Top 10 Best Mobile App Development Frameworks in 2020

Over time, there has been a paradigm shift in implementing smart and innovative business strategies. Most of the organizations are switching from desktop websites to mobile applications, as it is a fast-track way to reach global audiences.

However, to make your mobile app a real success, it is essential to make the right selection of mobile framework, platform, technologies, and databases. With age and time, there is a steady increase in the number of Android and iOS apps. In fact, cross-platform and hybrid app development also gained momentum thus one can definitely give credit to the best frameworks used for this major transformation.

Let’s have a look at some Top Mobile App Development Frameworks in 2019–20 that the most reliable mobile app development companies use to build successful apps

1. Ionic — Open-Source HTML5 Development Framework

Ionic is an open-source platform that provides cross-platform mobile application development. Mobile app developers love it! The significant advantage of the Ionic framework is that mobile developers can use a set of default UI elements like forms, filters, action sheets, list views, tab bars, and navigation menu in their design. Thus, it helps them to focus on developing apps instead of concentrating on UI elements. Moreover, if the developers are familiar with CSS, JavaScript, or HTML, then using the Ionic framework becomes much more manageable. It supports from Android 4.1, iOS 7 to all other upgraded versions of Android and iOS. Moreover, if developers use Ionic with a native mobile app in PhoneGap, it allows higher performance as compared to hybrid applications.

BENEFITS OF IONIC FRAMEWORK APP DEVELOPMENT

The Advantages of using Ionic application development framework are as following:

1. Easy to adopt

2. Cross-platform app development

3. User Interface

4. Built on AngularJS

5. Performance

6. Low-Cost Development — Get cost to create an Ionic App on AI-based tools

7. Cordova Plugins

Ionic uses Cordova plugin to access features like Camera, GPS, Flashlight and others. Mobile app developers can utilize these modules to build their application.

Ionic — Most Popular Framework for mobile app development

Few Experienced Ionic Framework app development companies are

1. Clavax
2. FuGenX
3. Mindinventory
4. Hidden Brains

2. PhoneGap — A Cross-Platform Mobile App Development Framework

It is also called Apache Cordova that lets mobile programmers develop a mobile application which is installed as a native app across multiple devices. It is one of the widely used technology as a single code base can be used for creating multiple versions of an app. Another big advantage of using PhoneGap is that it supports inbuilt device features like GPS, Camera, Phonebook, Storage, accelerometer and much more.

Phone Gap — Framework for mobile application 2019 -20

3. Xamrin — A Coder’s Delight, Top-Notch Cross-Platform Tool

Xamrin is an intelligent way to build an app, developers can use C# for Android, iOS, and Universal for Windows apps. It is one of the reliable tools that provide flexible native performance. Backed with Microsoft technology, it has approx. 1.4 million developers of the community. With an excellent native user interface, it not only helps developers to build a native app with ease but also controls the app to give ultimate user experience.

Advantages of using Xamarin Framework for your Mobile Projects

See Also: Comparing Hybrid vs Native Mobile App Development, Which is better?

Benefits of Xamarin:

• Native User-Interface
• Xamarin has great native user interface & controls which allow you to create a native app.
• Cross-Platform App Development
• Xamarin is now included to Visual Studio with no extra cost including Visual Studio Community version which is free for Individuals, open source projects and smaller teams. So, Low-Cost development. 
• Xamarin is a perfect choice for Cross-platform app development.
• Allows you to build Apps for Windows, Android, and iOS app & also share codes over multiple platforms.
• More Easy API Integration
• Useful compiled code
• Xamarin mobile App Framework allows you to generate productive and high-performing code that can access every native API
• Huge community and Support are available on official forum and third parties websites.
• Shared Code Base

Xamarine— Advance Mobile development framework in 2019 -20

Xamarin mobile framework will be having a radiant future the way they are decreasing the gap between various platforms also especially after Microsoft procured it and now has been free.

4. React Native — A Preferred Cross-Platform Solution for iOS and Android App Development

From Startups to Fortune 500 organizations, React Native is one of the popular frameworks in 2019–20 which is used to build both Android and iOS apps. React Native development allows mobile app developers to build high-performance apps in shorter development cycles and faster deployment times. React native deals with JSX thus there is no need for developers to learn more complex programming languages for developing Android or iOS apps. Moreover, it provides extremely smooth animations as the code is converted into native views before rendering.

Use our list as your go-to resource for React Native framework mobile app developers.

1. Swenson He
2. Clavax Technologies LLC
3. Fueled
4. WillowTree INC
5. AppInventive.

The Core Benefits of Using React Native Mobile App Framework are as below

Reusability: React Native was originally developed by Facebook to design the user interface of its mobile application. In the beginning, the React Native framework only worked with iOS.

Efficiency: The benefits of React, such as high performance and a virtual DOM, carry over to React Native as well. Using React Native can make you more efficient and speed up your development times in a variety of ways.

JavaScript: JavaScript has risen from its lowly origins to become the king of web programming languages. Nearly everyone calling themselves a “web developer” has had a good deal of experience with JavaScript.

React Native — Top mobile app framework in 2019 -20

5. Corona SDK — Create Compatible Cross-Platform Apps in Minimum Time

Instead of large development teams, Corona SDK helps developers in building solitary code base that functions amazingly-well with Android, iOS, and Nook. Utilizing its features, Corona SDK includes interactivity and delightful graphics content into the apps. Also, Corona SDK app development scales content automatically across multiple devices. Gaming APIs are easily included to your app and allow you monetize app easily and quickly.

Corona — Framework for mobile apps

6. jQuery Mobile — Concise Cross-Browser JavaScript Framework

jQuery is a ready-to-use JavaScript library having various plugins like Image Slider, Content Slider, and Pop-Up Boxes, etc. The jQuery is easier than JavaScript libraries, as less code is written to attain the same features in comparison to other libraries. It makes web pages simpler, interactive and user-friendly. It is completely readable by all search engines and is optimized in terms of SEO.

7. Intel XDK — Create Mobile and Tablet Apps Using HTML5 and JavaScript

With a single code base, Intel XDK lets developers build mobile apps for iOS, Windows, Android, Amazon, and Nook. The main reason why developers use Intel XDK is that it comes with a drag-and-drop user interface thus interfaces are easily built. It comes with profiling and app debug options thus testing the app on different device configurations made easy.

8. Flutter — Seamless Creation of Awesome Mobile Applications

Flutter is a software development kit from the house of Google that attracts developers by leveraging them for faster coding. It makes the app development process more convenient by providing a single code base for Android and iOS. Flutter gives an advantage of modifying the old widgets and creating a new one effortlessly. Thus, helps to build responsive mobile applications that engage your target audience within a short period.

9. Mobile Angular UI — A Perfect Combination of Angular JS and Bootstrap

Advance Mobile app framework 2019

Mobile Angular UI consists of many interactive components like switches, overlays, and sidebars thus deliver a robust mobile experience to its users. There are a lot of benefits of this structural framework which makes it a smart choice for modern-day web applications. It is an open-source framework that helps in developing rich internet applications. Being a cross-browser compliant, Mobile Angular UI automatically handles JavaScript code suitable for each browser.

10. Appcelerator Titanium — #1 Cross-Platform Mobile App Development Solution

If you are looking for a one-stop mobile application framework, Appcelerator Titanium is the right choice. It features independent APIs that make accessing mobile device hardware relatively smooth and reliable. Appcelerator Titanium uses native UI components thus delivers good performance to its user base.

After considering various factors like development time period, budget, operating systems, and much more, we have provided the list of Mobile App Frameworks For 2020.

Content Source: https://medium.com/hackernoon/top-10-best-mobile-app-development-frameworks-in-2019-612b95cf930f

How to Create a Mobile App Startup

The mobile app market is growing and bringing more revenue, but it’s still quite a venture to start a mobile app business. Data from CB Insights shows that only about 30 percent of startups succeed. To ensure the success of your mobile app startup, we’ve prepared some useful tips.

#1 Find a problem to solve 

Mobile app startups often concentrate on an idea only, forgetting about crucial factors that lead to its success. But an idea alone might not be enough to hit the market. You should create an app specifically to provide value to your target audience, which you can only do by thoroughly planning the UI/UX and content. During the planning stage, ask yourself the following questions:

What problem does the mobile app startup solve?

If you take a look at the statistics of failed mobile app startups, you’ll see that the majority of them had an idea but didn’t solve a problem. As long as your startup has no aim and no solution to a user’s pain points, it’s not likely to succeed. To stay afloat, you need to offer a solution to a common (and long-lasting) problem.

Does anyone actually want this app? 

There’s no point in making an app if there’s no market for it. Even the most outstanding idea will fail if you don’t know your target audience. With more than 5.5 billion apps available in the leading app stores, it seems impossible to create something unique. However, there’s still a chance to achieve success. Define your potential users and predict their needs, what they like, and what they’re afraid of. 

Your task is to highlight the use of your app whenever they ask themselves, What do I get out of it? It’s not that easy to make users download your app, let alone like it. To increase the user retention rate, let your users see the benefits of the app right from the start.

#2 Choose the platform

When you have a limited budget and need to check if your idea is going to be profitable, you tend to look for the cheapest way to create an app. However, the price is not the only parameter you should take into consideration. Users’ loyalty to an operating system plays one of the most important roles. While choosing a platform for your app, you’ll inevitably face the Android vs iOS dilemma. Don’t follow your heart; rather, follow the market metrics and potential profit.

Target your users

Looking at the market, it’s obvious that there are more Android users worldwide (around 76 percent of all mobile phone users). This isn’t surprising due to the wide variety of Android smartphone manufacturers. However, when creating a mobile app startup, you should consider the location of your target audience and the local preferences. In the graphic below, you can see the dominant operating systems in different regions. If your target audience is in a region where users are loyal to one operating system, your choice is clear.

If your business model includes paid features, keep in mind that iOS users are more willing to buy apps and make in-app purchases.

Programming languages

Another crucial factor is how hard it is to develop your app, which influences the cost and speed of development as well as the features you can implement. 

Android and iOS each support more than one programming language, and you should think of the ability to switch languages if you change the team or technology stack. For instance, iOS apps are developed in Objective-C and Swift, while Android apps use Kotlin and Java. These Android languages work well together, so you can combine them without any halt in development. However, the same is not true with iOS. Carefully choosing between the languages will help you switch between them much faster in the future when you scale and upgrade your app.

Time and cost

The cost of iOS and Android app development UK and around the world is approximately the same. The only thing that differs at this point is the testing time. Because of the great number of Android smartphones with different specifications, it takes much longer to check the compatibility of an Android app with devices. Compare 18 iOS devices with relatively the same configurations with hundreds of Android smartphones with a multitude of configurations. It’s a big scope of work for the QA specialist, which leads to increased production costs. 

#3 Raise funds

There are various ways to get financing and various funding platforms to choose from. Your task is to weigh the pros and cons to choose the best method of financing. Below, you’ll find top sources of startup funding.

Angel or seed funding

The most preferred option for any startup is an angel investor who’s ready to provide enough capital in exchange for a high rate of return or equity. Angel investors are typically family and friends, prosperous business people, or groups of individuals united by one goal. Seed funding from an angel investor always comes at the start of a promising startup. To put it simply, an investor acquires part of the startup in exchange for money this startup will hopefully make later.

All in all, getting an angel investor is the safest way to get financing for your business in comparison to bank loans and unstable crowdfunding. You don’t have to return the money in case of failure, so there’ll be no debt. Moreover, angel investors are often savvy in terms of conducting business; therefore, they can provide you some guidance. 

Common problems with angel investors include lack of involvement (investors are too busy with side projects), the itch for gain (investors expect fast growth), slow funding, reduced founder control, and unclear roles of the founder and angel investor.

You can search for potential investors on AngelList, Funded.com, and Angel Investment Network.

Bootstrapping

Bootstrapping is starting a business without relying on external funding. If you already have some capital to start your small business, you’ll enjoy sole ownership. Unlike with an angel investor, in this case you’re the one with the equity. What’s more, nobody will interfere with your control over the direction of your mobile app startup. No external investor will change the focus of business development. 

On the flip side, the CEO bears the personal risk of failing and losing everything invested. Additionally, bootstrapping usually means limited resources, which leads to slow growth.

There are big chances that you can succeed with such an approach, provided you’re focused on your strategy, stick to the budget, and scale carefully.

Bank loans

Taking a loan from a bank may be the first thing that springs to mind when you think about finding funds for your startup. One of the key points is that banks provide some of the lowest interest rates for loans. 

However, it’s a challenge to get a bank loan, as you need to provide business credit scores and reports, personal guarantees, collateral, etc. Banks need strong proof that you’re likely to repay them, which is never clear with mobile app startups. 

If you’re ready to put in the time and effort to prove that your business is going to bring a healthy cash flow, this option is for you.

Crowdfunding

The most popular funding method among startup CEOs is crowdfunding. There are a number of trusted platforms where one can share their idea and get funding from a big pool of investors. The advantage of this fundraising strategy is that your idea reaches people worldwide. This increases the chances of getting the money you need in a short time. In addition to raising funds, crowdfunding allows you to validate your idea and see if it’s going to be a success. 

The most popular crowdfunding platforms are Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe.

#4 Prepare a perfect pitch deck

To attract potential investors, an engaging pitch deck is a must. Your pitch deck must give the essence of your startup, your development plan, and your promotional strategy. 

You may have heard of the elevator pitch: it’s your perfect middle ground to strive for. This tactic assumes a short, informative presentation that can describe your product in 30 seconds, which is the length of an average elevator ride. Try to grab attention with the first two sentences, use simple language, don’t complicate your presentation with statistics, and stick to the point.

#5 Build an MVP to test your idea 

Building a minimum viable product (MVP) is essential to the success of your startup. An MVP has proved to be the go-to solution for mobile app startups, as it contains only crucial features. Launching an MVP will help you figure out whether your target audience is really interested in your app, allow you to get feedback on possible improvements, and help you validate the concept before you start making a complete app with further iterations. Other benefits you get with an MVP include:

• An affordable core product
• User feedback 
• Quick market launch
• Product ready for presentation to possible investors

A lot of top companies launched an MVP before the final app was born. Let’s take a look at the story of Instagram, which became a success in a few months. First, there was an HTML5 prototype called Burbn. Even though the name doesn’t reflect the app idea, Kevin Systrom, the creator, named the app Burbn because he likes whiskey and bourbon. The app featured photo sharing, check-ins, and planned posts. Photo sharing was the most popular component of the app.

After Systrom raised $500,000, Kevin put together a team and focused on developing the photo sharing aspect of the prototype. Having researched the market and their direct competitor, Hipstamatic, they decided to blend photo filters with social elements. So they pivoted to leave only photo editing, posting, liking, and commenting. In eight weeks, there was the Instagram beta. 

Thanks to a well-timed pivot and beta testing, Instagram managed to find their unique offer, fix emerging bugs, and launch a unique product. On the launch day, Instagram became the top free photo editing app on the App Store. In ten weeks, there were one million Instagram users. In a year, Facebook bought the company of twelve employees for $1 billion. Even nine years later, we still have a minimalist app with one core feature. 

The lesson to learn from this story is that you can launch a successful product in two months if you act fast and make it simple and easy to use.

Among other companies who started with MVPs you can find Uber, Dropbox, Airbnb, Facebook, Spotify, and Pinterest. Thanks to their MVPs, these companies fixed issues with their apps, got fresh ideas, and evolved into the perfect products we now enjoy.

#6 Promotion

After you’ve made an MVP, you need to deliver it to your target audience as soon as possible. There are different channels for advertising and promoting your app. The promotion strategy you choose can have a big influence on your app’s success. Some of the most popular ways to publicize your app are:

Social media marketing

Entrepreneurs use social networks to increase brand awareness and engagement, generate leads, get customer support, etc. There are a lot of social networking sites, so how can you find the perfect match and reach your goals? We’ve chosen the top five social networks:

Facebook

Facebook is a must for any startup. However, B2C startups are likely to get more from this network. If your startup is a social network, photo or video editing, ecommerce, travel, beauty, or fashion app, pay extra attention to strengthening user engagement and connections. Whatever startup you have, effective interaction with users will add value to your product. For instance, RunKeeper, a fitness app, promotes its brand on Facebook by posting entertaining sports trivia and photos of runners in branded gear.

Instagram

Instagram is a pure B2C platform that gives unlimited opportunities to startups in the travel, fashion, health, arts, food, ecommerce, beauty, and photography industries. Also, if your target audience is young women or Millennials, Instagram is a must. Moreover, it shares the same ad platform with Facebook. To make your Instagram account more comfortable to use, switch to the business profile, where you’ll find analytics on engagement, likes, audience, etc. 

Visit the Instagram page of Intercom, a customer messaging platform, to see how they interact with their followers on a daily basis. Intercom actively uses the Instagram questions feature, posting answers in Stories. According to MediaKix, Instagram stories and posts are the most efficient content promotion tools and will stay the focal point of many advertising strategies.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an irreplaceable (and the most business-centered) platform for B2B startups. Companies in the finance, employment, legal, IT, science, and technology sectors are more than welcome to use LinkedIn. As it’s business only, B2B promotion looks organic in this environment. A startup that resolves the pain points of businesspeople is sure to reach its target users and generate qualified leads on LinkedIn. According to HubSpot findings, LinkedIn generates the highest conversion rate at 2.74%, three times higher than Twitter and Facebook combined.

Amazon keeps its product news updated and engages followers in conversations by posting photos from science fairs and posting short bios of their outstanding workers. My first 100 days in Amazon posts are especially popular among followers.

YouTube

This is a perfect network for visual content and can greatly contribute to your brand. Another advantage of YouTube is that it has access to the Google Ad platform. YouTube videos are a good way to promote B2B companies and startups that are visually driven. It’s a great choice for ecommerce, as users feel more confident after watching product videos. 

YouTube has become a valuable platform for Canva, a free design tool. Canva posts workshops on how to use their product and shows off the amazing results their users achieve. 

Twitter

Communication and information businesses use Twitter to generate content and promote themselves. It’s more of a B2C platform, which is why so many customers refer to Twitter accounts if they have issues with a product. Twitter can be a fast and convenient addition to your customer service. Industries that can benefit from Twitter include retail, ecommerce, travel, and sports.

Chanty, an AI-powered team chat, grew their number of Twitter followers organically. Posting behind-the-scenes tweets, using hashtags, and prompting replies helped Chanty gather an active community around the product.

Influencers

The best advertising is a recommendation based on personal experience from an opinion leader or trendsetter. Research by Twitter shows that nearly 40 percent of users have bought a product because of a recommendation from an influencer. The reason for that is the native type of advertisement influencers offer and the level of trust they already have. 

If you’re looking for an influencer, contact:

• Celebrities
• Industry experts
• Popular bloggers
• Micro-influencers 

All of these people have reputations and a lot of followers who can become your potential users. Moreover, there’s payment flexibility. Even micro-influencers with 2,000 to 10,000 followers can offer a loyal audience with high engagement. 

To resonate with your target audience, choose the right social network. Which is right directly depends on your niche and target audience. We recommend working with influencers on the social platform you already use. Thus, it’s a good idea for B2B startups, such as SaaS and consulting services, to collaborate with LinkedIn industry experts for relevant and valuable leads. Fashion, ecommerce, beauty, and lifestyle startups can attract thousands of users by working with Instagram and YouTube influencers. Messengers and information-driven startups will resonate among the followers of Twitter influencers. 

For a successful influencer promotion, follow these tips:

• Address niche influencers in your sphere
• Create unique promotional materials
• Prioritize platforms
• Set clear goals and expectations, e.g. to increase engagement or expand reach
• Add individual hashtags to monitor and measure the success of ad campaigns
• Provide influencers with clear guidelines of how to promote your brand

ASO

App store optimization (ASO) is SEO for applications. ASO makes it easier for users to find your app. With the help of ASO, you can improve your app ranking on the Google Play Store and the App Store. ASO increases app exposure and user engagement. By investing in ASO, you ensure that your app won’t get lost at the bottom of lists.

Pay extra attention to the features below when listing your app startup:

• App name, URL, and subtitle. All these attributes must reflect the idea of your app and include the main keywords that refer to your app. 
• Keywords. This is the crucial attribute in terms of optimizing your app in search results. Research keywords in user search queries and fill in this field thoroughly.
• Ratings and reviews. Ratings and reviews are not only a deciding factor for the majority of users but a ranking signal for app stores. The number of reviews, recent votes, and positive ratings matters. Motivate your users to leave regular reviews, and don’t forget to reply to them.

Over to you

Creating a mobile app startup is easy. Creating a successful mobile app startup is a challenge. 

Content Source: https://rubygarage.org/blog/building-mobile-startup

5 Ways Mobile Apps Can Help You Grow Your Business

Times have truly changed and it’s imperative for any business to quickly adapt with the latest technological developments. Noticeably, iPhone apps and other mobile applications are taking the world by storm. And majority of smart, forward-thinking entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this mobile apps phenomenon to further improve their business. Here are 5 ways mobile apps can help you grow your business:

1.       Boost branding – Since your company’s logo and or slogan are visible on your customers’ mobile screens, it’s virtually impossible not to remember you whenever they need your products/services. It also offers a definite advantage against your competitors who are yet to adopt this business strategy. If you want an instant brand boost or recognition, creating a mobile application is a great way to help improve your corporate branding and overall reputation.

2.       Improve customer service experience – Your customers can benefit from being able to access your products/services anytime they want and while on the fly. This is especially true if you don’t have a help line that’s available 24/7. Your app can include a feature where they can contact you day or night, and without necessarily going to your website.

3.       Act as a marketing tool – More than just an application, a mobile app can double as a valuable marketing tool. How? It can be easily integrated with Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social media sites. That means, with a single tap, customers can share with their network your app and or their experience with your company, which can then offer you free publicity. Plus, using push notification, you can quickly send upcoming promotions or special events to your customers and prospects.

4.       Acquire more customers – Keep in mind that today’s consumers are constantly moving and are addicted to their mobile devices. Undoubtedly, they would appreciate a useful and engaging mobile app from your company. If your app helps them save or kill time or is just that awesome, they would even refer you to their friends and family.

5.       Generate more income – A mobile application with order fulfillment ability can readily provide another revenue channel, aside from your website and or brick and mortar store. For example, functionality to make restaurant reservations, book concert tickets, buy goods and services, etc. are possible with a few taps/clicks. But wait, there’s more! You can also earn by charging app users when they upgrade, or by offering in-app advertisements, etc.

Unfortunately, many business owners are yet to recognize the huge potential benefits of mobile applications in terms of boosting productivity, efficiency, competitive edge and user experience. Been pondering how you can possibly grow your business? Mobile apps just might be the answer. See: Android app development uk and around the world by GoodCore Software.

Content Source: https://www.biznessapps.com/blog/5-ways-mobile-apps-can-help-you-grow-your-business/