Framework7 vs NativeScript

Overview

Framework7

Stacks141

Followers331

Votes171

NativeScript

Stacks533

Followers1.1K

Votes516

GitHub Stars25.3K

Forks1.7K

Framework7 vs NativeScript: What are the differences?

Introduction

Framework7 and NativeScript are both popular frameworks for building mobile applications. While they both have the same goal of helping developers create mobile apps, there are key differences between them that make each framework unique.

Key difference 1: User Interface Framework7 focuses on providing a native-like user interface, with pre-built UI components that imitate the look and feel of native mobile apps. On the other hand, NativeScript allows for more customization, as it utilizes the native UI components of the underlying platform, giving developers more control over the app's appearance.
Key difference 2: Language and Development Stack Framework7 uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as its primary development stack. It enables developers to create mobile apps using familiar web development technologies. NativeScript, on the other hand, supports JavaScript and TypeScript for app development, along with CSS and XML for styling and layout. It provides more flexibility in terms of language choice and integration with JavaScript frameworks.
Key difference 3: Cross-platform Support Framework7 primarily focuses on building hybrid mobile apps that work on multiple platforms using the same codebase. It offers a framework-agnostic approach, allowing developers to choose their preferred JavaScript framework. NativeScript, on the other hand, provides true native cross-platform app development, allowing developers to build apps that make use of the native capabilities of each platform. This results in better performance and access to platform-specific features.
Key difference 4: Development Workflow Framework7 provides a simplified and straightforward development workflow, as it leverages existing web development tools and practices. It is easier to set up and get started with, making it suitable for developers who are already familiar with web development. NativeScript, on the other hand, requires some additional setup and configuration, as it relies on accessing native APIs and compiling down to the underlying platforms. It provides a more structured development environment, catering to developers who prefer a more integrated approach.
Key difference 5: Ecosystem and Community Framework7 has a vibrant community and a wide range of community-contributed plugins and extensions, which can extend its functionalities. Its ecosystem benefits from the popularity of JavaScript frameworks such as Vue.js and React. NativeScript, on the other hand, has a dedicated community and a rich ecosystem with numerous plugins and UI components that can be used in app development. It aligns well with the broader JavaScript community and enjoys integration with popular frameworks like Angular and Vue.js.
Key difference 6: App Distribution and Publication Framework7 apps can be distributed and published using web technologies, such as hosting the app on a website or wrapping it as a web app. This allows for easier distribution and updates. NativeScript, on the other hand, allows apps to be published to app stores as native apps, enabling access to a wider audience and utilizing the platform-specific distribution channels.

In Summary, Framework7 provides a web-like and cross-platform development experience with a focus on native-like UI, while NativeScript offers true native cross-platform app development with more customization and control over the user interface.

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Advice on Framework7, NativeScript

Gabor

CTO at momento.

Aug 23, 2021

Decided

As a startup, we need the maximum flexibility and the ability to reach our customers in a more suitable way. So a hybrid application approach is the best because it allows you to develop a cross-platform application in a unique codebase. The choice behind Ionic is Angular, I think that angular is the best framework to develop a complex application that needs a lot of service interaction, its modularity forces you (the developer) to write the code in the correct way, so it can be maintainable and reusable.

209k views209k

Comments

Lucas

Jan 6, 2023

Needs adviceon

iOS

Visual Studio Code

TypeScript

Hello,

We're just brainstorming for the moment and we have a few questions.

We have an idea for an app that we want to develop, here are the prerequisites:

cross-platform (iOS, Android, and website);
as easy to maintain as possible / well documented / widely used;
Visual Studio Code and Copilot compatible;
Text to speech;
Speech recognition;
Running in background (screen off with TTS and speech recognition);
could be using TypeScript;
Monetized through ad and in-App payment for premium version;
Display on lock screen (Android only I guess)

So what would you recommend?

I've been trying to review the options available, and I've considered:

Thanks in advance for your help, and I'm open to any comments.

371k views371k

Comments

audaine

Feb 16, 2022

Review

As the previous commentor said, Next.js or React Native + Expo may be a better option. There's also the options of AssemblyScript + React/Next.js, or NativeScript and Ionic, both of which give you mature ecosystems of tools and close-to-native experiences. Flutter, you're likely to have the same experiences you had with Swift and Kotlin. Flutter requires higher separation of concerns between platforms, doesn't have nearly the third-party support of any of the other options, and is fairly large in binary size. Still, it's a growing system and in the future it may actually outcompete the other options when it has a large enough ecosystem.

31k views31k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Framework7	NativeScript
It is a free and open source mobile HTML framework to develop hybrid mobile apps or web apps with iOS native look and feel. All you need to make it work is a simple HTML layout and attached framework's CSS and JS files.	NativeScript enables developers to build native apps for iOS, Android and Windows Universal while sharing the application code across the platforms. When building the application UI, developers use our libraries, which abstract the differences between the native platforms.
iOS Specific;UI Components;Swipe Actions;Easy To Customize;Native Scrolling;Multiple Views	100% Access to Native Platform API;NativeScript is free of charge as an open source project;Code with JavaScript. Style with CSS;Cross-platform UI abstractions;Shared business logic and data models
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 25.3K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 1.7K
Stacks 141	Stacks 533
Followers 331	Followers 1.1K
Votes 171	Votes 516
Pros & Cons
Pros 21 Free and open source 20 Well designed 17 Material design 15 Lots of ready-to-use ui elements, easy to customize 12 Best performance Cons 1 Not suitable for high performance in PWA. desktop apps	Pros 75 Access to the entire native api 47 Support for native ios and android libraries 46 Support for javascript libraries 46 Angular 2.0 support 44 Native ux and performance Cons 5 Lack of promotion 1 Slower Performance compared to competitors
Integrations
React Vue.js Svelte	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Framework7, NativeScript?

Ionic

Free and open source, Ionic offers a library of mobile and desktop-optimized HTML, CSS and JS components for building highly interactive apps. Use with Angular, React, Vue, or plain JavaScript.

Flutter

Flutter is a mobile app SDK to help developers and designers build modern mobile apps for iOS and Android.

React Native

React Native enables you to build world-class application experiences on native platforms using a consistent developer experience based on JavaScript and React. The focus of React Native is on developer efficiency across all the platforms you care about - learn once, write anywhere. Facebook uses React Native in multiple production apps and will continue investing in React Native.

Xamarin

Xamarin’s Mono-based products enable .NET developers to use their existing code, libraries and tools (including Visual Studio*), as well as skills in .NET and the C# programming language, to create mobile applications for the industry’s most widely-used mobile devices, including Android-based smartphones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Apache Cordova

Apache Cordova is a set of device APIs that allow a mobile app developer to access native device function such as the camera or accelerometer from JavaScript. Combined with a UI framework such as jQuery Mobile or Dojo Mobile or Sencha Touch, this allows a smartphone app to be developed with just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Qt

Qt, a leading cross-platform application and UI framework. With Qt, you can develop applications once and deploy to leading desktop, embedded & mobile targets.

PhoneGap

PhoneGap is a web platform that exposes native mobile device apis and data to JavaScript. PhoneGap is a distribution of Apache Cordova. PhoneGap allows you to use standard web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript for cross-platform development, avoiding each mobile platforms' native development language. Applications execute within wrappers targeted to each platform, and rely on standards-compliant API bindings to access each device's sensors, data, and network status.

Expo

It is a framework and a platform for universal React applications. It is a set of tools and services built around React Native and native platforms that help you develop, build, deploy, and quickly iterate on iOS, Android, and web apps.

Vue Native

Vue Native is a mobile framework to build truly native mobile app using Vue.js. Its is designed to connect React Native and Vue.js. Vue Native is a wrapper around React Native APIs, which allows you to use Vue.js and compose rich mobile User Interface.

Shoutem UI

Shoutem UI is a set of styleable components that enables you to build beautiful React Native applications for iOS and Android. All of our components are built to be both composable and customizable.

Related Comparisons

Framework7 vs NativeScript: What are the differences?

Introduction

Key difference 1: User Interface Framework7 focuses on providing a native-like user interface, with pre-built UI components that imitate the look and feel of native mobile apps. On the other hand, NativeScript allows for more customization, as it utilizes the native UI components of the underlying platform, giving developers more control over the app's appearance.
Key difference 2: Language and Development Stack Framework7 uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as its primary development stack. It enables developers to create mobile apps using familiar web development technologies. NativeScript, on the other hand, supports JavaScript and TypeScript for app development, along with CSS and XML for styling and layout. It provides more flexibility in terms of language choice and integration with JavaScript frameworks.
Key difference 3: Cross-platform Support Framework7 primarily focuses on building hybrid mobile apps that work on multiple platforms using the same codebase. It offers a framework-agnostic approach, allowing developers to choose their preferred JavaScript framework. NativeScript, on the other hand, provides true native cross-platform app development, allowing developers to build apps that make use of the native capabilities of each platform. This results in better performance and access to platform-specific features.
Key difference 4: Development Workflow Framework7 provides a simplified and straightforward development workflow, as it leverages existing web development tools and practices. It is easier to set up and get started with, making it suitable for developers who are already familiar with web development. NativeScript, on the other hand, requires some additional setup and configuration, as it relies on accessing native APIs and compiling down to the underlying platforms. It provides a more structured development environment, catering to developers who prefer a more integrated approach.
Key difference 5: Ecosystem and Community Framework7 has a vibrant community and a wide range of community-contributed plugins and extensions, which can extend its functionalities. Its ecosystem benefits from the popularity of JavaScript frameworks such as Vue.js and React. NativeScript, on the other hand, has a dedicated community and a rich ecosystem with numerous plugins and UI components that can be used in app development. It aligns well with the broader JavaScript community and enjoys integration with popular frameworks like Angular and Vue.js.
Key difference 6: App Distribution and Publication Framework7 apps can be distributed and published using web technologies, such as hosting the app on a website or wrapping it as a web app. This allows for easier distribution and updates. NativeScript, on the other hand, allows apps to be published to app stores as native apps, enabling access to a wider audience and utilizing the platform-specific distribution channels.

Framework7 vs NativeScript

Overview

Framework7 vs NativeScript: What are the differences?