Cross platform mobile development made easy

Introduction to Cross Platform Mobile Development

Cross platform mobile development refers to building mobile apps that can run on multiple platforms, such as iOS and Android, using a single shared codebase. Some popular cross platform frameworks include React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin. The main benefits of cross platform development are code reuse, faster development, and wider reach across platforms.

The goal of this article is to compare some of the most popular cross platform mobile development frameworks based on criteria like performance, developer experience, and commercial factors. This will help developers evaluate and choose the right framework for their specific needs and project requirements.

Overview of React Native

React Native is an open source framework developed by Facebook that uses the React JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Some key advantages of React Native include fast refreshing, a large community, and the ability to reuse code between web and mobile. However, limitations include larger app size (around 15MB) and performance not being as fast as fully native code. Popular apps built with React Native include Instagram, Discord, Skype, and many others. Overall, React Native provides excellent cross platform mobile development capabilities.

Overview of Flutter

Flutter is an open source framework developed by Google that uses the Dart programming language. It is known for its native-like performance and beautiful UI of apps. Key features include fast hot reload for iterating quickly during development. Downsides include Dart's learning curve and smaller ecosystem of libraries compared to other options. Major apps built with Flutter include Google Ads, eBay Motors, and Alibaba. Flutter provides powerful cross platform development features.

Overview of Xamarin

Xamarin is a cross platform framework created by Microsoft that uses C# as its primary programming language. It allows developers to reuse business logic code across iOS, Android, and Windows apps. Xamarin offers tight integration with Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE. Limitations include larger app size (around 20MB) and slower performance compared to fully native apps. Companies using Xamarin include HP, WebMD, and Alaska Airlines. Overall, Xamarin enables sharing code across mobile platforms.

Comparing Performance

Performance is critical for many types of apps, especially gaming, media, and other performance-sensitive use cases. Comparing native compiled code versus interpreted code helps explain the performance differences between these cross platform frameworks.

Flutter tends to have the highest performance and most native-like behavior due to its use of pre-compiled Dart code and specialized rendering engine. React Native and Xamarin have some limitations in achieving peak performance compared to fully native platforms. Real world performance impacts include start-up time, UI rendering smoothness, and availability of native APIs.

Start-up Time

Start-up time directly affects user experience - slower start-up can lead to frustration. Flutter has the fastest start-up time due to its use of pre-compiled code, averaging 1-2 seconds. React Native pays a start-up penalty due to the JavaScript code being interpreted at runtime, averaging 3-4 seconds. Xamarin is also noticeably slower than native code with an average start-up time of 4-5 seconds.

UI Rendering

The smoothness of UI rendering also impacts perceptions of an app's speed and polish. Flutter achieves near 60fps rendering on par with native apps due to its specialized engine. React Native can sometimes have choppier UI performance around 30-50fps due to the overhead of its JavaScript bridge. Xamarin's UI rendering is optimized but still not quite as smooth as fully native UI, averaging 40-50fps. Flutter's native-like fluidity gives it an advantage for buttery smooth animation effects.

APIs and Libraries

Access to native platform APIs and well-optimized libraries also affects overall performance. React Native offers the largest ecosystem and community around JavaScript/React libraries. Flutter's Dart ecosystem is rapidly growing but still has some gaps in more niche native features. Xamarin allows reuse of some native libraries but can face performance overhead compared to native implementations. Overall, React Native likely offers the most extensive native API access due to JavaScript's maturity.

Comparing Developer Experience

Developer experience has a major impact on productivity when building apps. The learning curve, setup and install process, coding and debugging features, documentation quality, and overall support ecosystem all contribute to how efficiently developers can build with each framework.

Flutter prioritizes developer happiness through its rich tooling and focus on building beautiful native UIs. React Native benefits enormously from the vast ecosystem around JavaScript and React. Xamarin offers the advantage of leveraging existing C# skills. Overall, each framework has strengths and weaknesses depending on developer background and needs.

Installation and Setup

The initial process of installing and configuring a development environment affects productivity. Flutter provides clear setup instructions for each target platform. React Native environment setup can sometimes be complex, especially on Windows and Linux. Xamarin's Visual Studio integration streamlines installation for developers familiar with that IDE. Flutter and Xamarin may have a smoother initial getting started flow compared to React Native.

Coding and Debugging

Coding and debugging features also impact speed of building apps. Flutter includes excellent IDE features like hot reload and a full suite of debugging tools. React Native has Fast Refresh, but lacks some of the more advanced debugging tools included with Flutter. Xamarin benefits from the maturing debugging features built into Visual Studio. For a streamlined coding workflow, Flutter may have the edge with hot reload and IDE integration.

Documentation and Support

Access to documentation and community support is vital for developer success. React Native benefits enormously from the vast quantities of online materials and experienced developers around JavaScript and React. Flutter's official documentation is quite thorough and well-written, but the community is still smaller compared to React Native. Xamarin provides comprehensive docs created by Microsoft and the .NET community. Overall, React Native likely has the most abundant support resources for new learners.

Comparing Commercial Factors

Several commercial factors also come into play when selecting a cross platform mobile framework. Open source licensing, costs, and access to tools impact the business model for app development and distribution.

React Native is fully open source under the permissive MIT license. Flutter is also open source with a BSD-style license. Xamarin requires a proprietary license from Microsoft. React Native and Flutter provide more freedom and avoid vendor lock-in. Tooling and licensing costs also favor the open source options over Xamarin. React Native and Flutter both provide high value mobile development with minimal commercial restrictions.

Community and Longevity

The size and activity level of a framework's community heavily influence its potential longevity. React Native has an enormous open source community of over 1800 contributors on GitHub ensuring its future relevance. Flutter's community is growing quickly but still smaller at around 500 contributors. Xamarin has a more niche community given its focus on C#. In terms of community support, React Native is well ahead of other cross platform frameworks.

Ecosystem and Support

The availability of pre-built components, libraries and plugins boost productivity. React Native has a massive ecosystem leveraging the hugely popular JavaScript ecosystem with over 47,000 libraries on npm. Flutter's ecosystem is rapidly expanding but still has gaps compared to React Native's maturity. Xamarin tends to have fewer third party plugins available due to its lower adoption rate. The ecosystem and availability of support libraries favors React Native.

Cost Considerations

When evaluating total cost, hidden recurring license fees and vendor tooling costs should be considered. React Native avoids any platform vendor lock-in or recurring fees. Flutter also avoids lock-in, though Google oversees its roadmap. Xamarin requires Microsoft licensing and has associated costs for enterprise tools. Overall costs tend to be lowest for React Native and Flutter.

Key Decision Factors for Cross Platform Mobile Development

There are many technical and business factors to evaluate when selecting a cross platform mobile development framework. Performance requirements will dictate whether native-like speed and fluidity are needed. Developer experience affects team productivity and morale. Commercial aspects impact costs, intellectual property, and lock-in risks.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, the best approach is to carefully evaluate team skills, app requirements, and business goals. Prototyping with multiple frameworks can help make an informed decision based on hands-on analysis. By weighing the key decision factors, developers can smartly choose the optimal framework for their unique needs and deliver successful cross platform mobile apps.

Platforms like DevHunt allow developers to easily list, compare and evaluate dozens of cross platform app development tools in one place to determine which solution best fits their needs.

Summary and Key Takeaways

• React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin are leading options for cross platform mobile development, each with unique strengths and weaknesses.
• Flutter offers the best native performance, while React Native provides maximum code reuse across web and mobile.
• For commercial usage, React Native and Flutter have more permissive open source licenses compared to Xamarin.
• React Native benefits from enormous community support thanks to the popularity of JavaScript and React.
• Prototyping different frameworks is recommended to evaluate the right fit based on specific skills, requirements and business goals.
• Resources like DevHunt help developers easily discover and compare a wide range of cross platform and native mobile development options.