A Comprehensive Guide To Choosing A Mobile App Technology Stack
The demand for mobile apps is increasing rapidly with the increased use of mobile phones. Today, more than 3.5M apps are available on the Google Play Store and more than 2.2M apps on Apple Store to fulfil this demand.
However, the success rate of these apps is even less than 0.01%; this means only 1 in 10,000 apps is successful. Considering the drastically expanding app development industry, the ratio is quite surprising. The real reason behind this is the tech stack used to develop the app.
As a leading IT solutions provider, we know the fundamentals of app development. We have created this blog to help struggling businesses and developers choose the best tech stack for their latest apps. So let's dive in.
The Best Technology Stack For Mobile Apps
The mobile software are updating day in and day out, yet the apps remain the same. Most developers mistake cutting back on research and using old tech stacks and stale ideas for newer apps; they also expect them to perform smoothly on modern mobile phones, which later becomes a nightmare. However, new mobile phones have the latest tech and AI; hence they require the best performing apps with the greatest technology stack.
Moreover, many businesses have the perfect idea of what their apps will look like and the features they will offer; but they lack the experience and skills required to choose the right elements to create the desired app. From programming language to development tools, framework and design, you need to have the expertise to build one perfect app.
So what is the mobile development tech stack?
The term tech stack refers to development elements of an app that may include languages, frameworks, UI/UX, platforms, and other development tools. The approach can be categorized into four main components:
- Back-end: software and tools used in the development process.
- Frontend: Tech used to develop the user interface.
- Development: platform with libraries, themes, and interfaces.
- Support: Tech and tools for flexibility, storage and enhanced performance.
The platform you choose for your app determines the technologies you must use for your app. Since Android and Apple are two major platforms, let's uncover some of the best tech stack options for both.
Android Mobile App Technology Stack
The technology to use for android app development.
Tools
- Android Studio
UI Framework
- Android UI
Programming Languages
- Java
- Kotlin
- C++
- C#
- Python
- Adobe Phone Gap for a custom language using HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Dart
IOS App Technology Stack
The technology to use for IOS app development
Tools
- Xcode
- App code
UI Framework
- UIkit
- Swift UI
Programming Languages
- Objective-C
- Swift
- Flutter
- C#
- HTML5
Cross-Platform App Development
Cross-platform apps are a great way to save time and effort by producing one app that works on almost all operating systems. However, your app will have limited functionalities.
Programming Tools & Languages
- React Native (JS)
- Flutter (Dart)
- Xamarin (C#)
Now that you know all the options at hand, here is how you must choose from them:
How To Choose The Right Tech Stack For Your App?
Every mobile app is unique, with different functionality, purpose and requirements. Instead of going about any approach with the tech stack mentioned above, you need to define a few major things. For example, the reason for building your app, the operating systems you are targeting, the ecosystem of the tools and software you will integrate, and the audience you want are catering to.
The best approach is to opt for a flexible tech stack combination to make your app compatible with various software, tools, and devices. But, here are a few more things you must consider.
App's Goal
The goal helps you determine the tools and technology you can use for the app. Or choose to create device-specific apps.
Complexity
It is important to understand how your app interacts with mobile features and back-end communication and its responsiveness on different mobile devices.
Cost
Full fledge react native apps are great but quite costly to build. Therefore, it is essential to consider the budget before choosing the tech for your app. If you have a low budget, opt for a cross-platform app.
Development Time Line
You must consider the time you need the app to be deployed. Choosing a more complex app framework and hoping it to finish on time is illogical. Also, if you don't have enough time, you need resources to develop the required app in minimal time. The process requires strategic working.
Wrapping Up
The need for a robust and responsive app is crucial to any business's performance and image. But choosing a developer with little to no idea of the latest stack can hugely backfire on your image and lead to a great loss of money and time.
Therefore, it is important to choose professionals that know their work inside out and have the best to offer or have complete knowledge of apps, tools, frameworks, and languages to guide the developers while developing your app. However, if you are a developer reading this, we hope this blog might have helped you with some of app development's important aspects.