Top 10 Open-Source Development Platforms You Can Use to Build Your App

The app development market is growing fast, and the end user’s cravings for new applications keep increasing. About 1,009 new iOS applications and 2,770 android apps are published every day. Owing to the demand and popularity of mobile applications, it is highly likely that organization leaders have plans to create an app to represent their firm.

But did you know that developing a new app that integrates all your organization’s functionalities and features requires significant financial investment and time? Then what should you do? Well, open-source development platforms are the solution to help you cut down your app development costs and time.

Here, we have compiled a list of 10 open-source development platforms you can use to create your app. But before diving into the list, let’s define open-source development platforms.

What is an Open-Source Development Platform?

An open-source development platform is a software designed for developers and not for profit. As a result, the source code is accessible to anyone to view, distribute, and modify as they see fit. Generally, it is built in a collaborative and decentralized way, depending on community production and peer review.

Let’s get started on the list without further ado, shall we?

1. Mendix

On top of our list is Mendix, which utilizes Cloud-Native at the infrastructure level for resiliency, scalability, and portability across different cloud service providers. This open-source development platform offers both low-code and no-code. According to Gartner forecast, low-code development will account for over 65% of total app development activity by 2024, making Mendix a future-proof platform.

The Mendix platform is equipped with advanced features to ease how you can build your next enterprise app. For instance, it is an all-in-one platform that supports AI-assisted development. Therefore, it leverages Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help you model and build Mendix applications faster, maintaining high quality and consistency. With such features, this open-source app development platform enables you to detect and auto-fix issues in your app and recommends the next course of action.

2. Jasonette

Jasonette is another open-source development software licensed under MIT. This platform uses the markup-based approach to creating cross-platform native applications. The key features you’ll enjoy from using this platform include:

• You can integrate Jasonette smoothly with an existing native code.
• It operates like your web browser, and you can access it using JSON.
• You can make live changes to your app through the live native application.

With Jasonette, you don’t have to do any programming or incur extra hosting charges. However, it has few debugging options.

3. Android Studio

This open-source app development platform provides highly customizable features. As a result, it delivers bespoke outcomes. Its smart code editor offers auto-completion for Java, C, C++, and Kotlin languages, letting you build your app faster. Also, it has a fast emulator for testing different configurations and features. Furthermore, Android Studio has in-built profiling tools that offer real-time statistics on CPU, network, and memory.

On the flip side, this development platform demands a high-performance system, and the initial build time can be longer.

4. Flutter

Flutter is among the best open-source development platforms for building hybrid applications. Google’s User Interface (UI) toolkit enables you to develop desktop, web, and mobile apps from a single codebase. It supports the Skia graphics engine, C++, and C. With video tutorials uploaded by Google, users can learn how to use this platform effectively. Also, it has a hot reload feature, easing the development process.

However, Flutter’s library collection is not that rich and lacks access to device-oriented APIs, such as GPS and Bluetooth.

5. Appy Pie

Like Mendix, Appy Pie is a no-code open-source application development platform you should consider to build your app. This platform’s users have developed about 2 million applications, proudly branding it as “the fastest growing cloud-based mobile applications builder software.”

You can build hybrid, HTML5, blackberry, windows, iOS, and Android apps with Appy Pie. Also, thanks to its AI-driven no-code editor, you don’t need the technical know-how to build an app. However, all its advanced features are under subscription modules.

6. Apache Cordova

This open-source development platform allows you to build cross-platform applications using various programming languages, like Java, CSS, and HTML. The apps you create with Apache Cordova can run effectively on different platforms with one codebase. Also, you can use third-party development tools and integrate several libraries to build a unique app. Additionally, this platform is known for fast build cycles and debugging.

However, its UI is less interactive, and users unfamiliar with programming languages cannot use it.

7. AppMySite

AppMySite is an ideal open-source development software for beginners as it promises to build applications without coding. It features many customizable templates, and all apps are ready to be published in application stores. Thanks to its endless, easy-to-use features, you can create premium native apps that are optimized for performance.

On the flip side, this platform does support all WordPress plugins. Also, it doesn’t work well with custom post types.

8. Ionic

The Ionic open-source development platform offers a wide range of features, enabling you to create interactive and appealing cross-platform applications. This software is written in JavaScript and licensed by MIT. Its library offers over 100 plugins and includes interactive typography, mobile components, paradigms, and an extensible base theme. What’s more, you’ll enjoy tailor-made, unique solutions and constant support from the Ionic community.

However, it doesn’t offer the hot reloading feature. Also, most of the features are usable upon activating the subscription option.

9. Felgo

Felgo is a single codebase, an open-source development platform that boasts high-end user support. It supports the building of cross-platform apps and 3D modeling, making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to build 3D games for their company.

Also, this software has a hot reload feature, fostering rapid app development. Moreover, you can use the Felgo cloud to develop and deploy applications from the cloud. However, it takes some time to become handy with this software.

10. Xamarin

Xamarin is an open-source development platform that allows you to build cross-platform using a shared native interface. Its rise to fame is because users can automatically test their applications on about 2,000 mobile devices in real time. This software uses .NET and C# languages.

Xamarin is powered by Microsoft, making it high-performance software. However, it has more bugs and limited resources to manage them.

Final Thought

Building your next app should not cost you a lot of time and resources. Using the top open-source development platforms can reduce development and deployment costs thanks to advanced features like hot reload. So, what are you waiting for? Try the best open-source app development platform today!