like native apps, or they can be designed to let users know they are browsing the Progressive Web App. Regardless of the developer’s choice, it can contain a complete set of traditional app functionalities with database access. The best part is that you can seamlessly integrate the application into an existing website or an app.

              Watch Video: Fingent software development experts can help you choose the right mobile app development approach by evaluating your requirements.

              5. No installation is needed

              Shoppers can download your app directly onto their devices. Once downloaded, it gets its own icon on the screen, just like a traditional mobile application. This will avoid the slow and complex installation process, improve user experience, and reduce user abandonment.

              Here is another way it can benefit you: users can easily access the PWA via a URL. In other words, a user can easily share this link with a friend contributing to increased leads.

              6. No manual updates are required

              Native apps must be updated periodically through mobile internet or a WIFI connection. Such updates can consume large amounts of data, which may be costly for some users. Fortunately, Progressive Web App updates are performed “on-use,” much like how a website is updated.

              7. Low development cost

              Developing a mobile app can be a costly process, especially for small businesses and startups. Thankfully, PWA development is much cheaper than traditional app development but provides a better option for companies to generate a positive ROI.

              Read more: Mobile app development: 4 tips to consider 

              Mobile app development

              8. Wide range of features

              The most prominent feature of PWA is push notifications. Publishers and developers can use this feature to implement creative advertising solutions. As the push notifications appear on a shopper’s device screen, it is read more often than emails or updates on social media. This can lead to valuable brand awareness and promote products or services.

              9. Improved app and data security

              Security has been a concern for both users and developers. According to new standards of web design, all customer information must be moved to HTTPS. So it is highly convenient to launch Progressive Web App within a safe environment. Moreover, it builds customer confidence in the security of their personal information as they enter sensitive data into your PWA.

              10. Low data and low storage

              Data is costly in some developing nations. That is why it is a bonus that Progressive Web App consumes only a fraction of data usage compared to native apps. Moreover, it does not take up significant storage space on devices, so users are more inclined to use a lighter app on their smartphones. Also, it contributes to better performance.

              Read more: Building a Business Mobile App in 2021? Here’s What You Need to Know 

              Mobile App

              Progress with Progressive Web Apps

              Progressive Web Apps are the future of web-hosted apps as they can overcome the inherent limitations of web performance and insufficient or unavailable internet connections. Since PWAs can run on any modern platform, soon they will overtake truly native apps. Yes, PWAs have the potential to change the way the web works. However, Progressive Web Apps will not replace websites and mobile apps altogether. It is still in its infancy. To know which option is best for your business, have a chat with the technology experts at Fingent.

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                About the Author

                ...
                Sreejith

                I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

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                  Mobile application development is the #1 priority for businesses and enterprises in 2022. Are you well-equipped to plan your requirements and develop a robust business mobile app? 

                  Mobile app development in 2024: Practices you should follow 

                  As consumer behavior continues to evolve, more and more businesses adapt their strategy to earn customer satisfaction. With the increased public usage of smartphones, e-commerce and mobile backing experience a significant boom. A mobile app is essential for running a business successfully, and its significance has been more than ever before.   

                  A mobile app is not just a mobile version of your website but is a crucial engagement and experience-driven environment needed for a cohesive customer journey. A mobile app can help build a strong mobile presence and attract a large audience towards your services or products.

                  According to a survey, by 2022, there will be around 7 billion mobile users worldwide, and by 2022, it is estimated that the annual mobile app downloads will reach 258 billion.

                  According to the ContractIQ survey, roughly 62% of businesses already have an app or are in the process of developing one. 50% of these businesses use their apps for support and engagement, 30% for revenue generation, and 20% for branding. Many companies are investing in mobile apps as they help generate new or expand an existing business.

                  With many countries still under lockdown and others following social distancing, the demand for apps such as digital payments, groceries, and entertainment has increased tremendously. Many enterprises and businesses have resorted to digital platforms and are reaping their benefits.

                  Here, we have discussed the importance of investing in mobile apps for your business and how it can boost your business growth even during a pandemic.

                  Case Study
                  Explore how a Video Making Mobile App developed by Fingent transformed our customer’s experience.  Download Now!

                  Why invest in mobile apps?

                  With more people turning to mobile apps to interact with brands, businesses’ mobile presence has become necessary.

                  In general, mobile apps help boost sales, provide a better customer experience and become more competitive.

                  According to a research by Clutch, two main reasons by which mobile apps facilitate business growth are:

                  • Improving customer service
                  • Providing a return on investment

                  Read more: Mobile App Development: 4 Tips To Consider

                  Five ways mobile apps benefit your business

                  1. Adds value to your customers

                  Customer engagement is the most significant aspect of customer relations, interactions, and transactions. When someone looks for your product or service, it’s essential to keep the person engaged. 

                  You will have to increase your interaction with the customers for better promotion of sales.

                  So how does a mobile app fit in here? Starbucks’ mobile app is the best example of successful digital engagement that’s both innovative and inviting. Its user-friendly mobile experience, engaging loyalty program, mobile pay and ordering, and integration with other platforms and services make the coffee chain a customer experience leader.  

                  To put it simply, a mobile app like Starbucks can offer an outstanding and engaging digital experience to customers. 

                  2. Boosts brand building

                  In the past, brands used to advertise their services through posters, calendars, refrigerator magnets, billboards, and hoardings. Companies imprint their brand logos on such mementos to increase their visibility. 

                  Today, a mobile app is capable of replacing all these. A mobile application can promote brand awareness and recognition among customers and be an effective communication channel. By regularly interacting with your target audience through the mobile app, you can earn customer trust. 

                  Customized mobile apps help educate your customers about your brand and engage them effectively. The more they listen to you and your sales pitches, the more they will commit to your brand.

                  Read more: Top Technologies Used to Develop Mobile Apps

                  mobile app

                  3. Increases sales

                  You can incorporate different loyalty programs into your mobile app. It will make your customers revisit your store (digital/ physical) and spend more time. Offering rewards in tiered layers allow customers to earn better incentives as they move from one level to another. It will help boost brand recognition. 

                  Gamification is another way by which you can reward winning customers and provide discounts and prices to pre-defined activities such as sharing pictures or a notification. Scratch-and-win is another feature that can help raise engagement among users. It can work well for both customers and vendors. 

                  4. Improves efficiency

                  Integrated shopping carts with food ordering and scheduling allow the business to house these functionalities like a digital footprint within the app. For instance, if an eatery incorporates an online food ordering system within its app, it will more likely see a significant increase in online and in-app ordering. Similarly, if a retail business collaborates with an e-commerce system, it will see a productivity improvement and eventually overall sales. With mobile apps, companies can enhance user engagement with inbuilt scheduling software that notifies users about the schedule.

                  5. Build a loyal customer base

                  Having a loyal customer base is very critical for any business. A mobile app is one of the best ways to engage with customers and create a loyal customer base. An app allows customers to interact with your business at their convenience. With referral programs, you can encourage your clients to refer your products or services to others.

                  If you are not convinced with the above points, here are a few more reasons to consider incorporating mobile apps into your business strategy.

                  • Notify users about your new offers and products
                  • Reach out to younger audiences
                  • Sync email and social media accounts of users
                  • Stay ahead of the competition 

                  View infographic: All you need to know before selecting a mobile app development method

                  Consider a few things before getting started

                  Planning your mobile app

                  Before developing your mobile app, you must plan. You need to outline details like objectives, budget, specifications, and scope. Get a clear picture of your app before sending it to a mobile app developer so that you can be quoted accurately, reasonably, and realistically.

                  White Paper
                  Choosing The Right Mobile App Development Approach For Your Business Download Now!

                  Choose the right developer

                  We may sound a little biased here. However, we need to say that we’re helping brands worldwide to realize their visions w.r.t. their mobile apps. We provide consistent, high-quality, and cost-effective results with robust, agile teams and dedicated QA practices. Our software development experts can help you identify your requirements precisely, select the technology and framework needed to build your app, customize the app according to your requirements, and update and maintain it regularly. 

                  Watch video: Fingent can help you choose the right mobile app development approach by evaluating your requirements.

                  If you’re not sure how or where to start with your enterprise or business mobile app, we’re here to help. Fingent’s mobile app development team has curated an app specification template that is simple and straightforward. Please fill out this template and share it with us. Our expert will get back to you with the answers.

                  Alternatively, you can send us your requirements and queries by clicking here

                   

                   

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                    About the Author

                    ...
                    Girish R

                    Girish R, Programmer for 17 yrs, Blogger at Techathlon.com, LifeHacker, DIYer. He loves to write about technology, Open source & gadgets. He currently leads the mobile app development team at Fingent.

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                      With over a billion smartphones and over 179 billion mobile applications downloaded in a year, mobile development has clearly taken center stage in the world of computing.

                      Enterprises and developers who have developed state-of-the-art cutting edge mobility solutions cannot rest on their laurels though. The world of mobility is ever evolving, with new breakthroughs and refined systems relegating existing technologies and methods to the back burner, at a rapid pace. Here are some of the imminent future trends that are sure to shake up the world of app development and disrupt the ecosystem as we know it today.

                      The Rise of Internet of Things and Mobile-connected Smart Objects

                      About 101.9 million wearable devices were shipped in 2016, and these numbers are growing exponentially. Additionally, about 26 billion connected devices, from toys to domestic appliances, from medical devices to controllable power sockets, and much more are expected to be up and running by 2020.

                      IoT and connected smart objects

                      Wearables have been popular for quite some time now, but wearables are evolving, becoming smarter than before, as epitomized by Apple Watch, Microsoft’s HoloLens, and other gadgets. Such smart wearables would be deeply integrated with apps, to deliver a well-synchronized and complete experience for users. Apps in the IoT age would evolve to become a personal-area network hub and a central console for hundreds of connected things around users. The connected things, wearables, and other gadgets would deliver relevant real-time information to users, analyzed into actionable information.
                      Apple’s “Homekit” range of products, which enable wireless and electronic control of household appliances through a smart home app is a portent of things to come. Likewise, applications such as self-driving cars, deep freezers that read tweets, and more are all on the verge of becoming mainstream, and apps that power such technologies will become commonplace.

                      Apps to Facilitate Even Deeper Personalization

                      Apps have an inherent advantage of being able to leverage the unique capabilities of mobile devices. Many apps already leverage features such as GPS, location based services, voice and facial recognition capabilities and other capabilities. Going on, as the marketplace becomes more competitive and technology unlocks new potentials, leveraging such features would become the norm rather than the exception. The magnitude of the capabilities would also increase.

                      apps to facilitate deeper personalization

                      It is going to get better. For instance, modern smartphones have location sensor capabilities that use multiple positioning methods to provide different granularities of location data. Apps would leverage such capabilities to ascertain the user’s location to within a few meters and offer highly relevant and extremely personalized contextual information and services. Several day-to-day activities, from ordering groceries to calling an electrician, and several high-end applications related to security, gaming, vehicle navigation and more would become not just possible but also seamless, leveraging such capabilities.

                      Apps to Become Technologically Richer

                      As the app marketplace become increasingly crowded and user attention becomes short, app developers would deploy techniques to deal with challenges such as partial user attention and interruption, in a big way. Some of the innovative features tipped to become commonplace soon, includes circular design pattern, interactive content layers, intelligent manipulation of content to allow users interact with the content in further detail, and much more.

                      app marketplace

                      Such innovations would come on top of the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and other technologies. Research major, Forrester, estimates more than 300% increase in investment in artificial intelligence in 2017, compared to 2016. App developers are tipped to incorporate advanced analytics, cognitive interfaces, and machine learning techs in a big way, to deliver hyper-powerful apps.

                      Cross-Platform and Cross-Device Development

                      The mobile space is highly fragmented with different operating systems, device configurations and screen sizes. This is unlikely to become passe anytime soon, and in fact, the fragmentation may accentuate as new mobility inspired hardware and software hit the market.

                      The sustenance of such a fragmented ecosystem would mean app developers adapting to roll out cross-platform apps in greater numbers. HTML5 may have been a false flag, but newer solutions are on the anvil to make apps work on all platforms.

                      Cloud adoption of apps would also rise in a big way compared to the present. A Cisco research estimates cloud apps to drive 90% of total mobile data traffic by 2019, with 11-fold growth, or a CAGR of 60% from present times. Services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive are only the tip of the iceberg, compared to what lies ahead.

                      There will be a tectonic change in the programming language in use as well. For instance, while Objective C is the incumbent language for developing iOS applications, Swift, the next-gen programming language has already caught the fancy of most developers.

                      Swift - Programming Language

                      Overall investment in enterprise apps is slated to grow. An Adobe study reveals about 77% business owners finding enterprise apps advantageous to their business, and 66% of them increasing their investments in this front. However, enterprises seeking to get returns on such investment need to go beyond merely adopting the latest technology. They need to ensure the enterprise apps they roll out are robust and customized to their enterprise. A tie up with a sound partner, whose sole focus is app development, and who has a talented team to back up their claims works wonders.

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                        About the Author

                        ...
                        Ashmitha Chatterjee

                        Ashmitha works with Fingent as a creative writer. She collaborates with the Digital Marketing team to deliver engaging, informative, and SEO friendly business collaterals. Being passionate about writing, Ashmitha frequently engages in blogging and creating fiction. Besides writing, Ashmitha indulges in exploring effective content marketing strategies.

                        Talk To Our Experts

                          The proliferation of smartphones of various hues has made the mobile ecosystem hopelessly fragmented. Cross platform mobile application development is the in-thing now, as developing a native app for each platform is both time-consuming and resource crunching. At the bare minimum, a new app has to be compatible with and available on Google Play, iTunes and Windows, the three major mobile platforms, and this basically entails reinventing the wheel three times over.

                          Building a cross platform mobile app, however, is not easy, owing to the differences in the programming language, event model, UI model, and resource models. HTML5 emerged as the bright new hope at the turn of the decade, but flattered to deceive, often creating data integrity, security, and syncing issues.

                          The following are ten popular cross-platform mobile application development tools that gained centre stage in 2016, not ranked in any particular order.

                          1. Xamarin

                          xamarin

                          Microsoft’s Xamarin is the most powerful and robust among the several cross-platform application development tools in vogue. It enables developers to build applications for different operating systems, using a single programming language, code base, and class library.

                          With its C# codebase, Xamarin allows developers to roll out Android, iOS and Windows apps without duplicating the effort. Xamarin comes equipped with a rich set of features, such as Lambda Expressions, Dynamic programming, LINQ, and a wide range of new .NET APIs. It has added F# of late, as well. These features allow developers to share a lot of the app logic between platforms, drastically reducing time to market compared to building native UIs for each platform.

                          Xamarin supports both Model-View-Controller (MVC) and Model View ViewModel (MVVM) patterns. The MVC pattern allows developers to keep application logic and presentation separate, and modify, test, update, and maintain application code easily. The MVVM pattern allows programmers to reuse the code base to create other projects.  Users need to chalk out platform specific code only for the UI, with the option to reuse all other code. The clients get a fluid performance of native apps without maintaining multiple code bases. Xamarin also offers a cloud service, facilitating the testing of any number of devices.

                          Custom plug-ins that may be compiled easily further promote reuse. Xamarin Forms allow developers to achieve 96% reusability on their projects.

                           

                          2. Kinvey

                          kinvey

                          Kinvey works on a cloud backed model, with HTML5 as the base. The suite Integration with Gizmox’s Visual WebGui HTML5 platform allow developers to roll out the apps developed under HTML5 using  C# or VB.NET, and Visual Studio, thereby offering a solution to the security and other technical challenges that deploying cross-platform HTML5 poses. The app facilitates simple, fast-paced agile app development.

                           

                           

                           

                          3. Xojo

                          xojo

                           

                          Xojo positions itself on offering a simple way to create cross-platform apps, not just for mobile platforms such as Android and iOS, but also desktop apps for Windows, Linux, and OS X, and for Raspberry Pi as well.

                          The Xojo development tool allows developers to create a single code base and compiles the developed apps as native executables for the required platform. The powerful code editor and an intuitive drag and drop option make the task of developing apps very easy. The Xojo backend does all the work, and infuse the new apps with controls familiar to the platform, giving it the look and feel of an app developed on the native platform.  

                           

                          4. Appcelerator

                          appcelatorThe Appcelerator app development platform facilitates coding in JavaScript, and offer several value-added features such as real-time mobile analytics, and Mobile backend as a service (MbaaS.) It offers a host of high-quality drag-and-drop palette, and achieves 60% to 90% of code reuse when publishing on different platforms.

                           

                           

                          5. Mag+

                          mag +

                          The Mag+ app SDK is highly preferred in the print industry, for catalogs, magazines, and other marketing collateral. The app offers core components for each platform, and allow developers to build atop these components. It is even possible to roll out simple cross-platform apps in double quick time, without any coding.

                           

                           

                          6. Corona Labs

                          corona-labs

                          Corona is popular in the gaming industry, to develop cross-platform 2D graphics games app and educational apps. Corona adopts the powerful and flexible Lua programming language, which is written in C. Corona SDK generates instant results, as soon as the developers write the code. The SDK allows setting up prototypes in double quick time, with minimal code, accelerating time to market.

                           

                           

                          7. Cocos2D

                          Cocos2D

                          Cocos2D is a set of frameworks that allow publishing to different mobile platforms, and even desktops from a single code base. Additionally, it offers the flexibility to code in C++, JavaScript, C#, objective C, and a few other languages.

                           

                          Cocos2D is open source and mostly used to develop cross-platform games and animated content.

                           

                           

                          8. MobinCube

                          mobincube

                          MobinCube offers a series of templates with drag-and-drop functionality, allowing users to roll out apps on the fly. The simple and easy non-code methodology allow even ordinary, non-technical users to develop apps that work across platforms.

                           

                           

                           

                          9. Dropsource

                          dropsource

                          Dropsource is a browser based app builder, offering automated solutions for creating Android and iOS apps. The editor offers easy drag and drop interface, connect apps with any RESTful API, and an integrated development environment to customise the source code.

                           

                           

                          10. BiznessApps

                          biznessapp

                           

                          BiznessApps thrives on offering simple solutions to small businesses who want to get basic apps running without hassles. It facilitates developing cross platform apps and mobile websites, through drag-and-drop development and automated submission to the app store, without the need for coding. There are a host of value added features such as seamless integration with third-party systems, rich analytical insights, and more, on offer.

                           

                           

                          The many cross-platform application development tools on offer are all easily within reach, and the possibilities endless. However, you still have to develop the apps, and make sure to get the UX, the overriding concept and other crucial ingredients right. When you partner with us for your cross-platform mobile application development, you gain from our vast expertise and our highly skilled talent pool, who are seasoned in developing hundreds of cross-platform apps, for all purposes, and for all sectors.

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                            About the Author

                            ...
                            Ashmitha Chatterjee

                            Ashmitha works with Fingent as a creative writer. She collaborates with the Digital Marketing team to deliver engaging, informative, and SEO friendly business collaterals. Being passionate about writing, Ashmitha frequently engages in blogging and creating fiction. Besides writing, Ashmitha indulges in exploring effective content marketing strategies.

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