Top Hybrid Mobile App Development Frameworks

Before we discuss the best hybrid mobile app frameworks, it is important to know what hybrid apps are. As the name suggests, hybrid apps are a blend of web and native apps. It is the hybrid app development technology that enables the developers to create a single application and allow it to run on multiple platforms or operating systems such as iOS, Android, and Windows. A single code base is utilized for all platforms during hybrid app development, which means that the developers need to write the code only once and can use it across platforms.

Hybrid apps are built using JavaScript, CSS, or HTML. Developers then wrap the code into a native application with the help of open-source frameworks such as Ionic or React Native. This allows the app to run through each platform’s embedded browser instead of the web browser, thereby enabling them to be installed on mobile devices, similar to native apps. Although hybrid apps are developed using web technologies, they possess the look and feel of native apps and offer a similar user experience. As native app development is relatively expensive, this makes hybrid apps a great option for those who can’t afford to have native apps.

Also Read: PWA vs Native Apps

Hybrid technology has opened an excellent opportunity for businesses to have their brand name spread across platforms rather than having to invest individually for each OS. But developers often find themselves in a state of turmoil when selecting the best hybrid app development framework.

Nevertheless, the below-mentioned are some of the best frameworks for hybrid apps-

1. Flutter

Developed by Google, Flutter is an open-source UI SDK leveraged to build attractive, natively-compiled mobile apps for web, mobile, desktop, and embedded devices, just using a single code base. It is one of the best hybrid mobile app frameworks. Flutter allows developers to create user-friendly and easy-to-navigate applications supported by great aesthetics. It is being used by some of the big names in the market, such as Toyota, eBaY, and BMW.

Flutter apps are built using a programming language called Dart, also built by Google. This hybrid app development framework is ideal for startups and those looking to build an MVP. Flutter comprises two main components- an SDK which is a collection of tools that assists developers in app development, and a UI library that provides a set of reusable widgets or elements that they can personalize to create a smooth user interface. Besides, its “hot reloading” feature allows developers to see changes in the application in real-time.

2. Xamarin

Xamarin is a free and open-source framework by Microsoft that allows app developers to build mobile apps using .NET and C#. The framework consists of C++, Objective-C, and Java libraries. This hybrid app development technology is beneficial for SMEs as it creates a balance between budget and creativity. It allows for code reusability (with up to 90% code sharing across platforms) along with tools and functions that accelerate the app development process and help save a significant amount of time.

One of Xamarin’s great advantages is that it has a single technological stack. One can create all kinds of solutions just using C#. Developers don’t need to switch between environments and can perform every task in Visual Studio. The use of C# also protects the code from unexpected behavior. This hybrid framework is natively compiled and thus is a go-to option to build high-performance apps with the look and feel of a native one.

Another good thing about Xamarin is that it offers developers an end-to-end ecosystem with Xamarin Test Cloud, Xamarin Studio, Xamarin SDKs, and Xamarin Insights.

3. React Native

React Native was introduced by Facebook, back in 2015. It is an open-source, JavaScript-based mobile application framework that not only helps develop apps for iOS, Android, and Windows but also for Android TV, macOS, tvOS, and UWP (Universal Windows Platform). React Native applications are written using JSX. Facebook, Bloomberg, Airbnb, Instagram, Skype, Walmart, and Pinterest are some of the top names using React Native.

This hybrid mobile app framework enables mobile app developers to use React’s framework along with native platform capabilities. It is powered by React- Facebook’s JS library for building UIs but targets mobile platforms instead of any browser and allows app developers to leverage a set of UI components to quickly compile and launch Android and iOS apps.

Read: React Native vs Flutter

4. Ionic

This open-source SDK for hybrid app development was launched in 2013. This hybrid app framework provides developers with tools and services to build high-quality and high-performance hybrid mobile, desktop, and progressive web applications based on modern web development technologies and using HTML, CSS, and Saas. Ionic primarily focuses on front-end user experience (UI interaction) and has pre-designed UI components that look superb on all devices and platforms.

The Ionic framework can be easily integrated with other frameworks. It uses Cordova or Capacitor to distribute apps to native app stores. Ionic also offers services to enable features such as automated builds, code deploys, etc., and has its own IDE known as Ionic Studio.

5. PhoneGap

PhoneGap is also one of the best frameworks for hybrid apps. It was previously known as Apache Cordova but Adobe acquired it in 2011 and rebranded it as PhoneGap. It doesn’t rely on platform-specific APIs like those in Android, iOS, or Windows phones and uses HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript instead to build hybrid applications. PhoneGap allows developers to harness the power of the Cordova plugin which can be extended with native plugins, thereby enabling developers to add more functionalities and access the device’s accelerometer, camera, microphone, compass, and more. This hybrid mobile app framework offers high flexibility, is easy to learn, and has a quick testing method that is easy to perform. It also has robust backend support.

6. Onsen UI

Based on PhoneGap, Onsen UI is a free-to-use, open-source UI framework for hybrid app development. It was originally based on AngularJS and supported jQuery, but post the launch of its second version, it is no longer completely dependent on JavaScript. As a result, developers can build mobile apps with or without the JavaScript framework. Onsen UI provides tools and services through Monaca, which is widely known to streamline complex tasks using a strong command line. It offers a large set of rich UI elements and is packed with ready-to-implement features following native Android and iOS design standards.

The Bottom Line

There are many other hybrid mobile app frameworks available that you can consider such as Framework 7, Mobile Angular UI, Appcelerator Titanium, Mobincube, and the list goes on, however, the above-mentioned six hybrid frameworks are the most popular ones and widely used. Each of them has its own benefits so your choice of framework would entirely depend on your project requirements, business niche, and how familiar an app development company is with a particular framework.