The Most Popular Programming Languages in 2023

If you are looking for a suitable platform to implement your mobile solution in the most cost-efficient way and, thus, make it cross-platform, it can be a rather challenging task given the variety of different frameworks, libraries, and SDKs.

For example, according to Statista, Flutter and React Native (RN) were the world's two most popular frameworks for cross-platform development by the end of 2023. However, they cannot be called universal, and each is better suited to solving specific problems. Below, we will cover the difference between them in more detail and also conduct a comparative analysis of these two solutions.

What Is Flutter?

Flutter is an open-source framework from Google that first saw the light of day in 2018. It is designed for both front-end and full-stack development of cross-platform solutions with a single code base for iOS, Android, Web, Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Flutter uses the open-source Dart language, which is also a brainchild of Google. Now, it has 162k stars on GitHub.

One of the most significant benefits of Flutter is the ability to accelerate time-to-market: this is ensured by hot reload (which provides the ability to change the program code and check the results in real time), the built-in increased performance provided by direct compilation to native code, as well as the presence of a C++ engine for rendering elements and optimization. In general, according to the unspoken opinion of developers, about 95% of all development tasks can be covered by Flutter libraries and tools.

Benefits of Flutter

Flutter popularity is absolutely justified – it is loved by developers around the world for the following advantages:

• Native-like performance. Due to the use of the Dart programming language, which is immediately compiled into machine code, applications created with this framework are unlikely to be inferior in performance to native analogs.
• Uniformity of visual components. Flutter does not use platform-dependent visualization tools – instead, this framework refers to the Google Skia graphics library, which allows developers to provide a uniform look for UI components regardless of the platform.
• Low entry threshold and a wide variety of available tools and libraries. Flutter is considered an easy-to-learn framework, and such built-in features as hot reloading, widget inspector, and a rich arsenal of tools for solving graphic problems (now, this framework already has graphics rendering at 120 fps) make the process of working on the frontend even more enjoyable and fast.

What Is React Native?

React Native is a cross-platform JavaScript-based framework created by the Facebook team in 2015 and introduced to the public as a solution for reusing the same code. Today, this platform can boast 116k stars on GitHub and the fact that it is at the heart of such world-famous services as Instagram, Facebook, and Skype. 

An interesting feature of this framework is its basis on the Flux architecture, which is based on unidirectional flows. This approach allows data to be passed from one parent component to its child components, making it easier for developers to manage data flows in the application. Also, like in Flutter, there is the Hot Reload feature that simplifies the testing and debugging processes, as well as a rich set of built-in components to boost the development speed of high-performance and visually attractive mobile solutions.

Benefits of React Native

The main benefits of React Native are:

• Ability to reuse code by up to 90% and reduced time to market. The reusability of code written in this framework can be up to 90%. In addition, the created assembly, for example, for Android, will require only minimal configurations in order to function properly on iOS. All these features of this framework speed up the launch of projects.
• Fast update in app stores. Thanks to the CodePush function, applications can be updated within the repeated deployment process without an intermediate step involving uploading updates to the app store. In particular, when the update is ready, its version that has already been presented on the store uploads it itself, without the need for re-communication with Google Play or the App Store.
• A wide variety of libraries and access to native components. While it provides access to native platform components, there are also internal libraries with well-developed documentation and, in some cases, even entire application templates, including Native Base, React Native Elements, and React Native Starter Kit.

Key Differences Between Flutter and React Native

Now it's time to start a more detailed comparison of React vs Flutter.

Entry threshold

Even though both mobile app frameworks are considered to be quite easy to learn, Flutter, due to its abundance of internal development tools, practically eliminates the need for developers to use third-party tools and libraries (unlike RN). This means that its entry threshold can formally be considered lower.

Performance

As for React Native vs Flutter performance, the second one has a lot of widgets based on its own high-performance rendering engine, which makes it suitable for developing applications with complex graphics. At the same time, despite the claims of RN creators, this solution can impose certain problems with the speed of work of resource-intensive projects.

Time ​​to market

In our Flutter vs React Native comparison, RN gives Flutter a head start when it comes to developing applications with different designs for each of the platforms since the latter is aimed at building uniform interfaces.

Specifics for creating user interfaces

While Flutter offers developers a variety of ready-to-use widgets based on the Material (Android) and Cupertino (iOS) designs, React Native refers to the native components of the platforms.

Full list of supported platforms

Flutter supports development for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Google Fuchsia, Web, Tizen for Samsung Smart TV, LG webOS, as well as for embedded devices. As for RN, this framework is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, as well as Android and iOS TV platforms.

Conclusion

We hope that we have answered the essential question: “Flutter or React Native?” and it will be easier for you to choose the best of these two options. At the same time, we would like to note that the future of Flutter is uncertain, as Google has suspended its active development and significantly reduced its team. Therefore, we will keep our finger on the pulse and inform you about all upcoming changes.

Anyway, whichever framework you settled on, an equally important aspect will be the choice of an experienced team of developers. In particular, you can contact us for a consultation and also to find out the cost of development of your project.

In today's world, companies are actively seeking ways to automate and optimize their business processes with the help of software. When choosing how to implement such solutions, the question arises is whether to create custom software or buy a ready-made solution. Both approaches have their cons and pros, but each has its own application for a specific purpose. The final decision on the choice between these approaches will depend on the client's individual needs and the business goals.

Let's look at both approaches in more detail, which may help to choose favor of one of them.

Build custom software

The essence of this approach is that the company orders software product development from an IT company's specialized development team. It has a clear plan of action and a list of requirements for the future product. Also, a digital product created from scratch can fully automate specific business processes of the client company, taking into account the specifics of the industry.

Pros of the approach

Tailored to individual needs

The company will receive a solution fully customized to its unique needs and requirements. That can be registration forms, buttons, visual elements, individual blocks, custom graphics or dashboards, unique designs, and more. The company can also define the required functionality, architecture, design, and integration with other systems according to specific business processes.

Flexibility and scalability

The customer company controls the whole development process and can make changes and expansions as needed. That allows them to respond quickly to changes in business requirements and scale the system as the company grows.

Security 

Developers can implement data protection mechanisms and use advanced encryption methods to ensure high security in the finished system.

Ability to integrate

The development of a digital product from scratch provides the ability to fully integrate with the company's other systems. That allows for efficient data exchange between different systems and increases the overall efficiency of the client's company.

Ownership of intellectual property

The company has complete intellectual property rights associated with the created product. That gives the company control over it and the ability to develop and monetize it further.

Cons of the approach

High price

The development of any product usually requires a significant financial investment. A company must consider the cost of hiring experienced developers, conducting requirements analysis, designing, developing, testing, and supporting the product. That can lead to significant costs, especially for smaller companies with limited budgets. Nevertheless, a business development investment quickly pays off for the company. 

Development duration

Creating software is a lengthy process, especially for complex and large-scale projects. The time required for requirements analysis, design, development, and testing can be significant, which delays the implementation and use of the finished product in the business.

When a business needs custom development from scratch

Customized needs

If a company has unique business needs that cannot be met by ready-made solutions on the market, developing a customized digital product allows them to create a solution that fully meets the requirements and goals of the company.

Competitive advantage

A unique software solution created specifically for a company can provide more efficient and innovative functionality, an engaging user experience, or improved processes, which helps stand out in the market and attract new customers.

Long-term strategy

Instead of relying on third-party vendors and ready-made solutions, a company can create a product that it can control, develop and scale according to its needs and changes in the business.

Business process optimization

Specialized software allows companies to automate routine tasks, improve interaction between departments and increase the company's efficiency as a whole.

Buy ready-made solution

Ready-made software solution usually has a wide range of functionality that can be applied to various business tasks. That allows companies to save development time and start using the software almost immediately after purchase. When choosing a ready-made solution, a company should carefully evaluate its functionality and flexibility to ensure it meets its basic requirements.

Pros of the approach

Customizable functionality

That includes adding modules, integrating with other systems, and customizing program parameters. 

Time-saving

Digital turnkey products are already developed, tested, and ready to use. Purchasing this product saves the company's time they usually spend on requirements analysis, development, and testing solution.

Fast start-up

Ready-made digital products have already been developed and tested, allowing companies to use and benefit quickly. The company can quickly incorporate the product into its business processes and get results without waiting for development to be completed.

Low costs

Buying a ready-made digital product is usually cheaper than developing a solution from scratch. In this case, the company avoids the high costs of hiring developers, requirements analysis, and the development process, which can significantly reduce costs and improve budgetary performance.

Proven solution

Ready-made digital products are usually thoroughly tested and have a proven track record. By purchasing such a product, a company gets a proven solution that has already been used by other customers and has demonstrated its effectiveness.

Cons of the approach

Business process mismatch

The turnkey solution may not meet the company's exact needs or require additional customization and integration with existing systems. In some cases, the company may need help adapting the turnkey solution to specific business processes, which can result in a loss of time and resources.

Limited customization and integration

Ready-made digital products may offer limited customization and integration with other systems or applications to meet unique customer requirements, which may require additional modifications.

Vendor dependency

Buying a ready-made product can create dependence on the supplier of that product. The company will rely on the vendor for support, updates, and bug fixes if any are encountered. If the vendor is unable or unwilling to continue to develop and support the product, the company may find itself in a quandary.

High licensing costs

Buying a ready-made solution can incur significant licensing costs, especially if the company plans to use the product on several workstations or for a large number of users. That can impact the company's budget and reduce financial efficiency.

When a business needs to buy a ready-made digital solution

Urgency

When a company has urgent needs for a specific functional solution, buying a ready-made product can quickly meet those needs. That is especially true if there is no time or resources to develop their solution.

Limited budget

If a company has a limited budget to develop its digital solution, buying a ready-made product can be more cost-effective. It avoids the cost of development and hiring developers and reduces the risks associated with budget and development time.

No need for unique features

Buying a ready-made digital solution may be enough if a company doesn't require specific features and capabilities only available when developing its solution. If the solution offers all the features the company needs, it can avoid developing and testing its product.

Narrow specialization 

Some industries have specialized, ready-made digital solutions designed for specific vertical markets or industries. In such cases, buying such a solution specifically tailored to the needs of an enterprise may be preferable because it already meets that industry's specific requirements and standards.

Summary

Ultimately, choosing between creating custom software and buying a ready-made solution depends on a company's specific needs and goals. If a company has unique business processes or needs full software customization, custom software creation may be preferable. That will allow the company to get a solution that best meets its requirements and contributes to optimizing business processes.

However, ready-made software may be the best option if a company requires a faster, more cost-effective solution. It is essential to carefully study the market for this kind of solution to choose the one that best meets the company's needs and is flexible enough to adapt to individual requirements. It's also important to consider company resources, budget, and timeline.

Ideally, companies can combine both approaches, using ready-made solutions as a foundation and complementing them with custom development to meet unique needs. For example, a company might purchase an off-the-shelf customer relationship management (CRM) system and complete it with the custom development of a module specific to its industry or business process. That strikes a balance between efficiency and flexibility.

If you have an efficient booking app, it brings your business to the 21st century. Nowadays, a website reservation system or a mobile booking app is a must-have for most industries.

Let’s look at the statistics

• E-Travel industry grows by 7.5% every year. Accordingly to this fact, the researchers conclude that the market will reach $1.5B by 2023. In addition, the revenue share of sales channels of the global travel and tourism market will increase up to 72% by 2025. This includes only websites and applications for hotels and transportation. Other online scheduling software like appointment apps and scheduling websites are planned to see a similar boost.
• More than 80% of bookings are made via mobile applications if are talking about travel booking. Because of that, mobile apps are the first choice for people to book tickets and organize the trip.
• According to Statistic Brain Research Institute, every year people spend an average of $148 million on travel bookings online.

What is clear: this is a promising prospect for everyone that thinks about creation a booking website or app.

What are the benefits that can be delivered?

• Gathering information on the clients – with the growing number of clients that like the idea of using online scheduling software, you have collecting data for personalization. It is a great opportunity to come up with special offers and increase sales.
• Building the brand – booking is the first point of contact with your company and your chance to make a first good impression on the clients. If the service and online booking system are user-centricity and convenient in use, have high-quality standards and security, users will have positive feedbacks that increase the number of users and, consequently, promote your band.
• Multiple revenue streams – with an online booking system, you can multiply profits via additional monetization models, such as income from fees, commissions, subscriptions, affiliate programs, ads, etc.

The article demonstrates a detailed guide on how to make a booking app that walks you through all of the essential points.

8 practices for your online booking system

Go through the following list of features to focus on some important aspects regarding how to make a booking website and app successfully. Choosing features that are essential not just for you but also for your customers is the next stage of the production cycle.

Convenient navigation, searching and reservation

User doesn’t like to waste time and wants to make a reservation, so your app should be as intelligible as possible. For better convenience, your app can also include a geolocation option, various spelling options and enable searches by different categories and filters. Good advice to eliminate zero search results by adding suggestions on locations, dates, services etc. – depends on your business.

User’s personal profile

Account page provides access to reservation history and enables custom settings, like currency, language, etc. Because of that, user page is a great place for marketing – it allows you to collect statistics, send newsletters about upcoming events or special offers and many others. However, the user registration process is a pitfall for many businesses. Here’s why: it gives the first impression and users decide if they will stay or drop the app. Make this process as easy as possible and require users to fill out only the key information. It is a great idea of authorization via social networks, for examples Facebook and Instagram, and allows a user to register with only one click.

Multi-language & global currency support

These days, online payment is a required functionality on the booking app. Before considering how to make a booking app, think over payment methods to include. It must be a safe and convenient way to book rooms, tickets, services, tours directly through an application or website. So, the process must be fast, flexible, and transparent, so be sure to include all possible payment methods, such as PayPal, credit card, cash, and design a user-friendly one-page checkout system. A reservation system that offers a secure payment portal will exactly improve your business performance. Also, auto-detected language can increase the user experience.

Data security

During the booking process, app collects a lot of sensitive information like personal information (email, phone), payment information, etc. This data can become a source of immense possibilities for hackers. One thing is clear: invest in security!  

Auto-replies  

Currently, automatic emails are seen as additional and mainly useful tool for business owners in various fields. Email reminders, feedback requests or tips are just a few examples of how companies improve communication with clients using modern technologies.

In-app messenger

In-app messenger is an excellent feature for any booking app, whether it is a travel booking website or appointment scheduler. For the best results, you need to have a support team shooting responses or a pre-programmed chatbot to cover customer questions. By utilizing AI and machine learning technologies, it is possible to provide instant and qualified feedback. However, note that this functionality may take a considerable amount of time and cost to implement.

Push notifications

A well-thought-out notification system makes life easier for users. Check-in and check-out alerts, friendly reminders, or recommendations can increase the level of customer satisfaction. As well, you may include weather notifications, price discounts, and other relevant notifications.

Create a booking website

For making your app perfect and increase prospects for success, the experienced business owner might want to also create a booking website. Usually, a properly built website extends the functionality and offers clients possibilities like access to information on success stories, high-resolution images, reviews, etc. When considering whether to create a booking website, think of the benefits you can get:

1. Presentation of the brand
2. SEO and digital marketing practices for promotional strategies
3. Insight information about user behavior and broad data collection for company strategies
4. Wider audience outreach that provides increasing sales because of cross- and up-selling.
5. Collect customer base via browser searches

So, the idea to create a booking website makes a lot of sense. It is possible to build a web platform in the first product version along with iOS and Android apps. Alternatively, you can plan to launch the booking website in a subsequent version.

Generally, any app functionality, simple or advanced, should be in line with customer expectations.

Talking a little bit about app development

It’s important to discuss and figure out what tech stack of your app, based on your requirements. Tech Stack is the group of technologies used to build mobile or web applications. It is a combination of programming languages, UX/UI design, development environment, framework, utilities, servers, tools, and services used by the development team.

Before designing an application, it is important to think about scope of your project, time to deliver the market, security perspective and scalability. Depending on these factors, you need to choose the technology solution that has the potential to solve these problems.

Important backend development

Building a stronger back-end helps to enhance your front-end as most of the tasks in the front-end are fully dependent on the back-end. Here are some important back end tasks:

• API designing and documentation
• API implementation
• Building business logic
• Database retrieval and storage
• Defining permissions
• Creating test script
• Deployment

Keep your Front-end design simple and intuitive

Your front-end application must be clean and appealing. Here are some tips to build an amazing front-end application.

• Use professional graphics designing tools
• Keep the entire application design relevant and should match the concept.
• Ensure there are no typography errors
• Ensure relevant content should have the same design
• Focus on quality rather than quantity
• Try to match the original design and make the design pixel perfect
• Create an app landing page showcasing the value of your application and encouraging people to download it.

That’s it

The development of a booking system is a complicated process that requires multiple details. Forward-thinking brands have applied these strategies to their campaigns to deliver the best user experiences while achieving high brand promotion. Drop us a line, and we’ll be glad to discuss your idea.

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