What are top trending PhoneGap Alternatives After Its Shutdown?
PhoneGap, one a highly popular cross-platform mobile app development framework, was widely embraced by developers for its convenience in building apps for multiple platforms using familiar web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, in a surprising move, Adobe announced the shutdown of PhoneGap Build in October 2020, leaving countless developers in search of viable alternatives to continue their app development endeavors.
In this comprehensive and insightful article, we will take a deep dive into the world of cross-platform app development. We will explore various alternatives to PhoneGap, carefully examining their unique features, strengths, and weaknesses. By doing so, we aim to empower you with the knowledge and understanding needed to make an informed decision for your next app development project.
Whether you are an experienced developer seeking to expand your skillset or just starting your journey in the world of mobile app development, this article will serve as your ultimate guide in navigating the ever-evolving landscape of cross-platform app frameworks. Together, let’s embark on this exciting journey and discover the perfect alternative to PhoneGap that aligns with your specific needs and aspirations.
Quick Look at Journey of PhoneGap
Before we delve into exploring the best alternatives to PhoneGap, let’s take a closer look at the fascinating history of this popular framework. Originally created by Nitobi in 2009, PhoneGap quickly gained traction in the developer community due to its remarkable features and ease of use. Its acquisition by Adobe in 2011 further propelled its growth and integration into their renowned Creative Cloud suite, solidifying its position as a go-to choice for many app development projects.
Over the years, PhoneGap garnered immense popularity among developers for several reasons. Its user-friendly interface and robust capabilities allowed developers to effortlessly build applications for multiple platforms simultaneously, saving time and effort. This convenience and versatility made PhoneGap a reliable and efficient solution, enabling developers to reach a wider audience with their apps.
However, as technology evolved and cross-platform app development advanced at a rapid pace, more sophisticated alternatives emerged, offering enhanced features and capabilities. In response to these developments, Adobe made the difficult decision to shut down PhoneGap Build in October 2020. This announcement left many developers in search of a suitable replacement that would seamlessly continue their ongoing app development projects.
The closure of PhoneGap Build marked the end of an era for this once-dominant framework. As developers adapt to the evolving landscape of app development, they now have the opportunity to explore and embrace the innovative alternatives that not only offer enhanced features and capabilities but also cater to the changing needs of the industry. This shift opens up new possibilities and encourages developers to experiment with advanced tools and frameworks to create even more powerful and efficient applications.
Why did PhoneGap shut down?
The shutdown of PhoneGap Build was primarily due to the changing dynamics of app development. As the technology landscape evolved and more advanced alternatives emerged, developers started shifting towards these newer options. This gradual transition caused a decline in PhoneGap’s popularity and subsequently affected the revenue for Adobe.
Recognizing this shift, Adobe made the decision to discontinue support for PhoneGap Build, the cloud-based service. However, it’s important to note that PhoneGap as a framework will not completely disappear. Adobe has shown commitment to the open-source version of PhoneGap, allowing developers to continue utilizing it as a self-hosted solution.
By focusing on the open-source aspect, Adobe aims to empower developers with the freedom to customize and adapt PhoneGap according to their specific needs. This transition provides an opportunity for developers to explore the full potential of PhoneGap in a more flexible and self-sustaining manner.
10 Best PhoneGap Alternatives
Here are six of the best PhoneGap alternatives:
1. Flutter
Flutter is an open-source mobile development framework created by Google. It empowers developers to effortlessly build high-quality, natively compiled applications for both Android and iOS platforms using a single codebase. With its fast development cycle and hot reload feature, Flutter not only facilitates efficient app development but also enables developers to create visually appealing and performant apps with ease. By leveraging Flutter’s rich widget library, developers can customize the user interface and provide a seamless user experience. Additionally, Flutter’s extensive documentation and active community support make it a popular choice among developers worldwide.
Flutter with its features
- Open-source mobile development framework created by Google
- Supports building apps for Android and iOS platforms with a single codebase
- Fast development cycle and hot reload feature for efficient app development
- Provides visually appealing and performant apps with ease
- Rich widget library for customizable user interface
- Extensive documentation and active community support
Who’s using Flutter?
Some renowned apps developed with Flutter include
- Alibaba
- Google Ads
- Reflectly
2. React Native
React Native is a popular open-source framework developed by Facebook that allows developers to build native mobile apps for iOS and Android using JavaScript. It offers cross-platform compatibility, enabling developers to write code once and deploy it on multiple platforms, thus reducing development time and effort. React Native also provides a hot reloading feature for faster app testing and debugging. With its modular architecture and extensive community support, React Native has gained popularity among developers looking for an efficient PhoneGap alternative.
React Native with its features
- Open-source mobile development framework created by Facebook
- Supports building native apps for iOS and Android with JavaScript
- Cross-platform compatibility allows code to be used on multiple platforms
- Hot reloading feature for faster app testing and debugging
- Modular architecture and active community support for efficient development
Who’s using React Native?
Popular apps developed with React Native include
- Skype
3. Ionic Framework
Ionic is a popular open-source framework that uses web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build hybrid mobile apps. It offers a wide range of UI components and themes for creating visually appealing user interfaces. Ionic also provides easy integration with AngularJS, making it a preferred choice for developers familiar with Angular. Its robust command-line interface (CLI) tool allows for quick app testing and debugging. With its powerful features and extensive community support, Ionic is another strong alternative for PhoneGap.
Ionic Framework with its features
- Open-source framework using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Offers a wide range of UI components and themes for visually appealing user interfaces
- Easy integration with AngularJS for developers familiar with Angular
- Robust CLI tool for quick app testing and debugging
- Extensive community support for efficient development
Who’s using Ionic Framework?
Popular apps developed with Ionic include
- Sworkit
- Untappd
- Diesel
4. Kotlin
Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM) is a relatively new framework developed by the team behind Kotlin, a popular programming language for Android development. KMM allows developers to share business logic and code between iOS and Android platforms while still maintaining separate UI layers. This approach ensures better platform-specific performance and native user interfaces. KMM also offers easy integration with existing Android Studio projects. Although still in its early stages, KMM shows great potential as an alternative for PhoneGap.
Kotlin with its features
- Developed by the team behind popular programming language Kotlin
- Allows sharing of business logic and code between iOS and Android platforms
- Maintains separate UI layers for better platform-specific performance and native user interfaces
- Easy integration with existing Android Studio projects
Who’s using Kotlin?
Popular apps developed with Kotlin include
- Trello
- Coursera
5. Swift
Swift is a general-purpose, multi-paradigm programming language developed by Apple for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux. It has gained popularity in recent years due to its speed and safety features. Swift also offers easy interoperability with Objective-C, making it a great choice for developers already familiar with iOS development. While Swift primarily targets native app development, there are frameworks like Perfect and Vapor that allow building cross-platform apps using Swift. With its increasing popularity and support from the community, Swift presents itself as a viable alternative to PhoneGap.
Swift with its features in bullet points
- General-purpose, multi-paradigm programming language developed by Apple for various platforms
- Known for its speed and safety features
- Easy interoperability with Objective-C
- Popular frameworks like Perfect and Vapor allow building cross-platform apps using Swift
Who’s using Swift?
Popular apps developed with Swift include
- Lyft
- Khan Academy
