6 Best Cross Platform Mobile App Development Frameworks in 2025

Creating separate apps for Android and iOS wastes resources, time, and energy. Cross platform mobile app development provides a solution that 322 million internet users in the United States need as they expect smooth experiences on their devices.

The benefits are obvious - developers can use one codebase that works on multiple platforms, which makes development simpler and faster. Teams no longer need to manage different codebases and can update everything at once.

In this piece, I'll show you the 6 best cross platform mobile development frameworks that will lead the way in 2025, so you can choose the right one for your next project.

What is cross platform mobile app development?

Cross-platform mobile app development solves one of the biggest challenges in today's app market. Developers can create apps that work naturally across multiple operating systems with a single codebase. This approach eliminates writing separate code for each platform. It tackles a basic problem in mobile development - you can't reuse code built for one operating system on another.

The mobile world today has just two major players—Android and iOS. Together they control over 99% of the worldwide mobile operating system market. This two-player market creates a challenge for businesses that want to reach the most users without doubling their work.

Companies faced a tough choice before cross-platform solutions came along. They had to either focus on one platform and lose potential users on the other, or spend a lot more to develop separate native apps. Native development needs platform-specific programming languages and tools. This creates duplicate work and drives up both time and costs.

Cross-platform frameworks provide a smart solution. Writing code once and using it everywhere lets developers:

• Reduce development time by avoiding duplicate coding efforts across platforms

• Lower costs by maintaining a single codebase rather than multiple platform-specific ones

• Reach wider audiences by simultaneously deploying to both Android and iOS

• Maintain consistency in user experience across different devices

• Simplify updates and bug fixes by making changes to just one codebase

The industry uses three main approaches to mobile app development:

1. Native development - Apps written exclusively for one platform using platform-specific languages and tools. These usually perform best but need separate development for each platform.

2. Cross-platform development - Apps built with specialized frameworks that let a single codebase work across multiple platforms. Most code works for different mobile operating systems.

3. Hybrid development - Apps that blend native and web technologies, typically using web languages like CSS or HTML wrapped in a native shell.

6 Best Cross Platform Mobile App Development Frameworks

Your project requirements, team's expertise, and business goals should guide your framework choice. If you need help picking the right framework, the cross-platform mobile app development experts at Kumo can guide you based on your specific needs.

Flutter

Flutter has become a game-changing force in cross-platform mobile app development since its 2017 release. This SDK helps developers build visually stunning applications for many platforms with a single codebase. The technology has transformed how teams build apps.

Flutter key features

Hot reload is Flutter's standout feature. Developers can see code changes right away without restarting the application. This speeds up development and lets teams test new ideas quickly. The framework has many pre-designed widgets that work as building blocks to create complex UIs with less code.

Flutter's architecture does away with the JavaScript bridge found in other frameworks. This leads to better performance and smoother animations. The SDK turns Dart code into native code for each platform, which creates high-performance apps on both iOS and Android.

Flutter pros and cons

Pros:

• One codebase for multiple platforms saves time and money

• Performance matches native apps across platforms

• Rich widget library with Material Design and Cupertino components

• Hot reload updates UI changes instantly during development

• Highly customizable for unique user interfaces

Cons:

• Apps are larger than native ones

• Time needed to learn Dart programming language

• Fewer third-party libraries than older frameworks

Flutter pricing and licensing

Flutter is free and open-source with no licensing fees. This makes it accessible to more developers and drives continuous improvements. Enterprise app costs relate to development work, not the framework. Development costs range from $37,000 for simple apps to $500,000 for complex enterprise solutions.

Flutter best use cases

Companies of all sizes use Flutter successfully. Google Pay rebuilt its app with Flutter and cut code by 35% while reducing engineering work by 70%. Other success stories include:

• E-commerce platforms (Alibaba and eBay use it)

• Banking apps (Nubank's choice)

• Interactive journaling apps (Reflectly)

• Booking systems that need easy-to-use interfaces

Flutter programming language

Dart powers Flutter applications. This modern language works best for UI development and offers key benefits:

• Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation for better performance

• Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation during development enables hot reload

• Asynchronous programming makes network operations efficient

• Built-in libraries speed up development

Flutter community and support

Google backs Flutter along with an active global community. Developers can find complete documentation, packages, and plugins in the Flutter ecosystem. Support comes through Flutter Forum, Stack Overflow, and Discord channels.

Google Developer Experts who specialize in Flutter share knowledge through talks, meetups, and workshops. The platform has over 20,000 packages and plugins, so developers don't need to build everything from scratch.

React Native

Meta (formerly Facebook) released React Native in 2015. This powerful JavaScript framework has altered the map of cross-platform mobile app development. React Native lets developers write code once and deploy it to both iOS and Android platforms, giving users a true native experience.

React Native key features

React Native blends React's best features with native development capabilities. The framework works with actual native UI components instead of web views, which makes apps feel genuinely native. Developers can see their code changes happen live without rebuilding the entire app thanks to hot reloading, which speeds up development significantly.

React Native serves as a bridge between JavaScript and native languages. It turns JavaScript code into native components for each platform. This setup makes cross-platform development quick while keeping platform-specific optimizations intact.

React Native pros and cons

Pros:

• One codebase for multiple platforms

• Performance close to native apps through direct GPU access

• 60-80% of code can be reused across platforms

• Quick refresh for instant UI updates during development

• Development costs cut by half compared to native

Cons:

• Complex apps might face performance issues

• Debugging and compatibility can be tricky

• Version upgrades can cause headaches

• Complex features might still need native developers

• Performance optimization needs extra attention

React Native pricing and licensing

React Native comes completely free and open-source under the MIT license. This has helped it become accessible to more people across industries. The main costs come from hiring skilled developers rather than paying for licenses.

React Native best use cases

Many big tech companies use React Native in their applications. Facebook has built its Marketplace and Messenger Desktop with it. Microsoft and Amazon have also adopted it for some of their prominent apps.

React Native works best for:

• Social networking apps that load dynamic content

• E-commerce platforms with product catalogs and payments

• Travel apps using location services

• Banking apps that need frequent updates

• Media streaming services that want responsive interfaces

React Native programming language

JavaScript sits at React Native's core. This popular language helps build application logic, user interaction, and interface rendering. Web developers can move into mobile development without learning completely new languages.

React Native community and support

A thriving community backs this framework with plenty of resources. Developers can get help through official channels, Stack Overflow (with over 120,000 active React Native questions), and community Discord servers. Meta keeps improving the framework with support from companies like Callstack, Expo, and Microsoft.

Kotlin Multiplatform

JetBrains created Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) to help developers share code across platforms while keeping native programming benefits. Google announced their official support for Kotlin Multiplatform in May 2024 to share business logic between Android and iOS.

Kotlin Multiplatform key features

KMP stands out with capabilities that focus on flexibility and native integration. The framework comes with source sets for shared and platform-specific code. It works with multiple targets (JVM, Native, JavaScript, WebAssembly) and uses the expect/actual mechanism for platform-specific implementations. On top of that, it includes Compose Multiplatform to share UI code across platforms, which solves a challenge that usually needs separate development.

Kotlin Multiplatform pros and cons

Pros:

• Eliminates code duplication across platforms

• Lets you share code step by step

• Delivers native-like performance through direct API access

• Balances shared logic with native customization

• Fits both existing and new projects

Cons:

• Smaller ecosystem than Flutter or React Native

• Takes time to learn for developers new to Kotlin

• Makes debugging harder across platforms

• Needs complex dependency management

• Can affect performance in some cases

Kotlin Multiplatform pricing and licensing

KMP is open-source and available to developers without any licensing fees. This has helped companies of all sizes adopt it.

Kotlin Multiplatform best use cases

Many major companies use KMP successfully. Netflix shares logic for their mobile studio apps to cut down duplication. McDonald's runs their Global Mobile App with KMP and handles over 6.5 million monthly purchases including in-app payments. Forbes shares 80% of logic between iOS and Android to release features at the same time. Philips built features faster in their HealthSuite Digital Platform mobile SDK with KMP.

Kotlin Multiplatform programming language

KMP runs on Kotlin, a modern programming language from JetBrains. Kotlin ranks as the fifth-fastest-growing language in 2024. It writes shorter, safer code and works well with Java. Google prefers it for Android app development.

Kotlin Multiplatform community and support

The KMP ecosystem grows faster each day. JetBrains gives developers great support through documentation and tools. KMP became Stable in November 2023, which brought more companies and development teams. The active community helps improve the technology and builds a complete ecosystem of libraries and resources.

Ionic

Drifty Co. created Ionic in 2013 as an open-source UI toolkit that brings a fresh take on cross platform mobile app development. Developers can build quality mobile applications with common web technologies. The framework gives users a native-like experience on different platforms.

Ionic key features

The framework's complete design system adapts to platform-specific UI guidelines automatically. Hardware-accelerated transitions and touch-optimized gestures make the performance smooth. Ready-made UI elements in its component-based architecture look great on modern devices. Web components help copy native app interfaces and combine native app standards with web flexibility. Developers can push their apps to iOS, Android, and the web from one codebase.

Ionic pros and cons

Pros:

• Single codebase deployment across multiple platforms

• Extensive library of pre-built UI components

• Strong integration with popular frameworks (Angular, React, Vue)

• Web technology foundation makes it available to developers

• Complete documentation and development tools

Cons:

• Performance limitations for graphics-intensive applications

• Larger app size compared to native applications

• Security considerations spanning both web and native domains

• Debugging challenges with nuclear error notifications

• Lack of hot reloading support

Ionic pricing and licensing

The MIT license makes Ionic Framework free and open-source. Teams can get extra services through Appflow, a commercial platform that helps build, deploy, and manage applications. The pricing stays flexible with enterprise subscriptions for teams that need more support.

Ionic best use cases

Many big companies have built successful apps with Ionic. Australia's first smartbank app, 86400, uses Ionic to launch on iOS and Android platforms. The team pushes updates every 2-3 weeks. Shipt, a major grocery delivery service owned by Target, uses Ionic for its consumer app. The app gets live updates through Ionic Appflow. More than 5 million apps exist in 200 countries built with Ionic.

Ionic programming language

Web developers find Ionic easy to work with as it uses standard web technologies—HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Teams can choose between Angular, React, and Vue.js as the framework supports all three officially. This flexibility lets developers build apps using their web skills instead of learning platform-specific languages.

Ionic community and support

The Ionic community has grown to over 5 million developers worldwide. Developers can get help through active forums, Stack Overflow discussions, and Discord servers. Most questions get answers within hours. The ecosystem has more than 12,000 repositories with various libraries and plugins. Enterprise teams can get dedicated support based on their subscription level.

.NET MAUI

Microsoft released .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) in May 2022 as their flagship cross-platform development framework. This rise of Xamarin.Forms now covers desktop platforms and has UI controls rebuilt to improve performance and extensibility.

.NET MAUI key features

.NET MAUI brings a single project structure that makes cross-platform development easier across Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. The framework has a layout engine to design user-friendly pages and multiple page types that create rich navigation experiences. It also supports hot reload 2.0, which lets developers change both UI appearance and application logic live without restarting. The framework gives developers cross-platform APIs to access native device features such as GPS, accelerometers, and cameras.

.NET MAUI pros and cons

Pros:

• Write once, deploy everywhere approach with a single codebase

• Native UI experience across all supported platforms

• Deep integration with Visual Studio and .NET ecosystem

• Strong cloud connectivity with Microsoft Azure

• Cross-platform graphics support through drawing canvas

Cons:

• Still relatively new with occasional stability issues

• Learning curve for developers unfamiliar with .NET/C#

• Limited third-party libraries compared to mature frameworks

• May require platform-specific code for certain features

• Performance overhead compared to fully native solutions

.NET MAUI pricing and licensing

.NET MAUI is completely open-source and free to use. Commercial component vendors offer paid options—Telerik UI for .NET MAUI starts at $749 per developer per year. Syncfusion needs a license key for their components. DevExpress also offers commercial components with various pricing tiers.

.NET MAUI best use cases

Major companies have put .NET MAUI to good use. Fidelity processes over 3 million trades daily through their Active Trader Pro platform built with the framework. NBC Sports Next transformed their Sports Engine team management mobile application with .NET MAUI and delivered features "in record time". Alpha Outdoors created their Red-Point climbing app by combining .NET MAUI with Unity and Azure. The framework shines in business applications, e-commerce, educational tools, and entertainment solutions.

.NET MAUI programming language

C# serves as .NET MAUI's primary programming language. Many developers prefer this object-oriented language for enterprise-level application development because it offers robust features and integrates well with the broader .NET ecosystem.

.NET MAUI community and support

The number of .NET MAUI apps on Google Play has doubled in the last year. Developers can learn through Microsoft Learn modules, workshops, sample applications, and the official .NET MAUI podcast. The .NET MAUI Community Toolkit enhances the framework with reusable elements like animations, behaviors, and converters.

NativeScript

NativeScript arrived in 2014 to enable developers to build true native mobile apps with standard web technologies. The framework connects JavaScript code directly to native platform APIs and eliminates the performance issues you typically find in hybrid approaches.

NativeScript key features

NativeScript gives developers direct access to iOS and Android APIs through JavaScript or TypeScript. You won't face WebView limitations when you need native performance. The framework works with multiple "flavors" including Angular, Vue, React, and Svelte. Developers can use their preferred JavaScript framework. XML data structures trigger platform-specific code that interacts with native elements of the target operating system. This design gives apps authentic native behavior and appearance.

NativeScript pros and cons

Pros:

• One codebase handles both iOS and Android development

• Native APIs are accessible without wrappers

• Strong TypeScript support improves code quality

• UI design flexibility with customizable components

• Smooth integration with existing libraries

Cons:

• The community is smaller than Flutter or React Native

• New mobile developers face a steep learning curve

• Third-party libraries are limited

• Debugging needs devices or emulators and can be complex

• DOM or HTML elements aren't supported

NativeScript pricing and licensing

NativeScript uses the Apache 2.0 license, which is business-friendly and permissive. You can modify and distribute the software. The license gives you explicit patent rights when you use, modify, or distribute the software. Developers can build personal or commercial projects without paying licensing fees.

NativeScript best use cases

This framework shines when building enterprise-grade apps that need reliable functionality. Companies like Puma, Airbnb Design, and Sennheiser have built their mobile solutions with NativeScript. The framework works best for apps that need deep integration with native device features while working across platforms.

NativeScript programming language

Developers write NativeScript apps in JavaScript or TypeScript and use XML for UI components with CSS for styling. Web developers can move into mobile development without learning Swift or Kotlin, the platform-specific languages.

NativeScript community and support

An active community contributes plugins, tools, and resources to the framework. You can get help through Stack Overflow, Slack channels, and GitHub repositories. NativeScript organizes workshops and meetups to encourage community growth and knowledge sharing.

What is the future of cross-platform mobile app development?

The mobile app development market for cross-platform solutions shows remarkable growth. React Native's market share jumped from 4.73% in 2022 to 6.75% in 2024. Apps developed with React Native and Flutter generated an impressive USD 570.00 million in net revenue after platform fees during a single 30-day period in Q4 2024.

Two major players dominate the 2025 landscape. Flutter leads the Android market with its share growing from 10.15% in 2022 to 11.07% in 2024. Revenue distribution data shows both frameworks support apps that earn between USD 10,000 and over USD 1.00 million monthly.

Kotlin Multiplatform emerges as a revolutionary force in the industry. Google Trends data shows KMP interest has nearly tripled. The addition of Compose Multiplatform now addresses previous UI framework limitations.

The development of cross-platform solutions will be shaped by several technological advances. Developers can now blend IoT, AR, VR, AI, ML, edge computing, and blockchain into their cross-platform solutions. These state-of-the-art technologies will enable sophisticated applications across multiple platforms.

Selecting the right framework remains vital for businesses planning their development approach in 2025. The experts at Kumo offer tailored guidance based on specific project requirements.

Cross-platform frameworks will challenge traditional boundaries between operating systems as the market matures. This advancement leads to more efficient development and wider reach across devices.

Conclusion

These six cross-platform frameworks have become vital tools for quick app development in 2025. Flutter and React Native lead the market with $570 million in combined revenue. Kotlin Multiplatform keeps growing since it reached stable status.

The frameworks come with their own strengths. Flutter shines with hot reload features and a complete widget library. React Native draws JavaScript developers who want native performance. Kotlin Multiplatform gives developers the freedom to mix shared logic with native customization. Ionic runs on web technology at its core. .NET MAUI's single project structure works on multiple platforms. NativeScript lets developers access native APIs directly without WebView limits.

Your project needs, team's skills, and business goals will help you pick the right framework. You need to think about what each option can and cannot do before deciding. The experts at Kumo can help you find a framework that fits your needs.

Cross-platform development's future looks bright. New technologies like AR, VR, AI, and blockchain will expand these frameworks' capabilities. More users will build apps as low-code and no-code options become available.

FAQ

Which framework is best for cross-platform mobile app development?

The best framework depends on your project needs and team skills. Stack Overflow's 2023 Developer Survey shows Flutter guides with 9.12% of developers using it, and React Native follows at 8.43%.

Flutter works great for visually rich interfaces, which makes it perfect for startups who want appealing applications. The framework handles about 90% of business cases effectively but doesn't deal very well with augmented reality or complex 3D gaming.

React Native stands out when you just need high flexibility and strong ecosystem support. A thriving community creates libraries, tools, and resources that optimize development.

Other frameworks come with their own advantages:

• Kotlin Multiplatform suits teams already using Kotlin for Android

• .NET MAUI works best for enterprise solutions needing Microsoft integration

• Ionic fits projects leveraging web development expertise

• NativeScript benefits teams requiring direct native API access

Which language is best for cross-platform app development?

Modern cross-platform development relies on several key languages:

JavaScript powers React Native and Ionic frameworks as the most used language. Web developers find it easier to switch to mobile development because of their JavaScript background.

Dart, Flutter's foundation, delivers strong performance through ahead-of-time compilation. Google created this language to compile directly to native code.

Kotlin forms the base of Kotlin Multiplatform and lets developers share code while keeping native programming benefits. Google prefers it for Android development, and it works well with Java.

C# powers .NET MAUI and creates well-laid-out code with simple syntax. The language removes compatibility issues across platforms, including wearables.

Your team's expertise and current technology stack usually determine the best language choice.

Key Takeaways

Cross-platform mobile app development has become essential for reaching today's 322 million US internet users efficiently, with leading frameworks generating over $570 million in combined revenue.

• Flutter and React Native dominate the market, with Flutter leading at 11.07% market share and React Native growing from 4.73% to 6.75% between 2022-2024.

• Single codebase deployment reduces costs by up to 50% compared to native development while enabling 60-80% code reusability across iOS and Android platforms.

• Choose frameworks based on team expertise: JavaScript developers should consider React Native or Ionic, while Dart specialists can leverage Flutter's superior performance.

• Kotlin Multiplatform is rapidly emerging as a viable alternative, with interest nearly tripling since achieving stable status in November 2023.

• All major frameworks are completely free and open-source, making cost considerations focus on development resources rather than licensing fees.