Which Mobile App Development Platforms Should You Go For?

The revenue coming from mobile apps is at an all-time high. The market for mobile applications is anticipated to increase by USD 653.91 billion during 2021-2025, growing at a CAGR of nearly 21% during that period.
So this could be an appropriate time to enter the app development industry, as creating them is not as challenging and complex as many imagine it to be. The development of an app is easy and uncomplicated, thanks to specialised app development platforms.
But before we get into which mobile app development platforms are best suited for your app development business, let’s take a quick look at what mobile app development platforms really are.
Also, you will get to know about the leading app developers in the UK.
So without further ado let’s get started.

What Are Mobile App Development Platforms?

A mobile app development platform is a platform that offers access to a variety of technologies, tools, and services required to create an app.
You can create, compile, and test the app in real-time to see how it functions. Real-time testing also enables you to monitor the performance of your app, the resources it consumes, and potential improvements.
You can also debug and diagnose various components of the app to find and fix errors.
Cross-platform development and app compatibility are also quite important. Even if your app performs well in the testing phase, a real device may cause it to act completely differently.
Additionally, even if an app works flawlessly on one mobile device, it could not work properly or at all on another due to technological advancements, such as changes in the operating system.

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/695094/quarterly-number-of-mobile-app-downloads-store/

The resolution of mobile applications may also be an issue because the design may differ depending on the size of the device.

Although Android and iOS are both major mobile platforms, cross-compatibility could be an issue. If you just create for iOS, a significant portion of your customer base that utilises an Android mobile platform may not be able to use your application.
The problem is a lot of businesses tend to think iOS offers superior development and revenue streams as compared to Android. However, the average customer utilises an Android or iPhone depending on their preferences. So always use app development platforms that support cross-platform development if your goal is to maximise income. This guarantees that your app will run on all mobile operating systems.

3 Best App Development Platforms

1. Flutter

Developed by Google, Flutter is the best mobile development platform for many developers, thanks to the availability of various UI design templates. A single design choice can work on a multitude of cross-platform devices, including mobile, web desktops and laptops.

It also allows mobile devices to deploy support for widgets and can create a completely native mobile application. It uses layered architecture, which uses a modern chipset’s parallel processing to launch and render all of its components quickly. This allows for faster launch speeds and navigation among the various elements of the app.

Features

● Built-in support for both Android and iOS widgets
● Can develop apps that are very high-performance
● Can also use rich motion-based APIs

2. Xamarin

Developed by Microsoft, the Xamarin mobile app development platform allows for cross-platform development between both mobile and computer apps. It uses special add-ins that allow it to plug into Microsoft Visual Studio which allows it to compile the mobile app for the Windows platform as well.

Source: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/xamarin/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2021/11/xamarin-vs22-1024×576.png

The same C# code is used to develop apps for the platforms, including Android, iOS and Windows. It provides a complete development platform with a back-end, API, and other components.

Features

● Allows indexing and deep linking with the backend
● Faster development time as it produces very few bugs comparatively
● All its UI components, libraries and widget system are completely cross-platform

3. React Native Platform

Created by Meta, Inc, React Native is an open-source platform that allows developers to build native apps for cross-platform devices, including Android, iOS, Windows and even macOS. Being open-source, the platform allows for greater transparency and trust on the platforms.

Features

● Open-source platform
● Wider cross-platform compatibility, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, etc.
● Community-driven platform

What To Look For When Choosing a Mobile App Development Platform?

Mobile app development is not very straightforward, and many factors are worth looking for. Depending on these factors, you will have to make some important decisions before beginning the development project. These choices will define how your app will be and how well it will perform in the market. Here are some factors you should look for when choosing a mobile app development platform.

● iOS and Android Development Platform

To save development costs, it’s a good idea to develop mobile apps for only the two most popular mobile platforms, iOS and Android. They have the largest app user base among mobile users and a huge gaming user base that is larger than both console and PC gaming combined.

According to Ommo’s market research analysis, mobile gaming accounts for as much as 46% of the entire gaming industry, while PC gaming only accounts for around 23%. This 46% is expected to grow even further as more and more people get into mobile gaming.

● Complete Cross-Platform Development Platform

Even though the mobile app development platform generates more revenue, you can not ignore desktop and laptop computer users. 2-in-1 and tablet PCs and Windows laptops have recently gained much popularity among consumers. So it makes sense to create apps for desktop and mobile consumers if your business is primarily into games and app development.

● Development, Operating and Maintenance Costs

The cost of developing, operating and maintaining also plays a crucial role in decision-making. What if your cross-platform apps only get revenue from mobile users and not much from desktop users? You have just spent thousands of dollars to get your mobile games into PC gaming as well, and yet the revenue stream from the desktop is just too low. It’s worth keeping this in consideration when choosing an app development platform.

● Native Apps Vs Web Apps

The debate of native apps vs web apps is a never-ending one. One would argue native apps are better than web apps thanks to high performance, faster launch times and deeper system integration. Someone else can counter-argue that web apps are because of reduced costs for both the end-user and the business. So, here are a few pros and cons to help you decide.

Native apps provide a positive user experience and have a lot of potentials, but it also costs a lot and may not be feasible for small-scale businesses. Development costs play a big role in decision-making, so some businesses prefer web apps.
There are some exciting developments in the web apps space with Hybrid Technology, where you could develop a web app that looks and functions just like a native app.

You get the benefits of the low-cost development phase and easier deployment while providing near-native performance.

In addition, you can create an MVP for the app if you’re unsure where to start your mobile app or which platform would work best. With the aid of an MVP, you can test your idea and get user feedback that can help your final product succeed. Also, choosing a suitable platform will aid businesses in making decisions.

Wrapping Up

Which mobile app development platform you should go for depends on key factors such as development cost, operating cost, cross-platform compatibility, and revenue stream, among other factors.
So, consider these factors when choosing a mobile app development platform.
Ficode is the most renowned and trustworthy mobile application development company in the UK. We have experience creating top-notch apps and have developed many apps that have set new benchmarks for our clients.
So contact us today and let our app development services help your business soar.