Merits and Demerits of Using Cross-Platform in App Development

More than ten years have passed since the invention of mobile applications. The mobile app development industry has seen substantial transformation since then.

Initially, the only options available to developers were native platform-specific programs that couldn’t run on other platforms. Several approaches to speeding up development time emerged in response to the rising demand for mobile app development. Cross-platform development was thus established in this manner.

The ideal method for creating an app that works on iOS and Android appears as cross-platform mobile app development.

While it does let you create apps that feel and look native for Android and iOS, it is not without its flaws.

Many native app developers who are familiar with the fundamentals and peculiarities of their native platform nevertheless have doubts about the cross-platform app’s technology. Experienced mobile developers advise examining the advantages and disadvantages of cross-platform mobile development against native ones in order to shed some light on the problem.

Advantages of Using Cross-Platform App Development

Fast-Pace App Development

Developing applications is becoming more complicated and expensive due to the variety of platforms and devices and the growing number of apps needing maintenance. Cross-platform solutions like Marmalade, Titanium, and Service2Media guarantee to reduce the time and expense involved in app development.

Cross-platform app development solutions eliminate the need to create separate Android or iOS projects by allowing programmers to develop with a single codebase that supports both platforms. Everything is centralized. While they support several devices, cross-platform programs are designed as a single project. Because a large portion of an app’s code may be reused across platforms, development takes substantially less time.

Reusable Code Functionality

Development is accelerated by using a single code base rather than creating individual platform-specific apps. To enable every mobile device, you don’t need to master various development tools and create native code for every OS.

It is important to build distinct code for native apps, often done by two different developers or teams. The whole coding is contained in a single directory when creating a bespoke mobile app. One developer can manage two platforms at once, which saves a tonne of time.

Highly Cost-effective

You require different teams with various areas of expertise for native development. And doing that entails allocating a sizable portion of your resources—both time and money—to finding and preparing a team of highly qualified developers for your project.

Cross-platform applications can be around 30% less expensive to create than native ones as compared to creating separate iOS and Android apps.

By sharing common tools, your team may create two apps concurrently for less money and with greater efficiency if they use a cross-platform framework. A single, smaller team is needed to create a cross-platform application, which reduces development expenses by at least 50%.

Cross-platform app development may let you test the market and determine which platform yields the greatest results, allowing you to make more informed business decisions.

 

Disadvantages of Using Cross-Platform App Development

Slow Integration Process

Integrating local settings while utilizing cross-platform might take a long time. This subsequently extends the development time. Integration problems with some operating systems commonly slow performance since distinct devices’ non-native and native components are incompatible with one another.

Integration problems might also arise while developing a mobile app for many platforms. The cross-platform technique makes connecting your app with local settings, alerts, and customizations difficult.

You might get around your integration problems by using a third-party cloud service. But, it is advised to refrain from taking such a strategy since it might undermine the security of your app.

 

Poor User Experience

Although it may surprise, most cross-platform programs fail due to intrusive features and confusing interfaces. The main focus of native apps is on captivating animation features, 3D effects, and a gorgeous combination of visuals boosted by hardware capabilities. Sadly, most cross-platform programs can only partially utilize the features offered by mobile devices, which makes for a bad user experience.

The issue of bad UX and UI, two important aspects of website design, is another drawback of multi-platform development. A module’s response time may differ depending on the operating system it is launched on because of different settings and native code.

 

Slow Code Performance

Software developers deploying reusable codes use JavaScript modules for cross-platform setups that cause problems. Finding and correcting bugs throughout the entire code becomes difficult, eventually increasing development time and expense.

In addition, there is the issue of slowdown coding. It occurs when novice developers use cross-compliance when creating cross-platform applications. This causes sluggish code, which slows down the program.

Programming on several platforms is typically hampered by sluggish code performance and restricted development resources. The development of an application may need to be faster for several reasons. It is important to remember that the same piece of code used on several platforms might result in memory leaks, eventually making the application run slower.

 

Closing Remarks

Because only one codebase is needed, you might believe cross-platform development is simple. Nevertheless, as we’ve seen, the benefits can have downsides.

Also, cross-platform mobile app development frameworks are difficult to utilize, especially for inexperienced developers. More senior engineers with cross-platform familiarity will probably be needed on your team.

A cross-platform solution might not be ideal for your app if it needs to conform to a platform’s UI/UX if you need certain hardware features, or if you want to use the most recent mobile features and capabilities.

It won’t offer what your customers want and need, which might spell the end for any software. Cross-platform development might be a fantastic approach to reduce development costs, reach a wider audience, and increase sales if that’s not the case.