Top 5 Best Frameworks for Android App Development (2024 Updated)

Mobile phones have become one of the major necessities in the current landscape. Every nine in ten Americans own a smartphone today. But, have you ever wondered, what makes mobile phones so fascinating? Well, the answer is mobile applications!

Today, everything that enriches our daily lives has been digitized via mobile applications. From ordering food and online shopping to dating and fitness checking, there’s a specific app for almost everything. Now, the question is — which kinds of apps, between Android and iOS, are popular and widely available for users? You probably know the answer.

So, over 3.7 million Android apps are available on the Google Play Store. This is more than double the number of iOS apps (1.8 million). That’s why many companies — whether startup or established – collaborate with an Android app development company to build and include Android apps in their marketing strategies.

To develop android app, developers use Android frameworks that add usability, make the apps secure, and enable fast development. However, in an extensive market where there are numerous options, choosing the one that suits your needs would be a complicated job.

What Exactly Are Android App Development Frameworks?

Android app frameworks are software toolkits that let developers build a finished product that meets its owner’s needs. Android frameworks provide functionalities that need to be flashed out with excellent graphics, unique features, and high functionality. 

Mobile app development frameworks are designed to simplify the development process and make it easy to manage, change, and fix bugs down the road. With 25.3% of the share, .Net remained the most popular framework among developers followed by NumPy (20.2%) and Pandas (19%) libraries.

Source: Statista.com

As the market is flooded with several frameworks, it is challenging to find one that stands apart and meets your needs. That’s why, we have provided a few parameters below that will aid you choose suitable frameworks for Android app development.

Key Features to Look for in an Android App Development Framework

When it comes to staying ahead in the Android app development sphere, it becomes important to choose the right framework for mobile app development. Below are some specific areas that you can evaluate to obtain the top frameworks for mobile application development.

• Cross-Platform Capability

One of the main features you need to look for when choosing the right frameworks to build Android app is hybrid/cross-platform capability. Cross-platform frameworks allow developers to build an application offering the same appearance, feel, and user experience on different devices or platforms.

These functionalities become more important when you think about scaling your business. Using a framework that can work across different platforms saves time and money in the long run.

• Project Requirements and Goals

Ensure that the frameworks you choose for your Android app align with your project ideas, objectives, and goals. You should explore the features and core functionalities of the framework, and confirm that it can meet performance expectations, offer scalability, and enhance the user experience.

• Ideal for Great UI/UX Design

For more complex applications, customizable frameworks to get the best user experience is essential. For this purpose, you need to choose intuitive Android UI frameworks, especially in high-end app development to craft apps with great UIs.

Moreover, check for animation availability, UI components, and customization options in the Android frameworks. A great UI/UX design improves the overall app experience.

• Budget and Overhead Expenses

Another important factor to keep in mind while picking a suitable framework for your android mobile application development project is your project’s assigned budget. Since several frameworks require additional licensing fees and paid features, you must get an idea about their monetary plans beforehand.

Also, even if a framework is open-source, it might need the integration of specific application development technologies based on your project requirements. This can increase your budget as you will need an expert to integrate advanced features and tech trends into your solution.

Top 5 Best Frameworks for Android App Development

For your better understanding, we have encompassed a range of Android app frameworks based on their capabilities. Let’s have a closer look at the best frameworks for Android application development along with their features, pros, and cons.

• Unity

Unity is ideal for developing multi-platform 2D and 3D games incorporated with AR/VR functionalities. This framework is also suitable for building AI-driven applications backed by robust AI development services.

Unity is available in both free and paid editions. For beginners, the free version is enough to learn the basics of development aspects. However, you will need a professional edition to work on more complex projects.

Moreover, Unity is the best framework for mobile apps and games that need to be published for different platforms like iOS, Windows, Web, and Xbox. All you need is the right guidance and expertise in game development with Unity.

Pros of Unity Framework

1. Excellent Design Interface: With the Unity framework, designing UI becomes relatively simple. You can easily drag and drop design elements and switch to code whenever required using such Android app development frameworks.
2. 2D and 3D Support: Unity allows developers to build both 2D and 3D games with exceptionally great-looking graphics and animations. In addition, developers can integrate AR/VR platform along with third-party tools for developing immersive games. 
3. Powerful Coding Capabilities: This framework uses Microsoft Visual Studio because of its defective integrated development environment. The default coding languages are C# and UnityScript. 
4. Cross-Platform Development: In terms of cross-platform application development, Unity is undoubtedly one of the best mobile app development framework. It supports over 25 different platforms, apart from Android and iOS. 
5. Strong Support Community: One of the most significant pros of using Unity is the massive community support across the web. It provides developers with full-functional technical support to help them become proficient in game development.

Cons of Unity Framework

1. Complicated interface: As Unity has various features, a quick look at its interface can make you feel overwhelmed. For example, developing 3D objects with Unity is not so difficult, but combining them into 2D projects becomes complicated. 
2. Coding skills: If you are looking for simple drag-and-drop Android app development frameworks and tools, Unity may disappoint you. To build something awe-inspiring with Unity 3D, you will need good working knowledge and proper expertise in C#. 
3. Undocumented Features: Unity 3D has some excellent features when it comes to mobile game app development. However, the documentation for them is outdated or nonexistent. For that, you need to search the website or ask the community of Unity developers for tips. 
4. Visual Studio Issues: While Microsoft Visual Studio usually works well, it may often request login and registration confirmation in the middle of the development process. This may hamper the development and often feels frustrating.

• React Native

React Native is one of the sought-after Android framework for robust mobile application development. As per the Stack Overflow Survey conducted in 2023, over 54% of developers worked on development projects using React Native and are willing to continue with this framework.

This framework is a perfect choice for a mobile application that needs a custom design. Besides, it is ideal for businesses looking for a shorter time-to-market and reduced production costs.

Pros of React Native Framework

1. Rich Ecosystem: React Native has access to a plethora of libraries and tools. So, it offers an accelerated software development process, resulting in increased productivity of developers. 
2. Cost-Effective: Applications built using React Native are cost-effective. The framework leverages mobile app development technologies that enhance the operational efficiency of developers, saving time, effort, and money.
3. Shorter Time-To-Market: One of the best things about mobile app development frameworks like React Native is their cross-platform capabilities. Due to this, developers can build apps for multiple platforms with the same codebase, ensuring faster development. Consequently, the time-to-market is reduced.

Cons of React Native Framework

1. Not a Native Solution: One of the main drawbacks of using React Native is that it is not a Native solution. It is primarily a cross-platform app development framework. To provide your apps with a native feel, you need to create a communication between the Native and JavaScript. 
2. Compatibility & Debugging Issues: With React Native, your developers might come across different compatibility and debugging issues. If your programmers don’t have great experience in this framework, it might increase your development period as they spend more time troubleshooting.

• Xamarin

Xamarin is one of the popular framework to build android application used for building both cross-platform and native apps for Android and Windows. This framework uses .NET and C# for app development. The best thing is developers can reuse 90% of the code on other platforms for developing intuitive and engaging apps.

It offers faster development of mobile apps across all platforms due to a single codebase. In addition, the cost to build an app with Xamarin is relatively lower than developing an app using other mobile application development frameworks. With reusable codes and reduced market time, Xamarin turns out to be one of the best mobile development frameworks.

Pros of Xamarin Framework

1. Native-like Performance: The performance of Xamarin is continuously improved to match the native development standards, making it one of the widely used frameworks for Android app development. 
2. User experience: The use of platform-specific UI design elements allows Xamarin to offer a great user experience.
3. Easy to maintain and update: Supported by several application development technologies, Xamarin is easy to maintain and update. Also, it eases the deployment of changes and updates for all kinds of applications.

Cons of Xamarin Framework

1. Quite expensive: Immediately, the cost emerges as the primary limitation of the Xamarin framework. As an enterprise owner aiming for complex enterprise android app development, acquiring Microsoft’s Visual Studio license along with other premium features is necessary for enhanced functionalities.
2. Larger App Size: Xamarin adds 20MB for debug builds and 3-5MB during the release, making the app significantly larger in size. 
3. Low Functionalities: This Android app development framework is not suitable for mobile apps with heavy graphics. That’s why Xamarin is one of those Android app development framework that are not preferred for games and highly interactive apps.

• Ionic

Although Ionic is primarily used for hybrid app development, it is also suitable for developing robust Android apps with native functionalities. Moreover, the Ionic framework uses Webview to create apps, resulting in reduced development time and faster time to market. That’s why for users looking for fast Android app development frameworks, Ionic is best suited!

Apart from this, Ionic leverages JavaScript-based codebases, such as Angular, Vue.js, React.js, and Vanilla for seamless programming. Moreover, this framework has a vast library of tools and consists of the latest components to align with the current market demands.

Pros of Ionic Framework

1. A Wide Array Of UI Components: Ionic offers a wide range of plugins and UI design components to increase productivity and reduce development time and cost.
2. Native Plug-ins: The framework has several native plugins that help developers get access to native device APIs. This feature provides a great experience to app users for the Android platform.
3. Vast Browser Support: Ionic proves beneficial for both developers and business owners as it does not need any complicated IDEs but only browser web views for developing app layouts.

Cons of Ionic Framework

1. Security Precautions: Ionic is one of those Android app development frameworks that is still lagging when it comes to the security aspect. Developing applications with this framework means you have to think about measures to strengthen the app’s security. 
2. Unstable Native Plugins: While various native plug-ins are available with Ionic development, it is tough to find stable native plug-ins. Choosing an unstable native plug-in can cause more trouble compared to working without a plug-in at all.

• Flutter

If you want to develop aesthetically pleasing mobile applications, nothing could be better than Flutter. It is an open-source UI framework built by Google which is widely used for both Android and iOS app development from a single codebase using Dart.

Its material designs, attractive animations, and intuitive widgets provide an interactive user experience for mobile users. However, the exciting thing about Flutter app development is that visual features do not interfere with the app’s performance. Unlike many other Android UI frameworks, the codes written in Dart are reusable for many tasks.

Another great thing about the Flutter framework is its cost-effective attribute. Due to its built-in widgets and UI components, the cost of developing a Flutter app is relatively low compared to many other Android app frameworks.

Pros of Flutter Framework

1. Reduced Development Time: Flutter allows seeing the applied changes instantly without losing the current app state, thanks to its hot reload feature. It makes Flutter app development relatively faster due to enhanced speed and reduced coding time. 
2. Quick Learning Curve: One thing that makes Flutter a preferable framework among Android developers is its quick learning curve. It already consists of a working development setup which takes less than 30 minutes to finish the installation process.
3. Native Performance: Impeccable native-like performance is one of the main reasons why Flutter is chosen over other Android app development frameworks. This UI toolkit includes library components and incredible widgets required to redefine the look and feel of the Android app.

Cons of Flutter Framework

1. Limited Set Of Tools & Libraries: Flutter functions are in alpha and beta testing as a new cross-platform app development framework and even that are in the developing stage. Furthermore, it might take more time to build more comprehensive tools, expand functionality, and develop the Flutter community.
2. Lack Of Password Manager Support: Flutter apps currently have issues with autocomplete input fields. It is especially noticeable if you want to implement password extraction from third-party password managers.

Let Appventurez Help You Choose the Right Framework for Your Next Android App

If you have made it to this point, you are probably aware of the best frameworks for Android app development. These frameworks are ideal choices to seamlessly craft intuitive Android app solutions. However, you might need the right mobile app development company to leverage the best features of these Android frameworks.

Appventurez is an experienced product development company well-versed in fulfilling the unique needs of businesses across diverse industries. We have built top-notch applications on the Android platform, driving high-level productivity and maximizing revenue for our partners.

Some of our prominent projects include:

• Amaze – A seamless mobility platform redefining commute and upturning travel experience.
• Gribb – A digital fleet management solution crafted by blending technology and driver behavior data.

As a reliable app development partner, we choose the best mobile app development technology along with suitable frameworks to build a highly scalable and business-oriented Android app.