8 Technologies Every Start-Up Should Use for Mobile App Development in 2021

It will not be an exaggeration if you say that mobile applications, fondly called Apps, have emerged as smartphone users’ best friend. Nearly 88% of the time people spend with mobile is spent on different apps. Conservative estimates suggest that, for over 3.2 billion smartphone and 1.14 billion tablet users, there are around 2.87 applications on Google Play Store and 1.96 million on Apple App Store.

There is a vast and readymade market for mobile applications. A mobile application can give you the right thrust if you are planning to start a business. Your business may reach greater heights if you equip yourself with proper knowledge and technical know-how about application development.

This article takes you through the top-8 mobile app development technologies that are driving the trend in 2021. But before getting into the technology part, you need to check the best in class mobile app hosting services and choose the right service suiting your requirement.

The Top-8 Mobile App Development Technologies in 2021 For a Start-Up

1. Python

Python is a popular mobile app development technology that is often considered app developers’ first choice globally. As a start-up, Python can be one of the best technologies you can choose for app development.

Python is open-source and dynamic in nature. Since it is platform-independent, you can run Python code on virtually any platform. Even a developer from a non-technology background and little programming skills can conveniently design a stable mobile app with Python.

Python is highly secure and less vulnerable to cyber attacks. It is also modular, which means you can create more than one module and allocate it to several developers. Once they finish the individual modules, you can combine the modules and launch your application.

Famous brands like SurveyMonkey, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram relied on Python to launch their brands.

2. Kotlin

Kotlin is one of the most advanced technologies for mobile app development. As a start-up, you can get several benefits with Kotlin, such as simplicity, safety, interoperability with Java, and excellent tooling support.

Kotlin’s statically-typed programming language status enables faster coding. Additionally, it requires less coding, and hence, is easy to maintain.

For a start-up willing to design an Android app, Kotlin can be the best technology as it is open-source and maneuverable. Although Kotlin uses JAVA libraries and frameworks, its interface is much simpler than JAVA.

Some popular brands using Kotlin are Evernote and Coursera.

3. Flutter

Flutter is steadily gaining popularity among start-ups. It is an open-source SDK created by Google. The best thing about Flutter is that it supports both Android and iOS.

Flutter uses the Dart programming language, and its single codebase feature enables cross-platform development, which saves time, effort, and brings down development costs. The Hot Reload feature of this app makes code testing and debugging easier.

At present, you can get around 3000 Flutter apps, and more than 3 lac app developers prefer it for creating mobile applications.

Google Ads and Reflectly use Flutter for creating mobile apps.

4. Swift

Swift is an open-source general-purpose language that start-ups use to primarily create apps for iOS, iPad OS, macOS, and Linux.

Although Swift does not use C, its syntax is quite similar to Objective C. The only difference is that Swift is much simpler.

As a start-up, you might not want to spend much time on code maintenance, and, in this respect, Swift is the best app. Unlike Objective C, in which you have to maintain two code files, Swift combines both files’ content in the ‘.swift’ file. Hence, you can save time and develop the app quickly.

Some big brands using Swift are LinkedIn, Hipmunk, and Lyft.

5. React Native

React Native is open-source and preferred by many start-ups as it enables them to develop cross-platform applications that can seamlessly work on Android, iOS, Web, and UWP.

To a large extent, the functionality of an app designed with React Native is similar to any native iOS app designed using Objective C or Swift or any native Android app designed using Java or Kotlin. You can create applications with attractive UIs like native apps. It helps you to save cost and time.

Perhaps the best thing about React Native is that it allows the developer to reuse almost 90% of the codes React Native uses for Android and iOS. Hence, you do not need to design separate apps for Android and iOS.

Top companies like Airbnb, Facebook, Myntra, and UberEats use React Native to give users the feel of a native app on multiple platforms.

6. Java

With a legacy of 20+ years, Java, an object-oriented programming language, is the oldest yet vibrant app development technology used by millions of developers globally. Despite newer technologies offering much better features and cost-effectiveness, Java has a loyal fan-following among app developers and start-ups.

Java’s popularity and usability prompted Android to declare the technology as the official language for designing and developing Android apps. Since it supports the OOPS framework, it provides incredible flexibility and scalability.

Java is an open-source and platform-independent technology, meaning you can code once and deploy it anywhere. Additionally, the applications designed with Java are considered highly secure, as several tools, protocols, and algorithms make it almost impenetrable to security threats.

Some prominent brands that used the Java technology app development are Telegram, VLC media player, and SeaWeather.

7. PHP

For a start-up, PHP can be one of the most cost-effective technologies to create an app. Although the technology is primarily used for designing websites, it offers many benefits for mobile app developers.

Since most developers are already familiar with the language, it is convenient to develop a mobile app using PHP. The deployment process is also much easier than many other technologies.

Since PHP is open source, the upfront cost of app development is low. Also, an app designed using PHP does not frequent updation, as bug fixes take care of maintenance issues.

Yahoo, Wikipedia, WordPress, Digg, and Baidu are some projects that are designed with PHP.

8. HTML5

HTML5 can suit a start-up more if they wish to develop a mobile application that has a web-frontend. The best thing about this technology is that an app designed using this technology works on all devices; old, new, or yet to be launched.

Much like Java, it allows you to write once and run it anywhere, thereby saving time, money, and resources. Moreover, companies use this technology to improve their visibility on Play Store or Apple App Store.

Companies like Reddit, StackShare, and Tokopedia have made it big with HTML5 technology.

Conclusion

Whether you want to develop a live streaming app or a responsive and interactive app, knowing the technologies can help you reduce cost and improve visibility. Keep a tab on the latest technologies as they change faster than the blink of an eye.