Ionic Mobile App Development: Pros and Cons

Are you thinking about developing a mobile app, but aren’t sure which framework to use?

Well, deciding on an app development framework is not an easy task. Every framework available in the market, be it Flutter, React Native or Ionic has its advantages. But there is one feature that makes the Ionic framework better than others — its affordability.

In this blog, we will discuss the Ionic framework and its advantages and disadvantages.

So, let’s dig in.

What is Ionic?

Developing an app, using the native app development approach, requires much time and effort as a developer needs to write a new code for every platform.

With the competition getting tough with every second passing by, it makes no sense to spend that much time, effort, and money on developing apps.

Thus enters the cross-platform app development approach. This approach allows developers to write a single code for every platform

Cross-platform apps can be developed using numerous frameworks and tools available in the market, one of which is Ionic.

Introduced in 2013 by Drifty Co, Ionic is an app development tool that allows developers to build full-fledged apps for both iOS and Android using their existing web development skills and without needing any deep platform-specific knowledge.

Features of Ionic

1. Growth

According to Statista, among the cross-platform mobile frameworks, Ionic framework was used 28% and 18% in 2019 and 2020 respectively to develop cross-platform apps worldwide.

2. Compatible Platforms

Ionic supports Android 4.4+, iOS 8+, and Windows 10.

3. User Interface

To give a native-like experience, it uses the Cordova wrapper to access native platform controllers.

4. Programming Languages

The Ionic open-source framework is free, while an Ionic pro version is also available which costs around $120/month.

The pros of Ionic mobile app development

According to Appbrain, Ionic covers over 3.2 percent of the whole mobile app market. Here are some advantages of using Ionic:

• The developer only needs to write one code for every platform which saves much time and effort.
• Fewer codes mean less cost of developing and maintaining a codebase.
• The Ionic framework uses web technologies to give a native-like look to the app. Therefore, there is no need to hire native developers.
• Apps made using the Ionic framework can be easily maintained via built-in browser instruments and debugging tools.
• The Ionic framework allows developers to easily transfer mobile apps into desktop apps.
• The developer doesn’t need a deep platform-specific knowledge as Ionic is easy to understand and even offers various web frameworks to choose from.
• Developers only need to know basic programming languages like Angular, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There is no need for Java and Swift or Objective-C.
• Ionic Framework offers a wide range of plugins and UI components to make the app development process effortless.
• Being an open-source framework, Ionic is supported by the best developers across the globe. Therefore, if a developer faces any kind of problem while developing an app, he can get help from Ionic development forums.

The cons of Ionic mobile app development

• When it comes to heavy application development like gaming apps, Ionic is not the best framework to use as it takes its graphic elements via a browser which takes several steps to show the image on the screen. The heavy graphic app puts more steps in between, thus creating more loading time.
• Though there are numerous ready-made plugins in the Ionic framework, in some cases, these plugins don’t match the requirements, and the developer needs to develop the plugin himself.
• Ionic doesn’t allow developers to use native codes for developing native plugins. For implementing native plugins, it needs to be transformed into JavaScript.
• Sometimes native plugins aren’t stable and can clash with each other.
• Developing an app using the Ionic framework can raise some security issues in both native as well as web apps. So, the developer needs to be cautious at all times.
• Ionic doesn’t provide hot reloading, which means it does not allow the developer to make any changes without reloading the whole app. Ionic uses live reloading instead.
• Ionic has complicated debugging which makes it harder to spot errors.

Conclusion

Each framework has its advantages and disadvantages and so does Ionic. Choosing the best framework and tool for your project must consider your project’s requirements.

If you are interested in creating an app with Ionic, then a leading mobile app development company like Jellyfish Technologies is the right choice for you.

Jellyfish Technologies is a reliable mobile app development company. It provides native as well as hybrid mobile app development services for Android and iPhone.