Best Tech Stack for Mobile Development in 2021
According to Allied Market Research, the global mobile app market was estimated at $106.27 billion in 2018 and will reach $407.31 billion by 2026. Against the background of such activity on the market, creating a new application, you need to make an effort to make it competitive and interesting to users. The choice of technology for your project plays a major role in this process.
A technology stack is a collection of tools, programming languages, frameworks, APIs, etc. that are used to create a specific product. It’s never the same and it differs from application to application, there is no universal set. How do you choose the best tools for your project and what you need to know about modern mobile technology? Let’s figure it out together.
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Types of mobile app development
Before moving on to considering specific technology, you need to know what type your application will be. There is no one-size-fits-all stack perfect for any project. It all depends on the requirements and your vision of the final result. Mobile apps can be divided into 3 types: native, cross-platform, and hybrid. We have already covered the difference between these applications in detail in the article The Types of Mobile Applications: All You Should Know Before Developing an App. Let us remind you briefly.
- Native apps
According to statistics, this is the most common type of mobile application. Native apps are developed for a specific platform: iOS or Android. The default browser, calendar, mail on your smartphone are all native apps, created taking into account the features of the operating system. Nexar is an example of such an app. By focusing on a specific platform, native applications are fast and efficient, they can work without an Internet connection, and are intuitive for the user. However, if you want to create an app that runs on both iOS and Android, you will have to develop two separate apps, which increases the development cost.
- Cross-platform apps
The main advantage of this type of application is in the name. Cross-platform apps run simultaneously on multiple operating systems, which means developers can use the same code base that connects to native components via the so-called bridges. Cross-platform is achieved by compiling source code for execution on each platform. Each separate compilation will result in a separate executable file. This type of mobile development is cheaper than the native one. Yes, it sounds great, but as with each option, there are some drawbacks here. Cross-platform apps are less flexible, they are harder to maintain, and they have a lower user experience because this kind of app doesn’t take into account the uniqueness of each platform.
Read also Native or Cross-platform App Development: What to Choose
- Hybrid apps
Hybrid mobile app development combines the best practices of cross-platform and native approaches. Hybrid apps can also run on multiple platforms, but they’re essentially web apps built using standard web tools and packed up in native containers. This structure allows these apps to run on iOS, Android, and web, but as expected, they have lower responsiveness and performance. You can also distribute hybrid apps using app stores.
The choice of the type of mobile application depends on the characteristics of each specific project. For some apps, cross-platform comes first, for another, performance is key. We can briefly compare the strengths and weaknesses of all three types in the table below.
Tech stack for native mobile apps
Once you know what’s the difference between the types of mobile apps and choose the best one for you, you can start thinking about technology. By deciding to develop a native app, you get a set of tools for each platform: Android and iOS.
Tech stack for Android mobile development
Programming languages: Java, Kotlin
Android app development tools: Android Studio&Android Developers Tool
To develop native applications for Android, Java or Kotlin are usually used. Both programming languages are similar, but each has its own features. Java is one of the most famous programming languages in the world with many open source libraries and extra tools for developers. It is notable for its adaptability. This language is also used for web development, creating wireless modules, sensors, and much more. Applications such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn are written using Java.
However, Java developers face some difficulties. Therefore, Kotlin appeared. This programming language allows for cleaner and safer code, as well as simplifies the development process. In 2019, Google announced that the Kotlin programming language is now the language of choice for Android app developers. Not surprisingly, this is the technology preferred by most mobile development teams. But since Kotlin is a younger language, sometimes it is not so easy to find ready-made solutions for a project, unlike Java, which has a huge community and a lot of open-source tools. Also, the main tool for developing Android applications, Android Studio, was originally developed for Java, so it is more compatible with it.
Tech stack for iOS mobile development
Programming languages: Objective-C, Swift
iOS mobile development tools: Xcode
When it comes to iOS mobile development there are two main programming languages, Objective-C and Swift. Objective-C is a technology proven over the years. It provides a rich development environment and many iOS applications are built using Objective-C. However, even though some projects written using this language continue to function and are supported, today the technology is almost outdated. Especially when compared to the young and dynamic Swift. The development process with this programming language is more cost-effective and faster, and the quality of the final product is high.
Tech stack for cross-platform mobile development
Programming tools: React Native, Xamarin, Flutter
You can use combinations of React Native + JavaScript/TypeScript or Xamarin + C# to develop cross-platform apps. These technologies will help you create applications that run simultaneously on different platforms, but of course, each option has its own characteristics.
React Native is a JavaScript framework for creating mobile apps. This technology lets you develop products that feel native to both iOS and Android. All thanks to the use of native for iOS and Android UI blocks that communicate using JavaScript or TypeScript. This way your app logic is written and runs in JavaScript, while your application’s user interface has a native look and feel. These properties make React Native attractive for cross-platform development. If application security is crucial for you, TypeScript can provide it. It easily detects errors while writing React components and maintains a high level of application security.
Xamarin is an open-source platform for building mobile apps, using C# or the .NET framework to write one single logic for an app. The code is then compiled into native iOS and Android binaries. Xamarin provides direct access to the native APIs of each platform. It has design patterns that speed up the development process. Xamarin apps are productive and outperform the limitations of hybrid apps. However, Xamarin is not completely a free framework, not all are willing to pay for it.
Another tool for developing cross-platform mobile applications is Flutter. This is an open-source UI toolkit provided by Google. For the most part, the Dart programming language is used to work with this tool. Flutter has tons of built-in widgets that developers can use and customize, which speeds up the development process. Due to its high development speed, Flutter is often used to create MVPs.
Read How to choose a tech stack for a digital banking app
Tech stack for hybrid mobile development
Now let’s talk about a technology stack for hybrid mobile app development. PhoneGap/Cordova or Ionic are usually used for this purpose. PhoneGap is an open-source framework that runs on Apache Cordova and comes with a rich toolkit, supporting numerous libraries and frameworks. It uses pre-built templates for optimizing the development process and improving app functionality by using JavaScript APIs to access device-specific functionality.
Ionic is an AngularJS-based framework with a rich ecosystem for app development. It supports external plugins and extensions and uses DOM elements to improve application performance. But keep in mind that Ionic alone can often be insufficient for developing an app, so mobile development teams use the Ionic+Cordova combination when developing hybrid apps. A Cordova app without Ionic would look like a website, and Ionic needs Cordova to access device functionality. This is why hybrid apps are often built using Ionic and then compiled to native code using Cordova/PhoneGap.
Read also Top Technology Trends in 2021
Factors to consider when choosing a technology stack
Now about the main thing. To find the right technology stack for your project, it is not enough just to study the pros and cons of technologies, you need to compare the features of these technologies with the requirements of your project. Therefore, it is worth starting with drawing up project goals and prescribing the core features of your future product. Having studied them, an experienced development team can easily tell which technology is best to achieve an excellent result. Here are the key points on which stack selection depends.
- Project requirements. Describe all the properties and functions your application should have. As you can see, different technologies are aimed to solve different key problems. What is important to you first of all, cross-platform or performance? Or is security crucial to you first and foremost?
- Project type. Based on the requirements, you can choose the type of your future application. Hybrid, native, or even web, whichever type will solve your problems best.
- Budget. The cost of developing a software product depends on many factors. Read our article How to Calculate Software Development Costs. Some technologies can help quickly create an application that will save you money. Others require additional investment, so your budget is also an important factor when choosing a technology stack.
- Project delivery time. How quickly do you plan to bring the application to the market? The development team needs to know how much time you have to select the best tools for your project.
- Compatibility with the existing technologies. If your project is not being developed from scratch, you need to check which technologies work well with the ones you are already using. Also, if you plan to integrate your app with others in the future, such as CRM or ERP, it is better to think about technology compatibility in advance.
Find the full mobile development guide and get a free checklist for mobile development here.
Remember, experts who have experience in using different technologies for different projects will be able to choose the best tools to implement your idea. If you need a free estimation of your project, contact us now and we will pass your request on to our technical specialist.
Read our recent article iOS vs Android: Which platform to choose for your mobile app
Brief conclusions
Putting it all together, we can say that choosing a technology stack can be crucial for the success of your project, but in most cases, there are always several options. Before choosing the most appropriate development tools, create a list of clear requirements, and discuss them with a specialist. There is no good or bad technology, each one solves certain problems. Choose the stack that will help you implement your idea in the best way and succeed.
