Save App Development Cost by More Than 50% With Cross-Platform App Development

4 years ago

Yes, app development costs a bomb. It costs as much as an SUV car. 

With end-users expecting more convenience and startups aiming to solve complex problems with tiny mobile apps, the developers end up investing more hours in development. 

This eventually increases the cost of the app as developers generally charge on an hourly basis. 

Image Source: VenturePact

Just for context: It requires developers to invest more than 800 hours in developing a simple food delivery app. 

With $50 as hourly charges, it costs you a whopping $40000! 

Wait? Did we mention 800 hours for an app running on the Android platform? What about the iOS platform? 

Yes, if you want to develop an app that runs seamlessly on multiple operating systems, developers need to prepare the codebase individually that doubles the development time. 

And this requires you to double your budget! 

However, there is a solution - or rather an approach - which brings down your app development cost by 50% without jeopardizing the app compatibility with multiple operating systems. 

How to Reduce App Development Cost by 50%? - The Most Proven and Perfect Solution

The problem statement (why apps cost a bomb?): 

The official language for Android app development is Java. Kotlin is another official language for developing an android app. 

Developers also use Java-based frameworks and SDKs. 

But these all resources - programming languages, frameworks, SDKs - deliver codebases for apps that only run on smartphones having an Android operating system. 

For the iOS platform, developers need to prepare a separate codebase from the very beginning as Swift is the official language for iOS app development. 

Such a type of app that requires a different codebase for Android and iOS is called native apps. 

And native apps are the most expensive ones as the development lifecycle remains the same but development hours increase dramatically.  

The solution (apps should not cost a bomb!):

A cross-platform app is the most proven and perfect solution here. 

But what is the cross-platform app?

Well, a cross-platform app runs seamlessly on both iOS and Android platforms with the same

single codebase. 

Meaning, developers need to prepare only one codebase or write code for one time only to develop an app that runs both on Android and iOS platforms. 

This ultimately reduces the development hours, so does the development cost! 

 
Native Apps
Cross-Platform Apps
Development Time / Time to Market A native app development eats up at least 4 months - based on app complexity and feature set. Cross-platform app development is the rapid development approach with the delivery of both Android and iOS app within 2-3 months. 
Development Cost The cost to develop a native app with all basic features is between $25000 to $90000 - for either an iOS app or an Android app. The cost to develop a cross-platform app is between $20000 to $90000 and it delivers both Android and iOS app.  
App Performance The native app ensures high performance as it is developed dedicatedly for one platform only. It does not ensure as good performance as native apps. However, with some optimization, developers can easily achieve high-grade performance. 
App Updates & Maintenance Native apps cry for extra efforts for updates and maintenance as you need to manage and update multiple codebases.  You can update both the Android and iOS app in a single shot. It also requires less effort for maintenance as there is a single codebase. 

Top Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks

In case you’re wondering, the app development frameworks are nothing but the platforms that facilitate easy app development with built-in code libraries, compilers and other programs. 

According to Statista, React Native is the most popular cross-platform app development framework, followed by Flutter, Apache Cordova and Ionic. 

Let’s learn more about each of these frameworks. 

(Every app owner should know about the framework hired app agency deploys to develop his app as it influences user experience, app features, performance and maintenance.) 

  • React Native
Created By:Facebook 
Launched in: 2015
Major Use Case: Develop applications with native capabilities for Android, Android TV, iOS, macOS, tvOS, Web, and even Windows. 
Pros: 
  • Responsive UI Design
  • Great Rendering Abilities
  • Strongest Community
  • Extensive Support for Third-Party Libraries
  • Takes Less Time to Build Testing Scenarios
  • Node Package Manager or NPM for Easy and Quick Installation
  • Live Reload - See Effect of Change in Code in Real-Time 
Cons: 
  • Issue With Package Compatibility or Debugging Tools
  • Lacking and Underdeveloped Components 
Top Apps Developed With React Native: 
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Skype
  • UberEats
  • Walmart
  • Bloomberg 
  • Flutter
Created By:Google 
Launched in: 2017
Major Use Case: It is an open-source UI software development kit. It enables developers to develop apps for  Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows, Google Fuchsia, and the web from a single codebase. 
Pros: 
  • Ready-to-Use UI Widgets
  • Good Community
  • Hot Reload for Instant Outcome of Change in Code
  • 60 FPS and 120 FPS Performance
  • Different UI Themes for Android and iOS App 
Cons:
  • Large App File Size
  • Poor iOS Features Support
  • Limited Number of Tools and Libraries 
Top Apps Developed With Flutter:
  • Google Ads
  • Alibaba
  • Reflectly
  • eBay Motors
  • The New York Times
  • Grab 

  • Apache Cordova

    • Created By:Nitobi (later acquired by Adobe Systems)
    Launched in: 2009
    Major Use Case: Develop hybrid web applications for mobile devices using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. 
    Pros: 
    • Built-in Plugins for Features and Platforms
    • Powerful Backend that Reduces Development Efforts and Speeds up Product Development
    • Deliver Amazing User Experience by Utilizing Properties Such as Geolocation, Accelerometer, Camera, etc.
    • Easy to Work With - With Basic Knowledge of JavaScript, HTML and CSS 
    Cons:
    • Less Suitable For Hardware Intensive Apps
    • Apps Run in Webview 
    Top Apps Developed With Cordova:
    • Adobe
    • Forum.eu
    • Domclick
    • Qrstore
    • JustWatch 
    • Ionic
    Created By:Drifty 
    Launched in: 2013
    Major Use Case: Developing hybrid mobile, desktop, and progressive web apps with native capabilities 
    Pros: 
    • Wide Range of Plugins
    • Built-in UI Elements
    • Built-in Testing and Debugging Tools
    • Good Documentation  
    Cons:
    • Poor Performance with Heavy Applications
    • Missing a Very Important Feature - Hot Reloading
    • Large Application Size 
    Top Apps Developed With Ionic:
    • Sworkit Coach Personnel
    • Untapped
    • Pacifica
    • MarketWatch
    • McDonald’s Türkiye
    • Xamarin
    Created By:Microsoft 
    Launched in: 2011
    Major Use Case: Native Android, iOS, and Windows apps with native user interface through a single shared C# codebase. 
    Pros: 
    • Support From Microsoft 
    • Based on C# and .NET
    • Native API Access
    • Dedicated iOS and Android UI
    • App Crash Reports and Diagnosis
    • Easy Code Maintenance in Working Condition 
    Cons:
    • Lack Multi-Touch Functionality and Platform-Specific Gestures
    • Limited Community 
    • No Option For Drag and Drop for Designing 
    • Poor Syntax Auto Resolving Abilities
    • Less Documentation 
    Top Apps Developed With Xamarin:
    • UPS
    • Alaska Airlines 
    • HCL 
    • Microsoft News 
    • Azure App 
    • BBC GoodFood

    Let’s Give Wings to Your App Idea - Start with a Free Consultation, Followed by App Development and Support 

    We’re Ontario, Canada-based cross-platform app development company that has been working with cross-platform technologies for the last 6 years. 

    We’ve developed both native and cross-platform apps for several startups and even enterprises. 

    We strongly believe that the app isn’t just about the code. 

    Finding target audience, understanding their requirements, creating feature sets, carrying out the technical feasibility study, defining the user journey, drafting the app workflows, designing wireframes, launching the app, taking user feedback, and updating the app. 

    This is all it requires to onboard millions of users on your mobile app. And here is where we are different.

    We help you beyond just an app. We even help you address compliance issues with our in-house compliance experts. 

    Because we believe in becoming your business strategic partner - and not just the technical partner! 

    We can schedule a meeting for further discussion, a personalized quote and free business consultation.