Mobile app development is a crucial milestone for every business planning to expand its reach. A mobile application is the primary tool for enhanced customer experience and 24/7 communication and connectivity with customers.
The smoother and the more user-friendly the app, the higher the chances of conversion and the higher the revenues. And the technology stack plays a pivotal role in the app’s performance.
Often, a business founder might find it confusing to choose the right technology for his/her business application.
Rather than blindly trusting your chosen mobile app development company, it is best to have some background knowledge about the tech stack, even before choosing the mobile app development services.
In this blog, we are providing 7 tips for business founders that will help them to be sure of the chosen technology stack.
With this blog, the founders will be able to analyse whether a tech partner is recommending the right tech stack. So, let’s scroll down and explore those 7 valuable tips:
#1 Understand the Meaning of Technology Stack Before Starting with Mobile App Development
A technology stack is not just some development framework; rather, it is the complete set of various components used in building a mobile application.
The tech stack decides how an app looks, works, and performs. An app or any other software product basically has two aspects:
- Front End – The User Interface
The front end of an app is the visual part that a user can interact with – the UI/UX, typography, buttons, navigation, and animations.
Front-end development requires a UI/UX designer or a graphic designer, and a front-end engineer with knowledge of certain programming, markup, and styling languages such as Swift, Java, Dart, Kotlin (programming), HTML (markup), and CSS (Styling).
- Backend – Server Side Logic
Backend, as the name suggests, is behind the scenes of mobile app development. The backend structure is responsible for the data processing, communication, business logic, and authentication to deliver the final response on the front end.
In simple words, the backend is the engine, while the front-end is the train. For backend development, mobile app developers use standard programming languages such as Python, Java, PHP, JavaScript, etc.
To build the backend and front-end of a mobile application, the following components of the technology stack matter:
Programming Languages
For writing the code, a mobile app developer would use certain programming languages as discussed above.
The choice of programming language depends upon the phase of development (front-end or backend), application logic, and performance, scalability, and compatibility expectations from the app.
Development Frameworks
These days, mobile application developers can offer low-code development using smart development frameworks.
Development frameworks are tools that come with pre-written code libraries and structures. For example, React native, Flutter, Django, and Angular.
Database Management Systems (DBMS)
Next comes the storage of the application. How does a mobile application remember users’ login details, passwords, the last activities, profile details, etc.? It is the database management system (DBMS) that stores such data.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
APIs are the quick-fix solutions to get complex functionalities in less time and effort. Through API integration, a mobile app can get certain features without having to code from scratch.
Say, for example, taxi booking apps like Uber use Google Maps for live tracking, route optimisation, and navigation.
However, rather than building the ‘Maps’ from scratch, which is too time-consuming an idea, such applications use the Google Maps API.
Likewise, for online payments, WhatsApp chat, in-app chatting, and calling, and various other such features, API integration plays an important role.
Server & Hosting
To make an app function and respond, a server and hosting infrastructure are the core requirements.
Simply put, it is the infrastructure where the mobile app developers deploy the mobile application.
These days, serverless hosting and cloud hosting solutions are trending as they minimise the deployment time and provide a frictionless hosting experience.
Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Digital Ocean are some examples of hosting providers.
Security Layer
Next comes the security layer. For user safety while using the app, data protection, authentication, encryption, and authorization are necessary.
Through security layers such as SSL, OAuth, JWT authentication, and data encryption, an application development team ensures user security.
#2 Finalise the Target OS (Android, iOS, or Both)
Now that you are clear about the meaning of the technology stack, you have to determine the target Operating System (OS). The OS decides the development framework.
Android, iOS, or both versions – you need to decide the target platform before approaching a mobile app development company to share your requirements. To understand better, let us first explore how it makes a difference:
Native App Development
When you choose to build either an iOS or an Android mobile application, the process is called native app development.
Both Android and iOS apps need different development frameworks, programming languages, and content moderation.
iOS App Development
An iOS app development company follows the review and development guidelines of Apple’s App Store.
Apps built for Apple devices have to fit into Apple’s ecosystem, which has strict data encryption and privacy rules.
Swift, Objective-C, UIKit, and SwiftUI are some primary technologies for building iOS applications.
Android App Development
On the contrary, an Android app development company builds an application as per the guidelines set by the Google Play Store.
Android applications need to adjust according to different screen sizes, device types, and OS versions, making flexibility the core requirement in Android app development services.
Therefore, Android application development requires different frameworks, programming languages, and UI/UX designs.
The primary tech stack for Android apps includes Kotlin, Android Studio, Android SDK, and Jetpack Compose.
Cross-Platform App Development
Most of the business founders make a smart choice in mobile app development by choosing cross-platform apps.
In India, almost 50% of smartphone users have Android devices, and the remaining 50% have iOS devices.
However, building iOS and Android apps separately using different technology stacks is time-consuming and costly. That’s where the role of cross-platform technology comes in.
#3 Choose ‘Standard’ Over ‘Trending’ Technologies
Often, business founders commit a common mistake in mobile app development. That one mistake is choosing the ‘latest’ and ‘trending’ technology stack without testing its credibility.
PhoneGap, Meteor.js, Parse, Backbone.js, and Windows Phone App Ecosystem are some prominent examples of technologies that were initially hyped, but then vanished.
Such situations challenge the scalability and even the survival of the product built using these technologies.
Therefore, always choose a tech stack that is standard, trusted, and age-old. MERN and MEAN Stacks are ideal for scalable products.
Technologies such as React Native, React JS, Node JS, Python, JavaScript, CSS, Swift, Objective C, Kotlin, etc. that have been existing for years are more reliable.
Such technologies have large community support, and eventually, their maintenance is easier and more hassle-free.
#4 Connect with Multiple Developers, Not Sales Executives For Discussion
For better clarity on the tech stack, we recommend connecting with real mobile app developers, and not just sales executives of different mobile app development companies.
Whenever you choose an app development partner, make sure that you arrange a one-on-one consulting session with their app development team. Especially, a Sr. Developer can provide you with the best clarity.
A sales executive would like to ‘sell’ what is most profitable for him/her and the company. On the contrary, a developer would like to ‘build’ which is scalable, reliable, and high-performance to strengthen his/her portfolio and LinkedIn profile.
#5 Choose a Tech Stack With Promising Scalability
Furthermore, always look for scalability in a tech stack. A smart startup chooses lean startup methodology. Eventually, they follow the MVP development approach.
When a development team uses the MVP approach, they start by building the most basic version of the app and then scale the product in multiple phases.
Safer and more budget-friendly, this approach is right for early-stage founders and experimental, first-of-its-kind mobile applications.
Therefore, choosing a scalable & MVP-friendly tech stack is ideal.
Currently, MERN, MEAN, Flutter, React Native, and Spring Boot are some reliable technologies with promising scalability.
#6 Consider Post-Development Maintenance Cost
After the deployment, you will need to spend a little periodically for app software updates, bug-fixing, API upgrades, security patches, and scalability. Different tech stacks have different maintenance costs. Therefore, choosing a tech stack with low community support is what we don’t recommend.
Tech stack with low community support lacks open-source maintenance compatibility, and therefore, it is expensive. So, always choose a technology stack that is open-source for low maintenance cost.
#7 Plan for Agentic AI & Normal AI Features
Artificial Intelligence(AI) is a highly booming technology these days. AI is making life 10x faster and easier day by day. Businesses are leveraging AI technologies such as Agentic AI, Image Recognition, Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, and more to elevate the user experience and simplify business processes.
For AI-friendly mobile app development, Python-based development, microservices-based infrastructure, and cloud models are what we highly recommend. Therefore, choose the AI App Development Company over others.
Summary
The right technology is the foundation of success for a business planning to build a mobile app for its growth. Choosing the tech stack wisely can help a business scale effortlessly, automate smartly, and spend reasonably on mobile app development and post-development maintenance.
Wise startup founders choose a scalable, reliable, and promising technology stack over short-lived, trendy technologies. They adopt lean development and encourage phased roll-outs for safer market launch.
Furthermore, choosing cost-efficient and AI-friendly app infrastructure is a future-proof strategic business move. Therefore, founders must choose a tech stack wisely with complete research, rather than choosing a tech stack under the influence of the chosen mobile app development company or ‘trending hypes’.
FAQs
- How To Choose the Right Mobile App Development Company?
When choosing the right mobile app development company, a business founder must book a consultation with their development team, gather insights about their previous work, and then research the company on Google to check its reviews, public image, and reviews on reliable platforms.
- Which is the Best Android App Development Company?
It is impractical to tag any company as ‘the best Android app developer’, because the choice of an app development company depends upon various factors. The previous experience, the service model, the development procedure, and even industry-wise expertise. Therefore, robust market research is important before choosing any development partner.
- How to Identify the Best iOS App Development Services?
To identify the right iOS app development company, the best method is to check how many iOS apps a company has made live on the App Store. Connect with multiple companies and check their track record. Furthermore, remember that their team must have expertise in iOS-specific technologies such as Swift and Objective-C.
- What Are Some Examples of AI in Product Development?
These days, AI chatbots, recommendation engines, predictive analytics, image recognition, and voice assistants are the most popular examples of AI in Product development. Business applications use AI for process automation and enhancing user experience through these features. Agentic AI is a paradigm shift in business process automation through mobile apps.
- How Much Does AI App Development Cost?
The cost of AI mobile app development is not fixed, and it depends on various factors. These factors include desired features, functions, and the complexity of automation in the custom app development. It is best to connect with an AI app development company and share project requirements directly with their team and get a personalised price quote.
- How Long Does It Take to Build A Mobile Application?
Just like the cost, the time taken in mobile app development is also subject to the product’s overall complexity. However, if choosing MVP development, then the time must not exceed 90-100 days for the base-level product. Still, we recommend connecting with a professional team of app developers, sharing project requirements, and getting a personalised price quote.
