Many of you would have heard about Xamarin when exploring Hybrid app development technologies. Xamarin is a platform which brings in a lot of efficiencies to Hybrid app development and a ‘near native’ experience for users.

We, at Creative Spark Solutions receive regular inquiries from clients asking about Hybrid app development. Florida is one such location where we have seen interest in Xamarin for hybrid and clients asking about its suitability.

Let’s look at how Xamarin can help companies in Florida leverage the benefits of Hybrid app development and what experiences we at Creative Spark have had with Xamarin.

Cost of Mobile App Development in Florida and How Hybrid can help

Florida has a vibrant SMB and Startup environment and plays host to lot of technology talent. Tampa, Miami, Coral Springs, Boca Raton, Plantation, Orlando are some of the locations where Mobile App Dev. shops are providing services which start from idea development till actual app development and completion.

The cost for mobile app development in Florida, in terms of lump-sum cost obviously depends on the effort hours, platforms, skills involved and vendor reputation. A typical mobile development company can provide the cost in terms of per hour development charges or hourly billing rate. A professional app development company should be able to provide a fairly accurate time-line and cost for the project development after a detailed discussion and understanding the functionality of the project by multiplying their rates with the effort involved.

Average rates as in 2019 for local Florida based Mobile app developers are in the following range:
$50-$99 for smaller app development companies vs. $100-$149 for the medium sized ones. (source: Clutch) Typically the median would be around $75-$80 for the smaller ones according to our experience. Most companies also have a minimum budget typically starting at around $5000 for projects.

Additionally, BusinessofApps , Thinkmobiles, Clutch etc. have all provided some good insights as to the app development costs in USA. According to BusinessofApps, the costs are as follows (but this is an old figure 6 -7 years old)

– Average cost to develop an iOS app – about $28k
– Average cost to develop an Android app – about $23k

Thinkmobile gives a more appropriate estimate by dividing apps according to complexity. For a reasonably simple app (although not a tool generated one), with around 400 effort hours expended at the minimal $50 rates, this would be a minimum price of $20,000 . Note that this is for a single platform (iOS / android).
They describe such a App as one without API integration, no back-end, standard UI components, simple features like email subscription, social login, calendar, etc.

So I believe one can come to the conclusion that $20,000 – $25,000 is about the very low end app development charge which you’d pay for a single platform app Locally in Florida.

So, now the question comes – what if you have a larger app, with backend, API’s requiring dual platform involving both Android and iOS. What do you do if you need to get it made on a lower budget?

– Yes, you can look at offshore Mobile app Development companies servicing Florida, whether from Eastern Europe, India, China or elsewhere. There are definite cost advantages here which are important for SMB’s , startups etc.

But it’s not just a cost advantage which separates the offshore companies. Many of the Mobile App Development companies especially from India have ventured into Hybrid app development through Ionic and Xamarin in a big way. Hybrid app development allows you to target multiple platforms (generally iOS + Android) on a single code base reducing development and maintenance costs and Time to Market.

And now the question comes – why and when to use Xamarin for Hybrid App Development.

Why and when to go in for Xamarin for Hybrid app development

To be honest, many a times , the platform development choice of the app development company is dictated by the platform or technology their resources are strongest in. But there are important performance and functionality factors which you – as an Entrepreneur / Client may want to consider.

1. The main purpose of the app and Use case: How graphic and animation intensive it is, who is the intended audience. For instance, Xamarin is probably not the best choice for gaming apps (though neither are Cordova, Ionic etc.)

2. Enterprise Apps: Xamarin Provides great options for app development especially in enterprise environment where MS platform fits very well and very rich UI may not be necessary.

3. Stability and Community: Xamarin is a stable , well funded technology platform which has been growing and evolving in the last few years. Xamarin was acquired by Microsoft in 2016 and has been seeing good development, releases with improvements in Xamarin.Forms etc.

4. Ease and convenience of single IDE: Visual Studio bundling in Xamarin and easy integration with XCode , ease of publishing and testing make it loved by the developer community.

5. Microsoft Platform: If your company has associated apps and systems developed on Microsoft platform or has in-house tech team with MS related capabilities, getting your new app developed on Xamarin may lead to significant resource benefits.

6. Open Source: Lately, Microsoft has been embracing Open Source and providing Community tools the developer and startup community. Xamarin is available on even community edition Visual Studio IDE which makes it a really cost effective tool with low development and maintenance set-up costs.

7. App Performance: Xamarin provides near native performance typically better than Cordova /Phonegap or Ionic. Only React Native can match or exceed such a performance for a hybrid platform.

Finding an Offshore developer for Xamarin App Development for Miami, Florida

Finding an Offshore developer for Xamarin for Miami , other Florida businesses is possible but you need to have clear vision of what your app will do and possibly some of the requirements written down. As an offshore mobile app development company covering Florida, Miami etc. we will of-course help you in the discovery phase of the cycle and in creating the requirement documents or prototype flow. You can also find a detailed guide on how to create a requirements document for your mobile app here.

Additionally, its possible to make a functioning prototype which best represents your App idea, by using tools like
Adobe XD. Indian developers are particularly strong on MS technologies and have a good experience on Xamarin led development. The development company or team should also have backend and UI experience so as to handle the API and design work properly.

Kind of Apps where a Xamarin based Hybrid app can provide near native experience

Some of the apps that we’ve seen built using Xamarin include:
Product Catalog and Share Apps for B2C display and B2B inquiry
Ecommerce App for B2C with payment gateway integration
Logistics app for Tracking and Delivery such as Medwaste etc.
Commercial Vehicle, Trucking Hybrid app using Xamarin
Field force reporting and transaction apps
Field Service request and appointment app

Xamarin remains a favorite option for Hybrid development for Enterprise, B2B type apps, but can be used for many B2C use cases as well. For social apps etc. , One may also want to consider React Native and consider the performance comparison between the two.

What to keep in mind when going for Xamarin based mobile app Development ?

When going with Xamarin, it becomes important to keep a few things in mind:

While a hybrid App will offer ‘near native’ performance, it is unlikely all native effects and animations etc. may be possible. A little bit of flexibility is required.
The functionality and external API or libraries which will be required ( based on functionality) should be clear at the outset so as to decide how appropriate Xamarin is for that specific App development.
Xamarin apps – especially Xamarin forms may be slightly larger in size than pure native apps.
A design prototype is very helpful in understanding the flow and look and feel of the app, especially if that is critical. This should be ready in the initial phases rather than later on.
Even in Xamarin, there are two tracks for development – Xamarin Forms vs. Xamarin Classic or Native. Xamarin forms allow more code sharing and less but it is slightly bulkier and not that suitable for gaming or graphic intensive apps. However with some precautions, Xamarin forms can have better or equal performance to Xamarin classic while providing all of the benefits it brings.

Are you looking for a Florida or Miami Hybrid app Development Company ? We can help with a free no-obligation consultation to convert your ideas into an app.

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