Cross-Platform App Development

What is a cross-platform application?

The most simple way to describe it is: developing a single application that can be utilized for multiple mobile platforms and environments. Cross-platform app development frameworks allow our developers to create mobile applications that are compatible with more than one operating system (iOS and Android)

Benefits

Most of the code can be reused

You don’t have to write separate codes from scratch for every platform

Controls cost

You don’t need to spend on developing apps for every individual platform separately

Quicker development time

Developing a single app instead of two takes less time, of course

Consistency in UI components

A user task can be executed very similarly on all devices with a cross-platform app

Cloud integration is easier

Enterprise-grade plugins make cloud integration much more rapid

Easy maintenance

It takes half the time and effort to maintain a single app instead of two

Greater market reach

Your app can get in front of a wider audience if it runs on all devices

Less dependency

If your app runs on all most-used operating systems, you don’t have to worry about an individual provider losing popularity

When should you choose cross-platform apps

Cross-platform applications are particularly beneficial for people who want to get the most out of a tighter budget. If you value the “make once, use everywhere” type solutions, this is the way to go.

If you need your product to reach the market as soon as possible, you should also consider going cross-platform. Let’s say competition is right around the corner, or you are selling seasonal products, and absolutely need to release the app in time for the upcoming holiday. With your cross-platform app you can reach every device in a matter of weeks.

We also recommend to go cross-platform if minimizing maintenance costs is a high priority. Maintaining 1 codebase instead of 2 takes much less time and effort.

When should you choose native apps instead

Stick to native apps if you want to utilize 100% of the available hardware functions on each device. Certain required functions that are available for Apple smartphones and tablets might be unavailable or work in a completely different way on devices that run Android.

Also, if you specifically want to develop for the newest hardware, you might be better off choosing native apps. Experience shows that cross-platform development tools and frameworks are updated a bit slower than those that are used for single-platform development.

These benefits don’t mean that cross-platform apps can’t be expensive, or that they are always quick to develop. Generally, most native apps can be developed as cross-platform apps and the other way around. Your choice should depend on your preference and overall business strategy.