5 Must-Try Open-Source Mobile App Development Frameworks

Every day, around 3,739 mobile apps are released through the Play Store and 1,226 apps through Apple App Store. As people are increasingly adopting mobile apps, the demand for developing more mobile apps is growing significantly. This increased demand has led to the need for technology that helps businesses and developers create apps at affordable costs. 

And this is where open-source frameworks appear which offer free and open access for developing a variety of apps. Open-source frameworks have brought massive disruption in the mobile app development industry in the last few years. Businesses today mostly prefer using open-source technology instead of proprietary software for creating apps. 

But since the open source market is huge, choosing the best open-source frameworks for mobile app development is not easy. To help you with this, here is the list of the top 5 open-source mobile app development frameworks. 

What is Open-Source Framework?

An open-source framework is a software development platform or technology. It makes its source code freely available for modification as per custom needs. Open-source frameworks allow developers to modify their source code to edit, copy, or deploy it across other platforms. This framework doesn’t require a license like traditional proprietary software. Its access is freely available on the internet for developers and businesses. 

Benefits Of Open-Source Mobile App Development Frameworks

The global open-source services market size is projected to reach $120.53 Billion by 2032, as per the latest report by Polaris Market Research. (Source) This significant growth in the usage of open-source technologies is due to the distribution of open-source frameworks in application development. 

Open-source frameworks provide plenty of benefits to both developers and business owners. Open-source platforms come with flexible and innovative development capabilities which empower developers to build customized and unique solutions. They can easily get the source code and modify and distribute it across various platforms and users. These frameworks help in developing feature-rich and advanced mobile apps for multiple devices and OS platforms. 

By using cross-platform development framework, developers can write a single codebase and deploy it for multiple mobile operating systems. As a result, it helps in saving huge time, effort, and app development costs. Therefore, top mobile app development companies widely used open-source frameworks in mobile app projects due to their extensive benefits. 

1. Transparency
2. Enhanced security
3. Cost-efficiency
4. Scope for innovation
5. Wide community support
6. Future proof
7. Open accessibility
8. Freedom for code modification
9. Flexibility 

Top 5 Open-Source Mobile App Development Frameworks

1. React Native

React Native is a popular open-source mobile app development framework. It is an open source and cross-platform app development framework. Developers only need to write a single codebase and use it to build mobile apps for Android, iOS, and other OS platforms. 

React Native provides rich resources and extensive tools for creating a variety of features and solutions for apps. Since it is open source and backed by Meta (ex-Facebook) it enjoys the largest developer community around the globe. Thus, businesses don’t need to rely on third-party or proprietary software for solutions. 

Key features of React Native

• Platform Type: Open-Source Cross-Platform Development
• Programming Language: JavaScript
• Developer Community Size: 700,000+ developers globally 
• First Release: 2015
• Country-Wise Market Share: USA 49%, India 9%, UK 7%, Canada 5%
• GitHub Stars: 92,200

2. Flutter 

Flutter is a leading open-source technology owned by Google itself. It is also one of the top cross-platform app development frameworks. Flutter SDK comes with rich in-built widgets and UI components. 

Consequently, it makes it easier for mobile app developers to build customized applications. It utilizes a single codebase for app development and offers various features to build UIs for mobile, desktop, and web platforms. Flutter is known for its flexibility and innovation capabilities. 

Key features of Flutter 

• Platform Type: Open-Source Cross-Platform Development
• Programming Language: Dart 
• Developer Community Size: 500,000+ developers globally 
• First Release: 2017
• Country-Wise Market Share: India 10.95%, Indonesia 5.98%, China 4.88%
• GitHub Stars: 102,000+ stars

3. Android Studio 

Android Studio is the famous and widely-used open-source technology in the market. It is an official Integrated Development environment (IDE) for Android app development. Android Studio is a full-fledged open-source platform that offers complete resources and tools for the entire app development process. 

Android Studio is meant for developing native apps. Developers can create only Android apps with this tool. It comes with a range of ready-made solutions and automation capabilities that enhances the quality and performance of Android app solutions. 

Key Features of Android Studio

• Platform Type: Open-Source Native App Development
• Programming Language: Kotlin
• Developer Community Size: 15,000+ developers globally 
• First Release: 2013
• Country-Wise Market Share: 85% across Brazil, India, Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey

4. Ionic

Ionic is a freely available open-source mobile app development software. It also uses a cross-platform development approach to build hybrid apps. Ionic provides an extensive range of features and tools for creating apps quickly and efficiently. It has user-friendly UI components which makes the development process faster and easier. 

Ionic enables developers to write a common or single codebase and use it across all platforms including Android, iOS, and web. It has a good developer community size. So, developers can easily find solutions for their specific project problems. Businesses hire dedicated app developers with Ionic development skills due to their faster and cost-efficient platform advantages. 

Key Features of Ionic 

• Platform Type: Open-Source Cross-Platform Development
• Programming Language: JavaScript
• Developer Community Size: 7900+ developers globally 
• First release: 2013
• Country-Wise Market Share: India 8%, USA 6.16 %, Germany 4.78%
• GitHub Stars: 49,000+

5. Apache Cordova (Phone Gap)

Apache Cordova is also among the top open-source mobile app development software frameworks. It provides good support for the creation of hybrid or cross-platform mobile apps. The best part is that it uses the most commonly used programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

As a result, it doesn’t require developers to have high-end coding skills to build mobile apps. Apache Cordova has been available as an open-source framework in the market for over a decade. And later, it rebranded as PhoneGap. However, in the past few years, its market share has decreased substacially due to the emergence of other technologies. 

Key Features of Apache Cordova

• Platform Type: Open-Source Cross-Platform Development
• Programming Language: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Developer Community Size: 500+ developers globally 
• First release: 2011
• Country-Wise Market Share: USA 16.86%, Turkey 7.25%, China 7.12%
• GitHub Stars: 480+ stars

The Final Words

There are many open-source mobile app development frameworks in the market. Every framework has distinctive capability for creating apps. What framework suits you best might vary depending on your specific project requirements. However, open-source technology provides immense benefits in terms of cost and performance. 

Hence, no matter what open-source mobile app development frameworks you select it will benefit in all aspects. You only have to hire mobile app developer that holds proven expertise in using the open-source framework for app development.

Read more: Why Ionic Framework is Important for Mobile app development?