Best Mobile App Development Platforms in 2024

A Mobile App Development Platform (MADP) is software that allows you to design, build, test and deploy mobile applications. It gives developers the leverage to add more apps by reusing previous codes and provides them control over the deployed app solutions. Businesses usually have their own MADP or buy any of the third-party products which we will be discussing in this article. It includes backend as a service, frontend tools, and application programming services.

The term MADP is coined by Gartner and has replaced previously used terms like Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (MEAP) and Mobile Consumer Application Platform (MCAP). This is because MADP has proven to be more functional than MEAP and MCAP were individually. With MADP, developers can customize apps without manual changes to backend because they have configurable connection to enterprise data. Using MADP, only a single codebase needs to be maintained across multiple platforms, devices and networks.

Choosing the right mobile app development platform can be tricky, which is why we have drawn a comparison between the top platforms in the market today that can keep up with latest mobile trends.

Top Mobile App Development Frameworks in 2024

1. Flutter

With Flutter ‘build apps for any screen’. Flutter is an open-source framework by Google for building multi-platform, native and beautifully designed applications from a single codebase. Its framework is fast, flexible and productive, enabling fast rendering and quick development of apps on any platform, be it mobile or web. It also controls the codebase with automated testing for quality app performance. Furthermore, it uses Dart as its language which is optimized to produce fast apps. Flutter becomes an easy choice for any developer given it’s a reliable platform and they can always find help for any of their queries easily from Google’s global developer community. Quite a few popular companies use Flutter to develop their apps. For example, the app for Groupon, headquartered in Chicago is built using Flutter. In case you’re on the search, here’s a curated list for top app developers in Chicago.

Apps developed using Flutter – Google Pay, Toyota, Google Ads

2. Mendix

Mendix is a low-code mobile development platform that is popular for developing apps at scale and speed. It claims itself as a leader in enterprise mobile app development and truly so, thanks to its powerful cloud architecture, intelligent automation, and data integration. It acts as a platform for anyone with an idea to build an app – both businesses and individual developers. Ideation to deployment becomes a smooth process with Mendix which is an integrated platform offering both low-code and no-code tooling. It simplifies application development while enabling the user to explore artificial intelligence for smart apps and creating visual touchpoints that guarantee customer delight.

Apps developed using Mendix – AntTail’s medicine tracking app, Solomon Group’s RFID wristband, KLM and Heijman’s IoT based apps

3. Xamarin 

Microsoft’s Xamarin was introduced in 2011 and till today continues to be a popular choice for cross-platform application development across iOS, Android and Windows with C# codebase. Its compatibility with the .Net framework is one of the biggest advantages. It uses native components for a native app like experience. Xamarin focuses on improved functionality and speed so that apps feel like they’re native. It simplifies app updates and developers can work on several projects as two apps can be simultaneously updated at the same time. Using Microsoft Visual Studio, developers get access to all of Xamarin’s development features and tools.  

It has one of the best backend infrastructures producing fewer bugs. Testing can be done on any number of devices because of the cloud services.  

Apps developed using Xamarin – Alaska Airlines, The World Bank  

4. Ionic 

Ionic is a free and open-source platform offering optimized UI components, gestures and tools for highly interactive apps. It hosts pre-designed UI components that look incredible on any screen and has a base theme that adapts to any platform. With its latest version release, Ionic has added even more UI elements and iOS/Android design enhancements. ‘Write once, run anywhere’ – Ionic allows developers to take apps to app store and as PWA with a single codebase. Ionic CLI is developer friendly allowing live reload, integration, deployments and so on.   

It is commonly known as a tool for developing hybrid mobile apps and progressive web apps that gives complete control over app building. What’s more? You can build on Ionic with any tech stack including Angular, React, Vue or even just JavaScript. 

Apps developed using Ionic – General Electric, EA Sports 

5. React Native 

Most companies use React Native since most of the code can be written in JavaScript and shared across Android and iOS without using two different codebases. Introduced by Facebook in 2015, the reusability of code is one of the major reasons for its popularity. This speeds the entire app development process. Live reloading features make it easy for the developers to make code changes in real-time, making iterations happen at lightning speed. React Native is compliant with native software which makes it apt for adding extensions to native applications. It is one of the biggest communities among cross platforms offering developer support, extensive libraries, live chat and tutorials.  

Apps developed using React Native – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest 

6. Adobe PhoneGap 

Formerly known as Apache Cordova, PhoneGap is an open-source desktop application which helps develop single apps that can function on any mobile device. It works effectively on HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3. It’s ideal to develop mobile apps by extending its functionality to existing apps instead of working from scratch. A strong highlight is that consistency is maintained no matter what platform. Apps developed on this platform carry the capability to act as native apps and offers exceptional UX elements. It has a plug-in architecture that is compatible for adding native functionalities to the apps. 

Apps developed using Adobe PhoneGap – Wikipedia, Paylution 

7. Sencha 

Sencha SDKs are based on HTML5 which makes it possible for developers to build engaging user experiences and animations. Sencha Ext JS is a JavaScript platform that offers rich UI, extensive libraries, and well written APIs for building highly responsive and data-intensive applications. It has the ability to manage heavy data and boasts of impeccable data representation. Also, if the ask is for a platform that supports animation and touch events, Sencha is the answer. 

Apps built using Sencha – Samsung, Nvidia 

Conclusion: 

Traditional mobile app development models cannot satisfy the need for smart and modern apps that seek constant dynamic changes. This is where MADP takes the center stage by enabling quick development and seamless deployment of mobile apps that can cater to the changing market requirements.  

 Looking to develop relevant apps in competitive timeframes and at affordable costs? Partner with Zuci today!