Technically speaking, mobile apps in iOS, Android, and Windows Phone are coded using different programming languages. An iOS app uses Objective-C, an Android app is coded with Java, while a Windows Phone application uses .NET.
However, with decent knowledge in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, you can build awesome mobile apps. Therefore, in this blog we are going to discuss top JavaScript mobile app frameworks:-
You may also like: 9 Top JavaScript Frameworks List In Today’s Time(updated)
For custom javascript mobile app development, JavaScript has been a promising programming language and it’s not going anywhere in the near future. However, does JavaScript has the same impact on mobile app development?
Let’s find out. Here are 9 top JavaScript mobile app frameworks for mobile app development as per our research at ValueCoders:
9 Top JavaScript Frameworks for Mobile
1) PhoneGap/Cordova
PhoneGap (distribution of Apache Cordova) is a software development framework that helps you to reuse your existing web development skills to quickly make hybrid mobile applications built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Hence, this is not exactly a JavaScript mobile app framework, however, it’s important for you to know about PhoneGap before you get started.
PhoneGap works as a medium between your web application codes and mobile OS APIs. This diagram will help you understand better:
Courtesy: phonegap.com
With the help of PhoneGap, you can use the same codes that you wrote in JavaScript, HTML & CSS and generate APIs for mobile OS like Android and iOS.
Apart from PhoneGap, there are a few more frameworks that can help convert your JavaScript files to mobile APIs. Xamarin, ionic, Corona are some honorable mentions.
Related: Xamarin or ionic: which one to choose?
2) Titanium
Appcelerator’s Titanium is an open-source application development platform that allows creating native apps (mobile and desktop) using web technologies, such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. The Titanium Mobile SDK is one of the most popular cross-platform mobile development solution in use today with over 916109 mobile developers and 460, 587, 474 devices are running Accelerator powered apps. Build high quality, scalable, and interactive hybrid apps with the help of custom cross-platform app development.
Development Services
Here is the architecture of how Titanium works:
Read More: Top 15 Front-end Development Tools In 2018
3) jQuery Mobile
jQuery Mobile framework takes the “write less, do more” agenda to the next level. It is one of the top JavaScript mobile app frameworks for mobile to build an application or mobile-friendly website.
jQuery Mobile supports a number of user interfaces that are compatible with modern platforms such as Android, iOS and to the earliest of platforms such as Opera Mini and Nokia Symbian. With the help of PhoneGap, you can integrate your jQuery web app code to an interactive iOS or Android application.
Read More: Top JavaScript Frameworks & Libraries to Accelerate Your Software Development
4) Sencha Touch
Sencha Touch(similar to Ext JS) is said to be the only framework that offers optimal solutions to developers create fast and impressive mobile applications that work on Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, and more. It comes with lots of creative and useful components that work efficiently on all types of mobile applications. Here is a glimpse of the features.
Here is a feature comparison of the above four frameworks
5) React Native
If you are fond of Native mobile applications, you are majorly left with two options- Xamarin and React Native. Xamarin allows you only to write the same kind of code while programming natively – similar interface design tools & similar calls.
Related: 10 Advantages of iOS App Development For Businesses In 2018
React Native (from Facebook) on the other hand, takes an entirely different path toward native app development – JavaScript code, CSS-alike stylesheets and all-too-familiar, HTML-alike tags for layout. Here’s a graph for a clear understanding of React Native popularity-
Hence, if your team is already React friendly, then React Native can be a good choice for you.
To know more about ReactJS: 5 reasons to choose Facebook’s ReactJS
6) Meteor
Meteor is yet another JavaScript mobile app framework that can help you develop in interactive mobile applications. Meteor not only allows your JavaScript code for mobile apps but also it gives you ongoing control over your app. With this feature, you can update the JavaScript code without developer’s help and use the hot code push function to immediately deploy the changes to users on all mobile platforms.
Another specialty of Meteor(version: 1.0) is that it maintains a local copy of data by implementing its miniMongo database in phone internal memory. All of the phone-to-server data communication and synchronization is provided by Meteor. miniMongo is a JavaScript implementation of the MongoDB API. Here’s the architecture-
Related: Advantages of Meteor JS For Development
7) NativeScript
NativeScript is a Telerik invention for building multi-platform native mobile applications from a single code source. The NativeScript site and GitHub page depict the runtime as empowering developers to utilize JavaScript and TypeScript ( even Angular 2.0) to build native apps for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone (using the Windows Universal system) and offer code over the platforms.
Here is the architecture that NativeScript follows-
8) Rachet
Ratchet is another essential element in the top JavaScript frameworks for mobile development list. It aims to provide developers & designers with a framework for building mobile applications and web applications. The framework is created by the same team that brought the popular Bootstrap framework to you, which assures the high quality of Ratchet. Whether you want to target Android, iOS, or both, Ratchet 2.x is up for the job.
9) Mobile Angular UI
One of the top JavaScript frameworks for mobile is ‘Mobile Angular UI”. If you are an Angular fan, then this framework is for you. It provides essential mobile components that Bootstrap 3 misses. Switches, overlays, scrollable areas, sidebars, absolute positioned top and bottom navbars that don’t bounce on the scroll are some of the features to mention.
Related: Top 10 Advantages of Using AngularJS for App Development
However, with the release of Angular 2, concepts have changed a bit. So for Angular 2 admirers Onsen UI 2.0 can be a good choice.
The bottom line:
Choosing the right JavaScript framework for mobile is never about the number of features that the particular framework can offer. It’s about the true functionality of the framework and how that functionality can be applied properly within your own mobile app development project. Hence, choose one these top JavaScript mobile frameworks as per your project needs and save time and cost.
There is another way to save time and cost. Hire dedicated development teams from ValueCoders (a leading software development company in India). We deliver excellent mobile app development solutions to build your business app. Our custom cross-platform app development service is best in the industry and we also offer custom mobile application development services with the following benefits:
1. Zero billing guarantee
2. Pro-level Teams
3. Guaranteed SLAs
4. Flexible Hiring Models
PhoneGap was my first preference before I came to know about React Native framework. However I used PhoneGap for couple of years but now this brand new React Native framework is at the top of my list.
Or just build native apps with … https://ionicframework.com/
I’m surprised Framework 7 (https://framework7.io) is not on the list, but Ratchet is. F7 has way more components and more advanced than Ratchet, yet you left it out.
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Very important JavaScript Frameworks described here excellently. Thanks for sharing
Become a master app developer for android and iOS
Which one is better for Detecting sensors , performance and quick development.
Thank you for sharing your article. This is very informative article to mobile apps development frameworks.
Keep it up.
Very good written article. subheading and info graphics give the more clarity to the topic. Keep doing what you are doing – can’t wait to read more posts. I read many article and i found http://nichedatafactory.com/2017/06/6-latest-trends-in-android-app-development-to-beat-the-competition/ this is very impressive blog related to latest trends, if you want to known about the trends then go through it
Thanks for the questions @Grauknot:disqus , it’s great that you made such an effort for the improvement of the blog. I am glad to answer all your question- Here are the answers
1) At ValueCoders we have a large base of 450+ experienced developers who know JavaScript and mobile application development very well. Hence, we have a large source of information for our research. However, I apologize that I can’t reveal the process of our research.
2) Many people get confused with PhoneGap and Cordova. They think that they are two completely different identities. Only software professionals like you and me are aware of the real difference. However, thanks for giving your thoughts as a reader.
3) This is not a ranking list. This is a list with 9 top JavaScript frameworks for mobile. I haven’t mentioned it anywhere that PhoneGap is No-1 or jQuery is no-2 or 3.
4) If you have noticed that this list is for JavaScript admirers. I have mentioned Meteor as it is a pure JavaScript framework which Ionic & Xamarin are not. For the same reason I have mentioned Angular UI & Rachet.
For details about Ionic and Xamarin please visit
6) For the numbers regarding Titanium, I have rephrased according to your suggestion.
Some questions:
1) You start out by saying “[…] as per our research at ValueCoders”. How did you go about doing this research? What methods did you use to come up with the 9 “top” frameworks?
2) PhoneGap is not known as Apache Cordova anymore, that was years ago. PhoneGap is a product by Adobe, Cordova is a product by Apache (which was donated to them by Adobe). You should also revise the rest of that section.
3) Appcelerator Titanium does not power >460 million apps (that would be ridiculous). However, >460 million devices are running at least one Appcelerator-based app.
4) How did jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch land this high on the list? Again, how did you come up with these results?
5) You “honourably” mention Ionic as part of the PhoneGap/Cordova section, but you have your own section for Meteor. Why? Meteor is also Cordova. Ionic should’ve had its own section, it’s vastly superior to several of the frameworks you’ve listed.
6) Xamarin does not work in the same way as PhoneGap, and should seriously have its own section.
7) Ratchet’s last commit was 9 months ago. For decision-making purposes, listing it in this blog post does not seem like a good idea.
8) Seems odd that you list Mobile Angular UI instead of Ionic…