Cross-Platform App Development
Cross-platform app development covers building one app that runs on both Android and iOS from a largely shared codebase, using a framework like Flutter or React Native, instead of maintaining two separate native codebases. At Beacon Coders this page's job is different from our other mobile pages: it exists to help you decide between native, Flutter, React Native, and — for some projects — a progressive web app, based on your actual feature list rather than whichever framework we prefer. Build engagements start at ₹3,00,000 / $3,600 and typically run 10 to 16 weeks once the framework decision is made.
The decision, honestly
If your budget or timeline cannot support two native codebases and your feature list does not depend on brand-new platform-specific capabilities, cross-platform is very likely the right call — this is true for most business apps, most MVPs, and most internal tools. Between Flutter and React Native specifically: choose Flutter if visual consistency across platforms matters more than a native look, or if your team has no strong existing framework preference. Choose React Native if your team already works in React on the web and you want to share logic and language, or if you want UI that leans on real native components rather than a rendered layer.
Choose native — Android or iOS — instead of cross-platform when your app depends heavily on features that need day-one access to new OS capabilities, when performance on the lowest-end devices in your market is a hard requirement that a cross-platform bridge could jeopardise, or when your user base is overwhelmingly concentrated on one platform and there is no near-term need for the other. Building both natively when your budget realistically supports one well-built cross-platform app is a common and expensive mistake; so is choosing cross-platform for an app that needs deep, continuous access to bleeding-edge platform features.
For some projects, the honest answer is neither. If your app is mostly content display, a form, or a dashboard with no offline requirement, camera access, or push-notification dependency, a responsive web app under web development may serve your users just as well for a fraction of the cost and with no store review process at all. We will say so during discovery rather than scope a mobile app you do not need.
What's included in cross-platform strategy and build
A framework decision session that maps your feature list against Flutter, React Native, native, and web, with the trade-offs stated plainly rather than defaulting to a house preference
A framework decision session that maps your feature list against Flutter, React Native, native, and web, with the trade-offs stated plainly rather than defaulting to a house preference
A device and platform audit of your actual or expected user base, where analytics exist, to ground the decision in real data rather than assumption
A device and platform audit of your actual or expected user base, where analytics exist, to ground the decision in real data rather than assumption
Architecture planning for shared code versus platform-specific modules, so the build starts with a clear map rather than discovering the split mid-sprint
Architecture planning for shared code versus platform-specific modules, so the build starts with a clear map rather than discovering the split mid-sprint
Full build in the chosen framework, following the same process as our dedicated Flutter and React Native pages
Full build in the chosen framework, following the same process as our dedicated Flutter and React Native pages
Native module development for any feature the chosen framework cannot support natively, scoped explicitly rather than forced into a poor JavaScript or Dart workaround
Native module development for any feature the chosen framework cannot support natively, scoped explicitly rather than forced into a poor JavaScript or Dart workaround
Testing across a real device matrix for both Android and iOS
Testing across a real device matrix for both Android and iOS
Store submission for both platforms, managed directly
Store submission for both platforms, managed directly
A post-launch support agreement covering both platforms under one retainer
A post-launch support agreement covering both platforms under one retainer
What's not included
This page does not include committing you to a specific framework before the decision session — that would defeat its purpose. It does not cover a from-scratch native build for a single platform only, which is scoped directly under Android or iOS development. It does not include marketing website builds or app store advertising (see digital marketing). And if the framework decision is already made and you simply need capacity added to an existing codebase, see hire Flutter developers or hire React Native developers rather than a new build engagement.
Frequently asked questions
How we run the decision process
Discovery here starts with your feature list and target market rather than a framework preference, since the honest answer depends entirely on specifics — team background, budget, timeline, and which native capabilities the app genuinely needs. This sits inside the same discovery stage behind every mobile app development project, extended with a structured comparison document you can review before committing budget to a build. Once the framework is chosen, the build follows the standard two-week sprint cadence, tested against real devices on both platforms throughout.