The most popular NodeJS frameworks to build mobile apps (in 2023)
Based on the recorded metrics that I have collected using either Google Analytics or Matomo (formerly Piwik), up to 70% of web users access websites using their smartphone, up to 28% use a desktop and only 2% of users use tablets.
Bearing in mind that 70% of web users are browsing from a mobile device, it doesn’t only make sense, but it’s also fair to ask yourself a question: what are the best options you have to build mobile apps (using a language that you already know)?
Most popular JavaScript Mobile Frameworks:
Here are some popular Node.js frameworks that can be used to build mobile applications:
- React Native is a JavaScript framework for building native mobile applications. It uses the same design principles as the React framework for building web applications, making it easy for web developers to build native apps.
- NativeScript is an open-source framework for building native mobile applications with JavaScript. It allows you to write native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows using a single codebase.
- Ionic is a framework for building hybrid mobile applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It uses Cordova to access native device features and can be used to build apps for iOS, Android, and Windows.
The key features of JavaScript Mobile Frameworks:
All these NodeJS frameworks share the same key elements to provide great integration with mobile devices when building native mobile apps:
- Cross-platform: They allow you to build mobile applications that can run on Android and iOS using a single codebase. This can save time and effort, as you don’t have to maintain separate codebases for each platform.
- Native performance: They are used to build native applications that are compiled into native code and run directly on the device. This can improve performance compared to other cross-platform approaches, such as building web-based applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Robust ecosystem: They have large and active communities of developers, and many libraries and tools are available for building applications.
- Reusable components: They use a component-based architecture, which makes it easy to build reusable components. This can save time and effort, as you can reuse components across different parts of your application.
- Good integration with native code: They allow you to build applications using JavaScript and provide a way to integrate with native code written in languages such as Java, Swift, and Objective-C. This can be useful if you need to access native features or libraries unavailable when developing your mobile apps using these JavaScript frameworks.
Ultimately, the best framework for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. It may be helpful to try out a few different options to see which one works best for you.
Still, if you are familiar with React to build front-end websites, you might consider using React Native, as it’s based on the same logic you use when building React web apps.
Comparison in a nutshell:
Resources
JavaScript Mobile Frameworks:
Images:
- https://www.spec-india.com/blog/react-native-vs-nativescript-vs-ionic-app-development-comparison-is-here
- https://blog.jscrambler.com/react-native-vs-ionic-vs-nativescript-a-practical-guide/
- https://www.konstantinfo.com/blog/ionic-2-vs-reactnative-vs-nativescript/
- https://alto-palo.com/blogs/nativescript-vs-react-native-vs-ionic-best-cross-platform-framework/
