The advent of open-source mobile app development software has eased the life of developers. In fact, it is becoming the mainstream approach to building powerful Android and iOS applications. The credit goes to the increasing number of smartphone users throughout the world.
According to Statista, an estimate shows that smartphone users will reach 1.5 billion by 2040. It has created the need to develop more and more mobile-friendly applications. Fortunately, the existence of some mobile app development software can make your dream come true and turn your idea into reality. Here is our pick of 12 of the leading mobile app development platforms.
1) Flutter
Whether you want to build beautiful UIs or focus on app development and distribution, Flutter has everything you need to get started with mobile development. The mobile app development software is new, and the community is still growing. If you’re looking to create cross-platform mobile apps today, Flutter is undoubtedly a great option to choose.
2) React Native
React Native has been a boon to mobile app developers. It is based on Facebook’s JavaScript library, which is particularly well suited for modern web applications and native app development.
It became a huge hit with front-end developers since its inception as it solved the problem of developing production-ready apps faster than ever.
Flutter framework was first released by Facebook in 2015 but soon emerged as the favorite open-source mobile app development source.
3) Ionic
If you are looking to develop native-like apps for both Android and iOS, then Ionic mobile app development software is for you. It offers a full set of tools that will allow you to create your mobile app using cost-effective and responsive web technology. Apps built with an ionic framework are built of high-level building blocks called components.
Read more: Flutter vs React Native vs Ionic
4) Cordova
Cordova is an open-source platform for building native mobile applications using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You write code once but reuse it across multiple mobile platforms. No need to worry about platform-specific issues.
Consider the Cordova framework as the application container that contains a web view and can cover the entire device screen. Formerly, it was called PhoneGap but the name changed after Adobe acquired Nitobi (the developer of PhoneGap).
5) Xamarin
Xamarin, a. Net-based framework can be used to build high-performing cross-development applications with 90% code sharing capabilities. Thus, you don’t have to rewrite code while creating an app to run on two different platforms.
6) Felgo
Felgo is a QT-based open-source mobile app development framework that can help you to create mobile apps and games to run on iOS, Android, Windows phones, and embedded devices.
7) LongRange
It’s a popular mobile app builder for Apple iOS, Android, Windows tablets, and PCs. You need to have Cobol, RPG, and CL skills for building any kind of app you wish. It can also help in creating apps that run offline as well.
8) Buildfire
Buildfire is one of the easiest open-source software development solutions. It’s a drag-and-drop app builder, allowing you to create a fully functional application right from the start to finish.
9) Alpha Anywhere
Alpha Anywhere is a low-code solution to meet your mobile app development needs. It allows businesses to create and deploy enterprise-level apps and forms.
10) Qt
Qt can be used in various applications and is a brilliant tool for developing cross-platform software. Though it may not be the fastest, it is highly accessible and user-friendly. If you are looking for a powerful and highly customizable tool to create a wide variety of GUIs and cross-platform apps, there is a good chance that QT mobile app development software might be the way to go.
11) Apache Flex
Apache Flex is the cross-platform open source SDK for deploying and developing web applications based on Adobe Flash that shares similar features as desktop application software. It utilizes MXML for creating the UI layout.
12) Kivy
If you are looking for a powerful cross-platform interface that can be used with Python and to make professional-looking applications, then Kivy has too many benefits for you to pass up. It can effortlessly run on Linux, Android, Windows, OS X, and Raspberry Pi.
Final Thoughts
Open source is here to stay! We will embrace it as it brings in tons of coding opportunities for the new generation. It adds hundreds of options for software developers as they can pick and use according to their needs.
Most open source mobile app development software tools help in fast prototyping and mobile app development, resulting in reduced time to market cycles. They also lead to agile development that significantly decreases cost and offers better efficiency and usability. So, when you are going to hire a mobile app developer, always see whether it uses open source or paid tools because the latter costs higher.