Cross-Platform Mobile Development
If you are running a business then there is no way you can miss the opportunity to take advantage of the modern-day platforms that didn’t exist in the past. Whether you talk about the digital platform or any other platform, as a business owner, you will have to make sure that you are utilizing all the available opportunities in order to fuel the growth of your business and gain a competitive advantage in the industry. Well, one such platform that you should not miss to target while running a business is a mobile platform.
You should know that the influx of mobile phones or we can say smartphones has created many new opportunities for all the businesses out there. Almost all your customers must be using mobile phones of one kind or another and this is why instead of bringing customers to where you are, you should reach out to them where they are already present. And if you are thinking that building a mobile app will burn a hole in your pocket then you are completely wrong. You can go for cross-platform mobile app development for your firm and this will allow you to use the same app on different platforms without the need of building different apps for different OS like Android, iOS.
But you will have to be very precise about the type of app you are going to build for your firm because the market is full of mobile apps and if you will not choose an ideal mobile app development process then you will be lost in the crowd. One of the most important things that you will have to do is to choose the right cross-platform mobile development tool.
10 Best Cross-Platform Mobile Development Tools
To make things easier for you, we have come up with the top 10 cross-platform mobile app development tools that you can choose.
Adobe
This is surely one of the best, most popular, and used types of cross-platform mobile app development tools used by some of the best developers out there. You should know that the offering of this platform includes PhoneGap Build and it is completely based on the cloud. In addition to this, you should also know that PhoneGap is also an open source solution. PhoneGap is completely based on Apache Cordova.
Cordova is basically an open source set of device APIs that offers the developed applications to access specific, native device functions across a wide array of platforms. If you will use this platform for cross-platform mobile app development then you will be able to roll out the app quickly.
Xamarin
When it comes down to cross-platform mobile app development then you can never skip Xamarin. With the help of this highly popular cross-platform tool, you can easily native Android, Windows, and even iOS apps and that too by using a single shared code C# codebase. If you will use the company’s cloud service then you will have the advantage of testing the apps that you will develop through this platform on multiple devices and this is one of the most unique offerings of Xamarin that makes it different from other platforms.
Although there are many features that you will get along with Xamarin, some of the most talked about features of this cross-platform mobile app development tool is native API access, ability to add components directly from an interface, and much more.
Appcelerator
If you are looking forward to developing in minimal possible time and if your current mobile app development tool isn’t fast enough then you should start using Appcelerator without any second thoughts. You should know that the main focus of Appcelerator is to speed up the time to market the apps developed through its platform. In its offerings, it includes a single JavaScript codebase and one of the best things about this platform is it also offers real-time mobile analytics.
You should also know that this cross-platform mobile app development tool is open and very flexible and this is why it is so famous among developers. You can develop Android, iOS and even blackberry apps.
CocoS2d
If you are planning to launch a game for two-dimensional gaming then instead of choosing any other cross-platform tool and not getting expected results, you should use CocoS2d. This is basically an open-source platform and this is why you can be sure that the platform is always updated and improvements are always on their way. If you will start using this platform then you will have to choose from five different forks and that makes this platform more flexible and versatile.
You should know that the basic difference between these forks is on the basis of the programming language that you will be using. So make sure to be specific about the programming language that you are going to work with while choosing the right fork.
Unity3D
We will like to stick with gaming development here again and if you are planning to develop games on mobile phones then you can consider Unity3D as well. One of the main reasons why cross-platform apps and games are more popular on these types of platforms is the graphics are really astonishing and therefore the user experience is ultimate. And it’s obvious that the same game that is written from a single code can be used on different platforms as well.
You will be surprised to know that when you will start using Unity3D for mobile game development then you will have more than 17 different platforms of mobile to choose from.
Sencha
If you are sure that you are going to develop apps on HTML5 then you should definitely use Sencha without any second thoughts. If you will use Sencha then you will get lots of products but you should know that the main product for developers is basically Ext Js 5. One of the main reasons why most of the developers like it is the apps built through it can be easily used on different platforms and devices.
If you will be using Sencha then it will become very easy for you to work with other members of the team, regardless of where they are. And this will surely boost your productivity.
Qt
Don’t go by the small name of this cross-platform tool that is used by a long list of developers as it offers a lot of flexibility and allows every type of developer to build an excellent app. If you are not sure about this platform then you can go for the free trial and check it by yourself. You should know that if you will be using the Qt platform then you will be using C++ for doing so. After completing the coding, you will get a seamless transformation process to a wide array of platforms.
You should know that if you don’t like the app then you can easily make changes through Qt and all the changes will be automatically applied.
iFactr
You should know that even this advanced platform is completely built for a speedy app development process and this is why you will don’t have to worry about the time taken for building an app through this advanced platform. Each and every type of developer can learn the process of building an enticing app through this platform and you should know that even inexperienced developers can easily start hammering out apps through this platform without any issue.
You should know that iFactr uses Xamarin for developing both iOS and Android Apps. You will get more time to market your product if you will start using iFactr.
Kony
You will be surprised to know that Kony products sprawl across the whole software development cycle and this is one of the most unique things about Kony. All the services of the platform can be easily delivered through an on-premise solution and this is one of the biggest advantages of this cross-platform app development tool. And since this platform comes with the power of the cloud, you will not have to worry about security, accessibility, and uptime. Cloud services are easily scalable and can be adjusted as per your demand.
SAP
This might be one of the older players of the market and this is why most of the offerings made by this platform have gone a bit confusing with time. You should know that the company behind this cross-platform toolset out to rationalize things with the launch of version 3.0 which has the functionality of cross-platform mobile app development.
You should also know that the company has integrated with Cordova and according to the officials of this company, this will give a huge benefit to all the users of SAP.
There are surely many different types of cross-platform app development tools out there and this is what makes choosing the right platform a bit tricky. But if you are looking forward to the best platform that fulfills all your needs then you should filter the above-mentioned options only and then choose the best tool.
Kashyapi Prajapati has been involved in the world of accounting software, SEO, and cloud computing from a very long time and currently, she is working as a lead content writer with Cloudwalks, a QuickBooks hosting services which offers affordable QuickBooks hosting cost. Cloud computing and SEO is what she eats and drinks.