Cross-platform development

Why we prefer it:

• Vast community. More developers, more libraries, more resources. Problems have solutions. Questions have answers.
• Mature ecosystem. Battle-tested in production by thousands of apps including Facebook, Instagram, and Airbnb.
• JavaScript foundation. Easier to find developers and integrate with web projects.
• Strong corporate backing. Meta actively maintains and improves the framework.

Best for: Most mobile apps, especially those with complex UI, integrations, or teams that also work on web projects. If your team works with React on the web, React Native provides a familiar development experience. Learn more about React development.

Flutter

Google’s cross-platform framework using the Dart language. Known for beautiful, highly customized UIs.

When we recommend it:

• Heavily branded visual experiences
• Custom animations and transitions
• Projects where pixel-perfect design control matters most

Considerations: Smaller community than React Native, Dart is less common than JavaScript.

Ionic with Vue

Web-based framework that wraps web technologies in a native container. Uses Vue.js for the application logic. Vue.js is okto-digital’s preferred framework for web development, making this a natural fit for teams already working with Vue.

When we recommend it:

• Simpler apps with basic functionality
• Teams with strong web development background
• Projects with tight budgets where native feel is less critical

Considerations: Performance can lag behind React Native or Flutter for complex apps. Learn more about Vue.js development.

When Cross-Platform makes sense

Cross-platform is the right choice for roughly 90% of mobile app projects. It makes sense when:

• Budget matters.
  You want both platforms without paying twice.
• Speed matters.
  You need to launch on iOS and Android simultaneously.
• Maintenance matters.
  You want one codebase to update, not two.
• Your app is typical.
  Standard UI, common integrations, no exotic hardware requirements.

When native might be better

Native development (separate iOS and Android apps) makes sense in specific situations:

• Performance-critical applications. Games, video processing, AR/VR, or apps doing heavy computation where every millisecond matters.
• Deep hardware integration. Apps that extensively use low-level device APIs, sensors, or hardware features that frameworks don’t fully support.
• Security-critical applications. Banking apps or applications handling highly sensitive data where native security implementations are preferred.
• Edge cases. When your specific requirements hit framework limitations.

The performance Question

“Isn’t native faster?” is the most common question we hear.

The honest answer: Yes, native is technically faster. But for most apps, the difference is imperceptible. Cross-platform frameworks have matured significantly. The gap that existed years ago has largely closed.

Unless you’re building something that pushes device limits, users won’t notice a performance difference. And the cost savings from cross-platform development can fund features that actually matter to your users.

Questions we hear from clients considering cross-platform development.

“Will it feel like a real app?”

Yes. Modern cross-platform frameworks use native components. Buttons, navigation, scrolling, animations all feel native because they are native. The framework translates your code to native UI elements.

“What about app store approval?”

Cross-platform apps go through the same approval process as native apps. Apple and Google don’t discriminate based on development approach. What matters is app quality, functionality, and compliance with guidelines.

“Can you access device features?”

Yes. Camera, GPS, push notifications, biometrics, sensors, storage. Cross-platform frameworks provide access to virtually all device features. For the rare feature not directly supported, we can write native modules.

“What if we need something the framework doesn’t support?”

Cross-platform frameworks support native modules. We can write platform-specific code for specific features while keeping the rest of the app cross-platform. You get the benefits of both approaches.

“Is it harder to find developers?”

The opposite. JavaScript developers (React Native) are more common than Swift or Kotlin specialists. You have a larger talent pool for future maintenance and updates.

Real numbers on what cross-platform saves.

Development costs

Translation: Cross-platform costs 25-40% less than building separate native apps.

Maintenance costs

The savings continue after launch:

• One codebase to maintain instead of two
• One set of updates instead of coordinating between platforms
• One team to manage instead of iOS and Android specialists
• One testing process instead of duplicate QA

Over a 3-year lifecycle, maintenance savings often exceed initial development savings.

How we approach cross-platform development.

Framework selection

We don’t force a single framework. During discovery, we evaluate your requirements and recommend the best fit. React Native works for most projects, but we’ll tell you if Flutter or Ionic makes more sense for your specific needs.

Platform-specific polish

Cross-platform doesn’t mean ignoring platform differences. iOS users expect certain conventions. Android users expect others. We respect platform guidelines while maintaining code efficiency.

Quality assurance

We test on real devices, not just simulators. Both platforms. Multiple device sizes. Different OS versions. Cross-platform development doesn’t mean cross-platform testing shortcuts.

Future-proofing

Frameworks evolve. We build apps that can be maintained and updated as React Native, Flutter, or your chosen framework releases new versions. Clean code and architecture matter as much in cross-platform as in native development.