Do you want to create a mobile app that brings your business to the next level? Businesses across all industries understand the importance of mobile app development to improve the user experience. As more and more users turn to their mobile device to do everything from search a business location to make major purchases, this once emerging trend is now essential to your business success.
With an increase of businesses creating mobile apps to enhance the customer experience, development has seen a marked rise in competitiveness. If you understand the importance of mobile app development, you know that you need to deploy the latest technology to bring the ultimate experience. Look no further!
The Ionic framework is revolutionizing cross-platform mobile app development. Find out how to set up your own Ionic team or how to hire a mobile app developer who can bring your business to the next level. Read on to find out why the Ionic framework is the perfect technology for better mobile app development.
What Is Hybrid App Development?
Before we dive into the major advantages of the Ionic framework, it is important to understand hybrid app development. As the popularity of mobile apps grew, so did the number of platforms available to launch these apps. Just think of all the different types of smartphones that have been available through the years. As a variety of mobile devices hit the market, many of them came with their own mobile operating systems.
The competitive market in the mobile industry has been great all around. Businesses saw a rise in demand, and users saw a rise in the availability of a variety of new products and services. Luckily, for the IT industry, developers also saw a significant rise in the need for qualified app developers to meet the rapid growth of mobile app development.
The variety of operating systems using mobile apps at the start of this trend did pose a significant challenge for developers. At the start, mobile app development cost was through the roof because native applications were needed for mobile apps to function properly with each individual operating system. This was the reason why mobile app development was originally only used by large enterprises.
As developers saw that mobile app development was not going anywhere anytime soon, they identified the need for cross-platform development. Hybrid application development created a solution for small and medium businesses who couldn’t afford the development of separate applications for each operating system. Through the use of a single codebase, hybrid app development could create cross-platform applications and significantly reduce development cost.
What Is The Ionic Framework?
Ionic is an HTML5 mobile app development framework that allows for more advanced development. The framework was created to target improved development of hybrid mobile apps. As developers saw a noticeable advantage in hybrid app development when comparing native vs. hybrid app, Ionic emerged. Benefits include advanced platform support, faster development, and easier access to 3rd party code.
Ionic is an open source framework, allowing developers the advantage of both free use and constant developer improvements. The framework gained its popularity from its ability to offer customers a single solution to deploy their mobile app across multiple platforms. Since Ionic allows developers to use a variety of languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it is a great solution for businesses looking for faster mobile app development at a lower cost.
Pros And Cons Of Ionic
As with any framework, there are advantages and disadvantages to using this technology. Your mobile app development company will look at the requirements of your project and determine whether Ionic is right for you. The advantages of working with the Ionic framework for your mobile app development project are:
- Its ability to develop one solution that can be deployed across all devices regardless of their operating system.
- The use of AngularJS which allows developers to create a better mobile app user interface.
- Quicker development time and lower development costs
- Less maintenance required within the framework.
While Ionic is a great source for hybrid mobile app development, your software development company may choose to use a different framework. That’s because the disadvantages of working with Ionic include:
- In-app performance is not as powerful as native apps designed for each device specifically.
- In-app navigation can be complicated.
- Security is limited compared to native applications. Therefore, it is not a great choice for apps that gather sensitive information from users.
- Animations, scrolling, high-end graphics, and network operations may lag in performance.
The number of mobile applications that currently use the Ionic framework has risen significantly since 2016. According to BuiltWith, over 235,000 have historically used the framework for development. Examples of projects build with Ionic include:
- MarketWatch which delivers breaking news, stories, information and data on the financial market to mobile users.
- Sworkit which is a popular fitness app used by over 25 million people to deliver on-demand workouts and fitness guides.
- ChefSteps which is a cooking app that delivers around-the-clock access to videos, recipes, and tools for cooking.
Top Reasons To Choose Ionic For Your Next Mobile App Project
If you use the latest project management methodologies to create your next mobile app more effectively, here are the top reasons you should choose Ionic.
1. The Open-Source Creates Promise For Future Advancement
Ionic is free and its open source capabilities allow for continued advancements in the technology. Any developer in the world has instant access to the framework and a plethora of technical support online. We can only expect that Ionic will continue to grow as more and more developer input helps advance its capabilities and closes the gap on some of the current disadvantages.
2. It Has Cross-Platform Capabilities
With Ionic, you don’t have to worry that you will miss any potential clients in your target audience. While you might not have been able to afford that mobile app development for both Android and iOS before, Ionic changes that. It allows you to do more for less with its single code for all operating systems. This doesn’t just allow you to deliver more to all potential customers, it saves time and money on development.
3. Cost And Time-Saving In Development
To further the advantage of cross-platform hybrid app development, Ionic saves businesses a great deal of money in development costs. Rather than developers having to create separate mobile applications for each operating system, you save money with the development of one single code. Additionally, development times are substantially faster.
4. Angular Brings Development To The Next Level
The use of AngularJS in Ionic allows for an increase in functionality for your mobile app development. The AngularJS language is easier to use. It allows mobile apps to be launched in any operating system using a back-end code that gives a native feel without the need for separate code.
5. Ionic Plug-ins Are Powered By Cordova
Cordova plugins are a major advantage to Ionic app development. Cordova plugins give you the access to logs, battery, geolocation, cameras, and a variety of other enhancements that make the app experience better. With the implementation of a few simple codes, you can enhance your mobile app performance.
As mobile app development rose to its current popularity, the need for cross-platform development was apparent. The development of hybrid mobile apps using the Ionic framework has significantly changed the way small to medium businesses can stand up against the competition. If you want a dynamic mobile app that is affordable, effective, and can be delivered to all your users regardless of their operating system, Ionic is your answer.
Author Bio: Anastasia Stefanuk is a passionate writer and a marketing manager at Mobilunity. The company provides professional staffing services, so she is always aware of technology news and wants to share her experience to help tech startups and companies to be up-to-date.
If you are interested in even more app-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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