In this online world, mobile became equivalent to oxygen for survival. People of this era are utterly tech savvy and wish to avail each kind of products and services via their smartphones. This has given the rise to mobile app development to serve the users with a platform where they can solve multiple purposes, whether it is to play games, book taxi, track your health, or something similar. Like other domains, mobile apps are also noticing drastic changes. They are switched from native apps to hybrid mobile apps to reduce the time and cost of development.
The difference lies here in technologies which are used in hybrid apps, web technologies including HTML, CSS and JavaScript are applied on multiple platforms with a single code. Whereas, native apps makes the use of languages like Java, C#, and Swift to write code separately for each platform.
In a hybrid app, the code generated through HTML, CSS and JavaScript runs in an internal browser, known as WebView. It is then wrapped in a native app, which enables the developers to leverage a fair amount of existing web skills. Moreover, there are so many other benefits which this app delivers.
Why is Hybrid App So Beneficial?
- Easy design for various form factors
- Increased visibility as app can be distributed through the app stores
- Distribution among mobile browsers via search engines
- Single code base for multiple platforms
- Extended offline capabilities
- When to work for multiple platforms and to achieve diverse capabilities, a mix of plugins and platform specific code can be utilized in a better way to gain those capabilities.
Most of the hybrid mobile applications available today leverage Cordova, which is an efficient platform to access device capabilities with a consistent set of JavaScript APIs.
List of Top UI Frameworks for Hybrid App Framework:
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Ionic:
VISIT: IonicFramework
Ionic is an HTML5 mobile framework which is updated with the latest trends in mobile app development service. It is an open source and free to use platform which inhibits most of the hidden features because of the Angular framework. It is packaged with an optimized library of functions and js components.
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Onsen UI:
VISIT: Onsen
It is a new and open source framework which is available under Apache license. It also uses Angular directives for its components and packed with jQuery based components. Being responsive allows Onsen UI to be used to make different screen size versions of your apps . These apps can be written in HTML5 and JavaScript. Here, Cordova is used to going native.
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Monaca:
VISIT: Monaca
It is a commercial app development platform consisting of an array of products for diverse business needs. It helps to manage end to end app development life cycle with a keen eye. It possesses a cloud-based IDE to develop hybrid apps which can be compiled and then published later on, as per your ease. This can be accomplished through Cordova.
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Tigger.io:
VISIT: Trigger
It is a sort of different frameworks which do not require Cordova for the native purpose. It has an inbuilt platform which fills the gap between the native access and HTML5. Trigger offers an advantage to produce apps with better performance than Cordova-based general applications.
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jQuery Mobile:
VISIT: JQuerymobile
The main focus of this framework is to help developers to make mobile apps that are compatible with different screen sizes with a unique user experience. It is basically optimized to be used for touch enabled devices and focus largely on creating a mobile version of a website. It has a library of extensive features to leverage CSS3 and HTML5 web standards, using which, a mobile web app can be achieved with a native experience. As it applies HTML5, there is no need to create a separate mobile version.
An added advantage to using this platform is the ease and simplicity which it offers to format the existing content over the mobile browser. Unique user experience is guaranteed here with the creation of apps that can run seamlessly over mobile, tablet and desktop. Here is a guide to help you Avoid Mobile App Development Mistakes that can lead to a Huge Failure.
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Mobile Angular UI:
VISIT: Mobile Angular
This powerful framework offers the mixed features of Bootstrap3 and Angular framework. It has an array of directives to create UL components like sidebars, switches, and scrollable areas. It is a free and open source framework to build HTML5 mobile applications.
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Sencha Touch:
VISIT: Sencha Touch
A fine combo of HTML5 and CSS3 to make interactive applications to be run smoothly on Android, iOS, and other devices. If you are among those whose app got rejected by iTunes then you are in luck as I have a very nice article to help you find out the Reasons behind the Rejection of Apps on Apple Store. The presence of GUI controls is an added advantage, which can be further filtered during the development process. Sencha is a perfect choice to deal with animations and API’s to be compatible with the latest browsers and mobile platforms.
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Famo.us:
VISIT: Famo.us
It is another powerful framework which provides similar results as HTML5 applications do. But, the major difference is that it focuses more on graphics rendering and works largely on games development.
Here are some useful articles to help Build Awesome Apps:
- App Monetization Strategies: Mobile In-App Purchase VS Paid Mobile Apps
- How to keep your App Popular after its Launch with few Tricks
- Mobile App Development Software you should be using in 2016
Wrapping Up
Mobile app development is walking heights of success with utmost advancement taken into consideration. From basic mobile apps of traditional time to recent one with HTML5 and CSS being used, there has been a big transformation occurred. It is the need of the hour that businesses have also adopted these changes. Now, the hybrid mobile apps created with HTML5 go hand in hand. Here, a fine use of CSS and HTML is done along with the inclusion of JavaScript.
The major benefit of using this approach is the ease to write once and run everywhere. Using the above UI frameworks for hybrid app designs is like a cherry on the cake. You can make the best use of your hybrid apps with an appealing design and easy accessibility. These UI frameworks offer an incredible viewing experience to all the app users.
Got some other hybrid app framework that can really help to build an app? Do share with us by commenting below.
