These Are The Top 7 Alternatives To React Native
Table OF Content 1) Your options Flutter NativeScript Xamarin Ionic jQuery Mobile Apache Cordova Framework 7 2) Summing it up
Introduction Yes, every developer out there would swear in the name of React Native. However, they’ll also tell you that the kind of project you have in mind will determine the framework, programming language, and tools you need to build it. When React Native fails to deliver what you seek, the alternatives described in this write-up will come to your rescue. Based on the report generated by market researchers until August 2021, Android and iOS occupy about 99.15% of the entire market of mobile operating systems. These two platforms have been dominating the sphere of mobile app development for years. It led to the rise in numerous mobile app development technologies and platforms. Cross-platform app development frameworks and solutions are the offspring of this ongoing technological advancement. Among all the cross-platform frameworks available these days, React Native is one of the most recognized and heavily-used. No matter how many app developers you speak to, everyone will sing praises in the name of React Native. Why do they do it? Well, for starters, this framework lets developers share almost 70% of codebase across various platforms. React Native is the other name for cost-reduction, faster development, and simplified debugging. As it’s a product from Facebook, it always performs at its best. Then again, just like every other framework, React Native has its drawbacks. Developers often have to deal with compatibility-related problems and the absence of custom modules. Furthermore, apps created using React Native suffer from performance issues due to its almost-native features. If you were thinking about using React Native for your project, you must be reconsidering your choice. Your preferred app development agency will help you pick an appropriate framework. However, if you continue reading, you’ll learn about some of the best alternatives of React Native. These replacements can deliver convenient and powerful systems and features to your application.
Your options So, what are the options you should consider? This list can make the selection process a little easier. Flutter
This one is a relatively new, open-source app development platform officially launched by Google about four years ago. Just like React Native, it lets your developers use only one codebase to create native-like applications for multiple platforms. The programming language used with it is called Dart – an object-oriented language. It didn’t take long for Flutter to surpass React Native. Today, the former is one of the most prominent competitors of the latter. Advantages Quicker development: Just like React Native, Flutter facilitates quicker development while reducing deployment time. It lets your developers build two apps for Android and iOS using only one code. High-quality experience: The Material of Flutter and its Cupertino widget are perfectly compatible with the design guidelines established by Google and Apple. Your developers will be able to utilize these UI elements to create apps featuring incredible interfaces on both platforms.
Disadvantages Heavy apps: An app created using this framework will always be large. In short, it’ll occupy a lot of memory space on a device. The app may also load slowly and drain the gadget’s battery unnecessarily. Technologically immature: As Flutter came out in 2018, it’ll need more time to bring together an extensive base of resources. Your developers may not be able to find the right third-party packages and libraries needed for development. NativeScript
This one shares a few similarities with React Native. For instance, both frameworks use JavaScript to create cross-platform applications for Android and iOS. NativeScript also supports Angular, TypeScript, and other related frameworks. As the name suggests, an app built using this framework will be entirely native in nature. Advantages Native functionality: NativeScript lets developers inject Android and iOS APIs into the virtual machine of JavaScript. As a result, native resource integration becomes easier. Talented developers: When using NativeScript, developers have to leverage JavaScript as a subset of CSS. Unfortunately, both are immature. If your developers have enough knowledge of these technologies, they can create apps faster.
Disadvantages Expertise in native solutions: Based on the scope of your app development project, you may have to implement advanced features of native systems. This requirement will force you to look for software developers with experience in platform-specific UI elements and markup. Quality uncertainties: NativeScript has several plugins available, and most of them are free to use. However, some of them aren’t verified. Understandably, developers will always be at risk of using buggy plugins, which, in turn, leads to bottlenecks or a poor product. Also Read : Stop Making These Mistakes When Using React Native To Build Apps Xamarin
Another excellent alternative to React Native is Xamarin. This cross-platform tech comes from the house of Microsoft. Back in 2011, it began with Mono for Android and MonoTouch. Then, in 2016, Microsoft acquired it. Xamarin utilizes the language called C# combined with the .NET framework for developing mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Windows devices. Advantages Development speed: Xamarin adheres to an exclusive approach to development called “one product, one tech stack.” This ability allows your developers to reuse almost 90% of the code across multiple platforms.
Performance standards: There’s a library called Xamarin.Essentials that offers access to native components. Your developers can create apps for Android and iOS with Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.iOS.’ Disadvantages Not for graphically-intensive apps: The problem with Xamarin is that it facilitates sharing the business logic instead of the UI code. It just means that your developers have to build separate UIs for every platform. Costly license: While Xamarin decreases development time and overall cost of development, these benefits may recede into the background when you consider the price tag hanging from its IDE or Microsoft Visual Studio. Ionic
Ionic alternative for React Native lets your developers create cross-platform applications. Ionic is an open-source SDK originally fabricated on AngularJS and Apache Cordova. After some time, Ionic added support for other JavaScript frameworks, such as Vue.js, React, and Angular. Advantages Experience on cross-platform: Ionic utilizes the standards of the web and common APIs to create apps for any platform you can think of. This feature allows developers to build apps and then customize the same for every supported platform using only one codebase. Native functionality: Ionic can access the features of a device, such as the microphone, camera, fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth, GPS, and others using the Capacitor and Apache Cordova plugins. Moreover, the UI components of the framework let developers belt out native-like applications.
Disadvantages Problems with compatibility: The native plugins integrated into the framework may clash against each other. In turn, it leads to issues that’ll reduce the development speed significantly. Unsuitable for gaming apps: Today, building a gaming app can be lucrative. However, you can’t use Ionic for it as it isn’t ideal for building graphically enhanced applications. Ionic relies on CSS, which suffers from 3D app development limitations. jQuery Mobile
jQuery Mobile isn’t as popular as the ones explained above. Nonetheless, it allows developers to build cross-platform apps and websites. It’s an open-script JavaScript-based library that uses the features of jQuery. jQuery is quite famous, though. It’s easy to use and facilitates faster animation implementation. Advantages Compatibility: jQuery Mobile boasts of cross-platform and cross-browser compatibility. By using it, your developers can create profoundly responsive websites and apps compatible with widely used desktop platforms and browsers. Low learning curve: jQuery Core is a piece of technology that almost every developer has to work with at some point in time in their career. jQuery Core is the base of jQuery Mobile, which brings down the learning curve. Disadvantages Takes too long to work with: Usually, developers combine jQuery Mobile with other app frameworks, such as PhoneGap for performance enhancements. However, it reduces the speed at which they complete the work.
Not many themes: The themes available on CSS in jQuery Mobile make app customization easier. However, it doesn’t offer numerous choices in terms of themes. Apache Cordova
Nitobi is the brand that created Apache Cordova. However, Adobe acquired it in 2011 and renamed it PhoneGap. Soon after that, Adobe published it as an open-source PhoneGap variant. This framework enables developers to create mobile apps using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. The CLI of Apache Cordova also facilitates cross-platform development. Advantages Skill-set accessibility: The standard technologies used by Cordova include JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. All these technologies are mature. That’s why developers can start and quickly adapt to creating apps using Apache Cordova. Plugin collection: With Apache Cordova, developers get to explore and choose from a veritable collection of plugins. These plugins give them access to the native APIs of the device. Disadvantages May need native developers: Applications designed using Cordova may suffer from compatibility problems due to a few plugins. That’s why you need to rely on native developers to produce custom plugins from scratch. Performance problems: If you want your developers to use Cordova to create high-performance apps, they may experience problems. The limitations in its technologies can reduce app speed.
Framework 7
This one is yet another alternative to React Native that you can use for your project. This open-source HTML framework allows developers to create hybrid application for the web and mobile devices with near-native functions. Framework 7 works with both iOS and Android platforms. Advantages Responsiveness: Framework 7 possesses simple, as well as advanced UI components and elements. Developers can access powerful control systems, such as infinite scroll, lazy loading, checkbox lists, etc. Support for multiple frameworks: Framework 7 is compatible with JavaScript frameworks, including React.js, Angular.js, and Vue.js. These structures can contribute their abilities and simplicity to augment the development process. Disadvantages Specific to iOS: The creators of Framework 7 designed it specifically for the devices of Apple. Naturally, developers may have to deal with rendering issues when building apps for Android. Little to no documentation: Develops can find resources on ways of implementing various sets of elements in this framework with relative ease. However, for advanced projects, finding answers can be challenging as the documentation of Framework 7 isn’t as extensive as other frameworks.
Summing it up In the competitive sphere of mobile app development, you’ll miss opportunities if you don’t build an app that works on several platforms. Also, React Native may not be able to support the project you have in mind. Naturally, selecting the right replacement can fulfill your requirement of maintaining a presence on worthwhile platforms, while bringing down development expenses. Are you still wondering which technology to use? Well, Moon Technolabs can help you make the right choice. Get in touch with the agency at the earliest for further information.
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