Mobile app Development Frameworks 2025 | Types, Examples, Benefits

Mobile App Development
Updated on: 04 Dec, 2024 11:01 AM

There are plenty of mobile applications available and getting advanced day by day. We use mobile applications for every need throughout the day, such as food, travel, fitness, etc. But how are these well-constructed apps created? That's where we use a mobile app development framework which acts as a guide to create a feature-packed and easy-to-use mobile applications. Let’s traverse the benefits and examples of mobile app frameworks, mobile development frameworks, and tools in mobile application development frameworks to shape a perfect mobile app for your business!

What is a mobile application framework?

The mobile application development framework is a blueprint we use to create the best mobile app development framework for smartphones. There’s always a procedure behind great creations! Similar to that, every favorite mobile app of yours has a mobile framework behind it! The mobile application development frameworks act as a mobile app framework guide. Frameworks give us an idea to create responsive and presentable mobile apps. There’s a lot of free mobile development frameworks available out there to create an app that's great in both functionality and design.

Why are mobile application development frameworks important? 

Mobile app development frameworks are important as they reduce app-building time and speed up the process. It encloses pre-built components and templates which can be accessed easily rather than developing from scratch. It offers tools for frameworks for mobile app development with no code. It also gives us access to cross-platform app development, which is an add-on to create a versatile mobile application. Access to plugins and libraries widens opportunities to include more features. App development frameworks and tools in mobile application development are a must for better output.

Types of mobile application development frameworks: 

Before seeing the types of mobile application development frameworks, let’s talk about the types of mobile apps available.

Native apps: 

These apps are customized creations for specific platforms for businesses to drive their targeted traffic. Mobile app development frameworks help us minimize the efforts during the process .of mobile app development.

Web apps: 

Web apps are designed to be easily accessible from any browsing platform without any installation. Mostly used for apps like travel and shopping. It uses a web-based app development framework.

Hybrid apps: 

A hybrid app is a blend of both native and hybrid apps together. These apps can be accessed via the web as well as an app. Hybrid mobile app frameworks are one of the best frameworks for mobile app development that increase user count. Choosing native vs hybrid apps for your business can be a little hard but select the right one for you!

Now let’s get back on track! What are the types of mobile app frameworks?

When it comes to app development frameworks, there are two types:

• Native mobile app development framework
• Cross-platform mobile app development framework

Native mobile app development framework : 

These apps are customized mobile applications developed for specific platforms like Android, iOS, and Windows. This mobile framework for app development uses languages like JavaScript frameworks for Android and Swift for iOS. This is the best framework for mobile development if you want to create an app restricted to one platform.

Cross-platform mobile app development framework : 

This framework lets you use a single codebase and deploy on multiple platforms, saving time. These apps are also called hybrid apps. As the name suggests, it can work as both an Android and iOS app at the same time. Hybrid mobile apps frameworks offer an uncomplicated way to develop versatile apps.

Top 10 best framework for Mobile App Development 2025: 

Let’s dive into some of the best mobile app development frameworks that dominate the market today:

1. Flutter
2. React Native
3. SwiftUI
4. Xamarin
5. Ionic
6. jQuery Mobile
7. React Native
8. Unity
9. Adobe AIR
10. PhoneGap

1. Flutter - Managed by Google, Flutter is an open-source framework for hybrid mobile app development. It’s one of the best frameworks for mobile app development for creating aesthetically pleasing apps with great functionality.

• High-quality UIs
• Great performance
• Hot reload feature

2. React Native - Developed by Facebook, React Native is a popular choice for cross-platform mobile application frameworks. It’s a go-to framework for developers aiming for seamless mobile app development frameworks.

• Reusable components
• Third-party plugins
• Front-end applications.

3. SwiftUI - Built by Apple, this is one of the best frameworks for app development in the iOS ecosystem. It allows developers to create apps for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

• Built-in components
• Declarative UI syntax
• Exclusive to Apple platforms

4. Xamarin - Owned by Microsoft, Xamarin uses .NET and C# programming for creating native-like apps for Android, iOS, and other platforms.

• Reusable codebase
• Robust IDE
• Extensive components marketplace

5. Ionic - Known for hybrid app development, Ionic is a versatile mobile app development framework powered by Angular and Apache Cordova.

• Rich UI components
• Cordova plugin support
• Robust hybrid apps

6. jQuery Mobile - Ideal for hybrid mobile development frameworks, jQuery Mobile is lightweight and designed for maximum compatibility across devices.

• HTML-5 based foundation
• Customizable and stable framework
• Small size

7. React Native - React Native deserves another mention because of its popularity and adaptability for mobile development frameworks.

• Live reloading
• Real-time coding updates
• Offers native functionalities

8. Unity - This mobile framework is perfect for game development, enabling cross-platform deployment for rich 2D and 3D experiences.

• AR and VR support
• Advanced 2D/3D tools
• Cross-platform game development

9. Adobe AIR - A great tool for hybrid mobile application frameworks, Adobe AIR allows developers to integrate multimedia content effectively.

• Advanced graphics support
• Consistent cross-platform performance
• Multimedia integration

10. Phonegap - Part of Apache Cordova, PhoneGap simplifies mobile application development frameworks using languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• Plugin support
• Access to underlying hardware features
• Cross-platform compatibility

Mobile application development frameworks benefits : 

Let’s go into the benefits of mobile application development frameworks and how they can be useful to uplift the features of an app! 

• Single codebase for multiple platforms 
  
• Minimizes time and efforts 
• Performance alike native apps 
• Consistent UI and UX patterns 
• Faster performance 
• Useful to create cross-platform app development. 
• Can be deployed in platforms such as Windows, Android And IOS. 
• Supports cross-platform mobile development frameworks 

Frameworks act as a roadmap to align all the components of an app effectively with less effort. By leveraging the best mobile app development frameworks, you can create an app that’s high-performing and user-friendly.

Top 10 examples of mobile development frameworks:

Netflix

This globally loved app utilizes a combination of web interface frameworks and native mobile application development frameworks for seamless multi-platform compatibility.

To give an enjoyable experience to the users! compatible with a wide range of platforms such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Edge, Firefox, etc.

Instagram

A most loved social media app Instagram has an architectural blend of native and cross-platform app development.

Some parts use a native framework and some parts have hybrid mobile app development.

Facebook

Facebook, one of the major social media apps, was structured by a cross-platform mobile application development framework.

Facebook employs cross-platform mobile app frameworks, even developing its own hybrid framework in 2015.

Pinterest

This app is everyone's choice to discover new ideas about anything.

Pinterest’s mobile UI framework ensures a cohesive experience across multiple devices.

Shell energy app

This easy on-the-go app for travel lovers has an architecture of native mobile application development, which has unique responsive functionalities.

Uber eats

Always the best choice to grab a quick snack!

Created using React Native, a best mobile app development framework, this app delivers superior user experiences.

Shopify

A top app for online businesses is a hybrid mobile application that was built up of a cross-platform mobile application development framework.

This increases user engagement and offers different functionalities.

Microsoft Outlook

A secure email app was made up of a hybrid mobile app development framework that helps users to access from multiple devices.

Airbnb

A user-friendly app to book a quick stay has a blend of technologies.

A blend of backend frameworks like Ruby on Rails and frontend mobile development frameworks like React Native powers Airbnb’s dynamic interface.

Walmart

Quick and easy shopping app was by hybrid mobile app development framework can be accessed anywhere which has innovative features.

Most of the above mentioned famous apps are created by using a combination of technologies to provide responsive and easy to use features for the users!

To wrap up

A mobile app development framework is vital for creating apps that are user-friendly, high-performing, and tailored to your business needs. By selecting the best framework for mobile app development, you can accelerate your project timeline and achieve outstanding results. Need expert advice? Partner with a trusted mobile app development company in Bangalore to bring your vision to life!

Still, have a doubt? call our panel of professionals for expert guidance.

FAQ’s

1. What framework to use for mobile app development?

Native mobile application development frameworks and cross-platform mobile application frameworks are the two major types of frameworks used to develop a mobile app.

2. What is a framework in an Android application?

The Android development framework is a group of APIs that allows developers to create Android apps quickly with less effort. It offers pre-built templates that make the process easy without coding.

3. Which is the most used Android app development framework? 

• Ionic
• Flutter
• React native
• Adobe PhoneGap

Xamarin is one of the most used Android app development frameworks to create apps.

4. What are the best frameworks for mobile app development in Python?&

There are a bunch of Python frameworks available out there, but the go-to choice of many developers would be Kivy and BeeWare.

5. How is a mobile app development framework beneficial for your business?

Mobile app development frameworks benefit your business by:

• Speeding up the process.
• Reducing built time.
• Supports multiple platforms like IOS, Android, and Windows.
• Uses a single codebase to deploy and can be deployed on various platforms. 
• Consistent UI and UX patterns.