Cross-platform app development
Cross platform app development company for iOS and Android from one codebase
We are a cross platform app development company in Lahore building iOS and Android apps from a single codebase, mostly with Flutter and React Native, for clients in the USA, UK, UAE, Europe and Australia. We pick the framework to fit your product and team, not our habits, and we tell you plainly when native would serve you better.
- Flutter and React Native specialists
- One codebase, two store releases
- Native modules when the platform demands it
- Code in your repository from day one
What cross-platform app development actually means
Cross-platform development means writing most of an app once and shipping it to both the App Store and Google Play. The result is two real, installable native apps, not a website in a wrapper. Apple’s App Review guideline 4.2 rejects thin web wrappers, and well-built Flutter or React Native apps are not that.
The frameworks differ in how they draw the interface. Flutter renders every pixel itself with its own engine. React Native maps your components to the platform’s real native views. Kotlin Multiplatform app development shares business logic in Kotlin and lets you choose shared or native UI. Those differences decide performance, look and feel, and who on your team can maintain the code.
Two framework pages go deeper. Our Flutter app development service covers pixel-consistent, design-heavy apps. Our React Native app development service suits teams already working in JavaScript or TypeScript.
Our two main frameworks
Most of our cross-platform work uses one of these two. Each has its own page with architecture, examples and FAQs.
Flutter
Google’s UI toolkit, written in Dart. Since Flutter 3.27, the Impeller renderer is the default on iOS and on Android API 29 and above, which removed most of the shader stutter older Flutter apps suffered on first run. Strong choice for branded, animation-rich apps that should look identical on both platforms.
React Native
Meta’s framework, written in JavaScript or TypeScript. React Native 0.76 made the New Architecture (JSI, the Fabric renderer, TurboModules and bridgeless mode) the default, removing the old bridge bottleneck. Strong choice when you have React web developers or want to share logic with a web app.
Flutter vs React Native vs Kotlin Multiplatform vs .NET MAUI
A practical comparison of the four options buyers ask us about. There is no universal winner; there is a best fit for your product, team and timeline.
| Flutter | React Native | Kotlin Multiplatform | .NET MAUI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Dart | JavaScript / TypeScript | Kotlin | C# |
| How UI is drawn | Own rendering engine (Impeller default since 3.27) | Real native views via the Fabric renderer | Native UI per platform, or shared UI with Compose Multiplatform | Native controls through .NET abstractions |
| Current state | Mature; Impeller is the only renderer on iOS | New Architecture default and production-ready since 0.76 | Compose Multiplatform for iOS stable since 1.8.0 (May 2025) | Successor to Xamarin.Forms; Xamarin support ended May 1, 2024 |
| Code shared | UI and logic, very high | UI and logic, high | Logic always; UI optional | UI and logic, high |
| Best fit | Branded, design-led consumer apps; MVPs | Teams with React web skills; apps sharing logic with web | Teams with Android/Kotlin skills; apps needing native UI | Microsoft-centric enterprises; Xamarin migrations |
| Watch out for | Larger app size; platform look must be designed in | Third-party libraries lagging on the New Architecture | Smaller library ecosystem for shared UI | Smaller mobile talent pool and community |
Sources: React Native 0.76 release notes, JetBrains Compose Multiplatform 1.8.0 announcement, Microsoft Xamarin support policy. For a deeper head-to-head, read our honest Flutter vs React Native comparison.
When cross-platform is the right call, and when native wins
Cross-platform is the right call for most business apps: marketplaces, booking, e-commerce, fintech dashboards, internal tools, social and content apps. These are mostly lists, forms, media and API calls, and they work just as well from one shared codebase. If you need both stores at launch on one budget, this is usually where we start.
Native wins when the app is the platform feature. Heavy real-time camera or audio processing, advanced Bluetooth and background work, complex widgets and Apple Watch apps, games-like graphics, or a product that must adopt each new iOS and Android feature on release day: these favour Swift and Kotlin. So does an app that only needs one platform, where a cross-platform layer adds complexity without saving anything.
Plenty of products land in between: a cross-platform app with a few native modules for the hard parts. Our guide to native vs cross-platform development walks through the decision with examples, and our iOS and Android teams handle the native side.
Choose cross-platform if
- You need iOS and Android at launch
- Most screens are lists, forms, media and API calls
- One team should own the whole app
- Budget matters more than day-one OS features
- You are testing a product idea with an MVP
How much does cross-platform save?
The saving comes from writing and maintaining one codebase instead of two. According to Clutch’s app development cost guide, building separate native iOS and Android apps roughly doubles the cost compared with one cross-platform build. The same guide reports that most projects reviewed on Clutch fall between $10,000 and $49,999.
The saving is real but not total. Design, mobile app backend development, QA on both platforms, store submission and project management cost roughly the same either way. Native modules for platform-specific features add back some engineering. Over the life of the app, the bigger win is often app maintenance: one set of bug fixes, one release train, one team.
For a fuller breakdown of what drives the number, see our app development cost guide.
Want both stores on one budget?
Send your feature list. We will tell you whether Flutter, React Native or native fits best, which features need native modules, and what a single-codebase build would involve.
Code sharing in practice: what is shared and what is not
Vendors like to quote one sharing percentage. In practice it depends on the layer, and on how much your app touches the device.
| Layer | Typically shared? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business logic, validation, state | Almost always | Pricing rules, cart logic, form validation and API models are written once |
| Networking and data storage | Almost always | Shared API clients, caching and offline storage |
| UI screens | Mostly | Flutter shares nearly all UI; React Native shares most, with occasional platform tweaks |
| Platform conventions | Partly | Back navigation, date pickers, permission prompts and haptics often need per-platform handling |
| Device features | Via plugins or custom code | Camera, Bluetooth, payments and health data use plugins or our own native modules |
| Platform-only features | No | Home screen widgets, Apple Watch and Wear OS apps, Live Activities are written in Swift or Kotlin |
In Flutter, custom native code connects through platform channels; in React Native, through TurboModules. We budget for these explicitly instead of assuming 100% sharing.
How we work as a cross platform app development company
It follows our standard delivery process, with checks that keep a shared codebase honest on both platforms.
Framework decision on evidence
During discovery we list every device feature and integration, check plugin maturity for each (including Firebase and payment SDKs), and recommend a framework in writing, with the reasons.
Design for both platforms
Our mobile app UI/UX design team decides where the app should look identical and where it should follow iOS or Android conventions.
Spike the risky parts first
Payments, maps, Bluetooth or background work get a working prototype in the first sprint, so a plugin gap surfaces before it can derail the schedule.
Sprints with builds on both stores
Each two-week sprint ends with a TestFlight build and a Play Console internal testing build from the same commit.
QA on both platforms
Shared code does not mean shared bugs. Our mobile app testing services cover real iPhones and Android devices across price tiers, and run security checks against OWASP MASVS.
Release and keep frameworks current
Both store submissions, then post-launch support that keeps Flutter or React Native, plugins and SDK targets current as Apple and Google change their rules.
Hire Flutter or React Native developers
If you have a product team and need engineering capacity, you can hire Flutter developers or hire React Native developers on a dedicated or staff-augmentation basis, with a two-week trial before you commit.
Already running on Xamarin? Microsoft ended Xamarin support on May 1, 2024. Our Xamarin migration services assess whether .NET MAUI, Flutter or React Native is the better destination for your app and team. Moving to MAUI means converting projects to SDK-style, not a rewrite, though Xamarin.watchOS code cannot be upgraded. For a head-to-head on the newest option, read Kotlin Multiplatform vs Flutter.
Cross-platform apps we have shipped
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Cross-platform app development: frequently asked questions
Is a cross-platform app as good as a native app?
For most business apps, users cannot tell the difference. Flutter and React Native both produce real native apps, and both have modernised their rendering: Flutter with Impeller, React Native with its New Architecture. Native still wins for heavy camera, audio or graphics work, deep OS features like widgets and watch apps, and products that must adopt new OS features on release day.
Should I choose Flutter or React Native?
Choose Flutter for design-led apps that should look identical on both platforms, or when starting fresh with no existing codebase. Choose React Native if your team already works in React and TypeScript, or you want to share logic with a web app. Both are production-ready. We recommend one after checking your required features against each ecosystem’s plugin support.
How much cheaper is cross-platform than building two native apps?
Clutch’s app development cost guide reports that separate native iOS and Android apps roughly double the cost of one cross-platform build. The actual saving depends on your app: design, backend, QA and project management cost about the same either way, while native modules add some engineering back. Maintenance is often where one codebase saves most over time.
How much code is shared between iOS and Android?
Business logic, networking and data storage are almost always fully shared. Most UI is shared too, especially in Flutter. Platform conventions such as back navigation and permission prompts need some per-platform handling, and features like widgets or Apple Watch apps are written natively. We list these per feature during discovery instead of quoting a single percentage.
What about Kotlin Multiplatform and .NET MAUI?
Kotlin Multiplatform suits teams with Kotlin skills who want to share logic while keeping native UI, and Compose Multiplatform for iOS has been stable since May 2025 for shared UI. .NET MAUI app development suits Microsoft-centric organisations and Xamarin migrations. We will recommend either when it fits better than Flutter or React Native.
Can you migrate our Xamarin app?
Yes. Microsoft ended Xamarin support on May 1, 2024; Xamarin.Forms apps move to .NET MAUI and Xamarin.iOS or Xamarin.Android apps to .NET for iOS and Android. We audit your app first, then compare migrating to .NET MAUI with rebuilding in Flutter or React Native, based on code quality, team skills and your roadmap.
Can a cross-platform app use native device features?
Yes. Camera, location, Bluetooth, biometrics, payments and push notifications all have mature plugins in Flutter and React Native. When a plugin is missing or not good enough, we write a native module in Swift or Kotlin and connect it through platform channels or TurboModules. We test risky features in the first sprint.
Get a stack recommendation with reasons
Book a 30-minute scoping call with a cross platform app development company that will also tell you when not to go cross-platform. We will go through your features and team, recommend Flutter, React Native or native with reasons, and outline what a first release would include.