Today’s culture is utterly reliant on mobile apps: our daily routines, work habits, and study habits are all entirely dependent on the multitude of programs that we have loaded on our Android or iOS smartphone.
We check our Gmail app alerts, order food delivery via UberEats, communicate with coworkers using Teams or Slack, and follow the individuals we like on Instagram, to name a few activities.
These features become accessible as a result of frameworks, which are multicomponent technologies that allow the development of a wide range of mobile apps. The top 8 popular tools for Android framework development, their capabilities, and the projects they are most suited for will be covered in detail as part of our discussion. This information will assist you in determining which of the Android frameworks will be the most suitable for your forthcoming projects and which will not.
This blog shares in-depth information about each framework and will help you choose the right Android framework for your app’s development.
Top 8 Android Frameworks
The ultimate decision of the Android development framework might vary depending on the tools you use and the needs and key objectives of each unique project you work on. This section will examine the most popular but effective Android frameworks for 2022 and identify their most significant features, which developers will undoubtedly find helpful.
1. Ionic Framework
Ionic Framework is a framework that allows you to create interactive applications.
It is a free and open-source Android framework that has been validated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It enables developers to create advanced hybrid applications using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript as the primary building blocks. As a result of its cross-platform capabilities and the ability to interact with AngularJS, Ionic has risen to become one of the most well-known frameworks for Android development.
Ionic encompasses a myriad of software tools, gestures, and animations. These resources facilitate the development of top-notch mobile, desktop, and progressive web apps with a single code base. Because it is built on the Cordova and Angular frameworks, Ionic has already amassed a considerable following.
Over 4 million Ionic-based applications have been developed, with more than 5 million developers in more than 200 countries globally using the framework. Furthermore, it interfaces with a variety of services, such as Google Play, Instagram, and other platforms, among others. Because of its simple CLI and its flexibility, Ionic is one of the best new Android frameworks for mobile app development.
Pacifica, TD Trading, Market Watch are some of the apps that are built using the ionic framework.
Features of Ionic Frameworks
- Development of cross-platform mobile applications
- The default user interface has a natural feel to it.
- Plugins for Cordova
- Components in JavaScript
- Framework compatibility with Angular, the newest JavaScript frameworks, and most front-end frameworks, including React.js and Vue.js, released under the MIT license.
2. Flutter Framework
A multi-platform mobile app SDK developed and maintained by Google and Flutter is a software development kit that you may use to create apps distinct from how other Android frameworks are used.
It is designed in the Dart programming language and is intended to make the cross-platform development process more accessible. The most exemplary framework for hybrid app creation is Flutter, which is the most popular option when it comes to framework selection.
The Flutter Android framework, developed by Google, uses a 2D rendering engine called Skia to create graphics comparable to material design and the Cupertino design aesthetic.
Flutter is also an excellent testing framework, allowing developers to execute UI, unit, and functionality tests on their applications. Flutter also boasts the industry’s most excellent hot-reload capabilities, enabling smooth testing without restarting the application.
GoogleAds, KlasterMe, Hamilton, Postmuse (instagram picture editing app) are some of the apps that were built using flutter framework.
Features of Flutter Framework
- hot reload feature that enables seamless testing without having to restart the app.
- a single source of code
- An extensive widget library is available.
- Increased time-to-market and reduced code development time
- Own rendering engine for rendering into a canvas given by the platform
- Allows code to be shared across target platforms.
- Expectations are for it to evolve into a full-fledged cross-platform programming tool for Android, iOS, Web browsers, Windows, macOS, Linux, and other platform-specific devices.
3. Corona Software Development Kit
Corona SDK, which was created in 2009, is a software development kit that is ideal for creating fast-loading applications and games. This general-purpose, cross-platform framework speeds up development by a factor of ten compared to existing Android frameworks.
Specifically, Corona does this via the integration of Lua, lightweight, and multi-paradigm programming language built on top of C++/OpenGL and provides for increased performance, usability, and versatility.
Corona is a free game development tool that is accessible for both Mac OS X and Windows, and it supports real-time testing. As a result, Corona is quite popular among game creators.
Furthermore, this Android framework has native Application support, over 500 APIs, and a flexible advertising platform that is explicitly tailored to developers’ needs and requirements. Graphics, networking, widgets, particle effects, and other elements are all included in the API suite, which is also feature-rich.
Corona SDK has garnered significant popularity among Android app developers since it is easy to learn and incorporate. The Solar 2D Android framework is the name of the framework at the time of writing, and it is a cross-platform engine that you can use to construct mobile, desktop, and television applications.
Corona is a 2D engine lets you build games & apps for all major platforms.
Features of Corona SDK
- It’s quite simple to get started with.
- Over 1000 APIs and plugins are included in the built-in library.
- Development for other platforms that are cross-platform.
- Ability to utilize APIs or call any native library, including C, C++, Obj-C, and Java.
- For developers, real-time device testing saves a lot of time.
- It also supports native UI and real-time testing
- Because it lacks an integrated development environment (IDE), it includes several additional plugins that allow users to access certain platforms on demand.
4. Framework7
Framework 7, one of the most influential open-source MIT-licensed Android frameworks on the market, is almost the newest framework for Android development on the market. It comes with a variety of beneficial features for quick and easy app launching.
It includes practically all of the basic and advanced Mobile User Interfaces that you may easily integrate into a variety of applications. Infinite scrolling, lazy loading, pull to refresh, Swiper Slider, and more wonderful features are popular among developers.
The best Android framework for constructing a PWA, according to most developers, is Framework7 (Progressive Web App). Furthermore, it is simple to combine with Cordova to create hybrid mobile applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript rather than traditional Android languages like Java, Kotlin, and XML.
Furthermore, the Android framework has a simple, user-friendly interface and a significant user base. It is often updated to newer versions, which is critical for providing a solid, non-disruptive workflow.
Features of Framework 7
- There are a lot of ready-to-use UI components and plugins included.
- Simple to understand and personalize
- Provides a jQuery syntax for a rapid start with no delays.
- The Flexible Router API supports dynamic page loading from templates.
- Helper libraries built-in
- There are no licensing costs.
5. React Native Frameworks
React Native, which Facebook backs, is a strong open-source framework that provides extensive support for various development tools and their integrated development environments (IDEs). It is built on React, a JS toolkit for developing web-based applications.
Instagram, Walmart, Airbnb, Tesla, and many more Fortune 500 firms, among others, utilize the framework to create native mobile applications for their platforms.
Because the majority of React Native APIs are cross-platform, developers can write code once and have it run on any platform, which speeds up development and reduces expenses.
React Native uses building pieces that are comparable to those found in the majority of Android development frameworks. Hot-reloading is a feature in React Native that allows developers to connect updated files while keeping the app’s current state in mind. As a result, the developer community for React Native is expanding at a far faster rate than Facebook’s estimates.
According to Google Trends, the Android framework has been gaining more and more popularity for the last few years. As of the present, the Native framework is being used by about 1600 developers.
Skype & React Native, Walmart & React Native, Airbnb & React Native, Uber Eats & React Native, Instagram & React Native, Wix & React Native are some of the popular apps that were built using the React Native Framework.
Features React Native Frameworks
- A single interface is used to design and build the app.
- The Code Send feature allows you to push out app updates without the user authorizing and restarting the app on his Android device.
- Allows you to use external third-party plugins.
- The declarative programming technique makes it much simpler to find errors.
- boasts of the hot-reload feature, which enables the developers to update files without disrupting the current state of the app.
- The ability to exchange code that isn’t UI dependent
6. jQuery Mobile Framework
According to its developers, besides being one of the HTML5-based cross-platform frameworks, the jQuery Mobile framework for Android development is also regarded as the most accessible tool for launching mobile and online apps.
The most distinguishing feature of jQuery Mobile is that it allows developers to “write code once” and have it run on a variety of platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, and Blackberry devices.
It is another significant aspect that developers like about this Android framework is that the whole primary app interface can be written in HTML, with little or no use of JavaScript code at all!
Furthermore, it is one of the most widely used tools for traversing and manipulating the HTML Document Object Model (DOM). Event handling, CSS animation, and Ajax may be significantly simplified when used in conjunction with the jQuery Mobile Android framework.
It also has an integrated theme system, which allows developers to adjust the application style for each project to best match the target audience’s colors, tastes, and preferences. The size of Mobile jQuery, when compared to other Android frameworks, is incredibly small (about 40KB when minified), which has allowed it to become one of the most popular frameworks on the market and to build a significant community.
Features JQuery Framework
- It includes several plugins, such as pop-up boxes, an image slider, and a content slider, among others.
- Compatible with different mobile frameworks, including iOS, Windows, and Android.
- ThemeRoller is a feature that makes drag-and-drop operations more convenient.
- Popular javascript operations are made easier using this library.
- It makes use of CSS syntax.
- When compared to other Android frameworks, it is lightweight.
7. Xamarin Android Framework
One of the most popular Android frameworks, Xamarin, owned by Microsoft, provides a powerful toolset that allows developers to create native applications for numerous mobile platforms from a single C# codebase.
Through the use of Microsoft’s cloud testing service, applications developed with Xamarin may be evaluated on a wide range of devices. Furthermore, because of its code-sharing capability, it is a developer’s choice since it decreases coding time and the number of problems seen throughout the software development cycle.
Let’s compare Xamarin to other Android frameworks. It is one of the oldest and most widely used cross-platform frameworks, with more than 1.4 million developers in over 120 countries using it.
Large corporations in fields including healthcare and energy have shifted to adopting this framework since it was introduced as a component of the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Xamarin has been around for a while, but the number of developers that use it has grown significantly over time when compared to other Android frameworks.
Storyo, Just Giving, The World Bank, Olo, Insightly are some of the apps that were built using the Xamarin Android Framework.
Features of Xamarin Framework
- No switching between environments, native user interfaces
- Using the Xamarin Component Store, you can add components to your projects directly from the IDE.
- With Xamarin, you can share 60 percent to 95 percent of your code across many mobile development platforms.
- The user interfaces for forms.
- With the Xamarin Test Cloud and Xamarin Test Recorder tools, you can do thorough testing as well as monitor app performance and UI.
- Microsoft support provides ongoing technical help and quickly resolves issues.
- Xamarin boasts an advanced toolset through which developers can work with a shared code written in C# or XAML. This code-sharing feature cuts back the coding time for developers and the number of bugs during the development process.
8. NativeScript Android Framework
NativeScript is a free, open-source framework that allows developers to construct hybrid apps using Vue, TypeScript, and Angular. It is ranked as one of the best frameworks for hybrid app development. Telerik, a Bulgarian software firm, is behind the development of this Android framework. With NativeScript, developers can simply reuse a broad range of plugins in their projects, whether they are built with Gradle or with CocoaPods.
NativeScript is a framework that allows web developers who are well-versed in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Native UI markup to create excellent progressive online applications.
One of the most compelling reasons to use NativeScript for Android app development is because it integrates UIs with the native platform’s offering engine, resulting in UIs and performance that are similar to native platforms. JS runs on the UI thread, allowing NativeScript to provide excellent performance across all native platform APIs.
Features of NativeScript Framework
- Authentication is simple with a variety of sign-on methods.
- Use of LiveSync and Webpack at the same time
- Using several sorts of frames in an app
- JavaScript’s platform-specific APIs eliminate the need to learn new languages. Plugins for Cordova
- Icons and splash screens are generated automatically from high-resolution photos.
- Working with third-party libraries is a plus.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a plethora of Android frameworks to select from at the moment, each of which offers a unique set of capabilities that you can use for any kind of app development project. Any of these possibilities, which are already in use by some of the world’s most significant technology companies, may be transformed into the ideal Android app development framework for your concept development.
FAQs
Q1: Which android framework is mainly used?
Ans: According to the Android Developers Association, Corona SDK is widely used by game developers, but it is also one of the most popular general-purpose Android development frameworks. Whether you’re creating corporate applications or video games, the Corona SDK allows you to view changes in real-time in the simulator and iterate at breakneck speed.
Q2: Why do we use frameworks in Android?
Ans: The primary purpose of the framework is to improve performance, and as a result, it may assist developers in creating the app much more quickly than they would otherwise. As a result, developers may devote their time and attention to the most critical problems throughout the development process.
