What are the types of Mobile App Development?
19 Sep

Types of Mobile App Development

Mahipal Nehra

What are the Types of Mobile App Development? In today’s fast-paced digital era, mobile apps have become a part of the day-to-day activities of people, making their lives easier and hassle-free. Be it ordering food, booking a cab, or shopping online, everything can now be accessible at the fingertips via mobile apps.

The field of mobile app development is vast and comprises different types, tools, technologies, methods, and approaches which has made the choice a bit tough. To make it easier for you to understand, with this blog, we will be filling you up on the different types of mobile app development that you can consider for your business.

Read more: Most Popular Types of Software Development

What is Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development is the process of developing apps that are designed specifically to be operated on mobile devices or smartphones and tablets.

The primary platforms on which a mobile app can be operated are Android, iOS, and sometimes even on the web.

Read more: iOS vs. Android: What to Choose for Your Business?

Types of Mobile App Development

The different types of mobile app development are as follows -

1. AR and VR App Development

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) app development, are two different technologies developed to create immersive experiences on mobile devices.

AR app development involves the representation of 3D models, animations, and other digital information in the real-world environment when viewed through the camera of a mobile device or an AR glass. Whereas VR app development helps in providing an immersive 3D experience, isolating the users from the real world, using VR headsets.

2. Cross-Platform App Development

It is one of the famous types of mobile app development approaches that are widely preferred in the market. It involves the designing and development of mobile applications that can be operated on multiple platforms like Android, iOS, and even Windows with a single codebase.

Read moreHow can Android App Development Benefit Your Business

It implies that the developers need to write the code once and can use it on multiple platforms, which in turn also saves time, effort, and money. Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft Office, and SoundCloud are some of the famous cross-platform apps that have a high user base.

Read more: Mobile App Development Cost 

In addition, the cost of cross-platform app development can range from $20,000 to $1,50,000, depending on factors like the design, tech stack, total number of features, the location and hourly charges of the development team, and many more.

Read more: Top 5 Frameworks for Cross-Platform App Development

3. Hybrid App Development

It is another famous mobile app development type, that is popular when it comes to developing mobile apps for businesses, as it combines the elements of both native app development and web development. Its primary feature is that it enables code reusability like cross-platform apps, which implies that the developers can deploy apps on multiple platforms using the same codebase.

types of Mobile App Development

4. IoT App Development

The Internet of Things or IoT app development, refers to a network of interconnected devices like sensors, software, and other devices that enable users to interact with and control IoT devices through their smartphones or tablets to collect and exchange data over the internet.

Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Nest by Google, and SmartThings by Samsung are some of the well-known IoT apps.

Read more: Top 10 IoT Security Threats and Solutions

5. Mobile Game Development

This type of mobile app development is what the name suggests i.e. developing gaming apps for mobile devices. Call of Duty - Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans, Pokémon GO, and Minecraft are some of the well-known mobile games that are widely played by users in the market.

In addition, some of the best mobile game development frameworks include Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot Engine, Cocos2d-x, Phaser, Defold, and many others.

Read more: How to Become a Game Developer?

6. Native App Development

Native app development is one of the most famous types of mobile app development, with a huge demand in the market. Also known as platform-specific development, it is the process of creating mobile apps that are specifically designed and developed to be operated on a specific platform, either Android or iOS.

Read more: How can iOS App Development Benefit Your Business?

Developing these types of apps for your business ensures seamless user experience, enhanced app performance and quality, offline functionality integration, and many others. Xcode, Swift, and Objective-C are some of the famous frameworks used to develop native iOS apps. Android Studio and Kotlin are some of the famous Native Android app development frameworks.

In addition, the cost of developing a native app can range from $20,000 to $2,20,000, and sometimes even more, depending on your business requirements.

7. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

These are web apps that can run on both mobile devices and desktops and laptops, that can be accessed via web browsers, thus providing a native-like experience to the users.

It is a cost-effective solution to consider for a business, that helps in providing an enhanced user experience, alongside being versatile and SEO-friendly, thus helping to attract more customers to your business.

Read: Types of Custom App Development

Furthermore, the cost of progressive web app development can range from $20,000 - $2,50,000, and might even rise to more depending on the design, total features and complexity, the development team, location, and hourly rates of the developers, security integrations, and many more.

Read more: Custom Mobile App Development

8. Wearable App Development

It is a mobile app developed to connect and operate wearable devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearable devices. It provides users with a convenient way to access and perform tasks on wearable devices like checking notifications, tracking fitness data, and others; without having to use their smartphones every time.

WatchKit for Apple Watch, Wear OS for Android, Fitbit SDK, Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin are some of the top wearable app development frameworks that are highly used to develop wearable apps.

Wrapping It Up

In conclusion, there are different types of mobile app development that you can choose from according to the type of your business and its requirements keeping in mind the current market trends and consumer demands.

So, if you are thinking about developing a mobile app for your business, then connect with us, or hire a mobile app developer, to develop different types of mobile applications for your business, and stand out from the crowd.

FAQs: Types of Mobile App Development

What are the different types of platforms for which an app can be developed?

There are two primary types of platforms for which an app can be developed i.e. Android and iOS.

What are some of the famous mobile app development frameworks?

Some of the most popular mobile app development frameworks are React Native, ionic, Flutter, Xamarin, Apache Cordova, Onsen UI, Angular, PhoneGap, Kotlin, React, Node, Meteor, and many more.

What are the different mobile app monetization strategies?

The different ways in which a mobile app can be monetized are in-app purchases, in-app advertising, subscription models, freemium models, sponsorships and partnerships, and many others.

Posted by Mahipal Nehra | Posted at 19 Sep, 2023 Web