Cross-platform app development: iOS and Android from one codebase.

Building for iOS and Android separately means two codebases, two development streams, and two ongoing maintenance bills. React Native and Flutter remove that duplication: one codebase, running on both platforms, at roughly 60 to 70% of the cost of two native apps. This is now the default, not a compromise. In Statista's 2023 developer survey, Flutter and React Native were the two most-used cross-platform frameworks, reported by 46% and 35% of cross-platform developers respectively (Statista, 2023). The case against cross-platform is graphics and hardware depth: for apps needing intensive 3D, AR, or hardware access below what the frameworks expose, native is still the right answer. Most apps never hit those cases.

Plenty of teams reach us with something already built, a clickable prototype from Lovable or Replit, or an early MVP that demos well but now has to hold up for real users on both stores. We assess what's there, keep what's validated, rebuild what won't survive app-store review or real load, and ship one codebase to iOS and Android. Cross-platform sits inside our parent mobile app development practice; where a shared codebase is the wrong call, we build native iOS and Android instead. The team that scopes your app is the team that ships it, with GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 requirements designed in from week 1, not retrofitted before launch.

The stack we build cross-platform apps on

We are not tied to one framework. We recommend React Native or Flutter based on your team's existing skills, your feature requirements, and your UI design needs, then document every choice so any competent mobile team can maintain the codebase. The technologies we reach for most often:

The rule holds at every layer: no proprietary frameworks that lock you in, and no stack we cannot hand to your team on day one.

Proof it works

Clients include Vodafone, T-Mobile, Aldi, Nike, Cisco, and Lockheed Martin, across AI, SaaS, mobile, automation, and enterprise platforms.

A UAE FinTech operator wanted merchants to take payments without a hardware terminal. Before, merchants in cash-only areas either turned card customers away or rented a terminal they rarely earned back. We built a cross-platform POS app for iOS and Android, contactless cards, QR codes, tap-to-pay, and payment links, all on a phone. The hard part was PCI DSS scope: raw card data never touches the app, so we kept it out of scope through the payment SDK and passed a 2025 PCI DSS audit. It processed 10,000 transactions in the first three months and lifted sales roughly 25% for merchants in previously cash-only areas. Read the case study.

What clients say

What app clients say

Three-year average engagement. Founders and operators describing the work in their own words. No marketing varnish.

Amer Abu Khajil

Canada

Founder, Peak Studios & Perceptional

“

I found RaftLabs to be the perfect partner for Perceptional, with their expertise in helping startup founders build MVPs, a free consultation, a prototype that matched my vision, and their unwavering support.

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What cross-platform app development costs

We price by project, not by the hour. After a scoping session you get a fixed quote with a defined scope, timeline, and price, so you know the number before development starts. Cross-platform development runs roughly 60 to 70% of equivalent dual-native cost, and the saving comes from the shared codebase, not from reduced feature scope. Where you land depends on scope, not negotiation:

Focused app, $25,000-$60,000

One core workflow, push notifications, and iOS and Android store delivery, in 10 to 14 weeks.

Complete app, $60,000-$130,000

Complex backend integration, real-time features, payments, and offline capability, in 16 to 24 weeks.

What pushes cost up: complex real-time or offline-first features, deep native integrations, and strict compliance requirements such as HIPAA or PCI-DSS. What keeps it down: a narrow first scope, standard feature categories, and managed backend services rather than self-hosted infrastructure early on. We scope every project before pricing it.

Cross-platform apps we build by industry

The architecture changes with the domain. Regulated sectors need encryption, audit trails, and access controls designed in from sprint one, while consumer apps need offline resilience and smooth performance on mid-range devices. We build cross-platform apps for:

• Healthcare: HIPAA-compliant patient apps, remote monitoring, and telehealth for iOS and Android.

• FinTech: PCI-aware payment, account management, and lending apps with secure on-device data handling.

• Logistics: driver, delivery-tracking, and field-service apps with offline-first data and background location.

• Real estate: listing, tenant, and property-management apps for agents, buyers, and owners.

• Insurance: claims capture, policy management, and inspection apps with photo and document workflows.

• Education: learning, course-delivery, and student-engagement apps that work across devices and offline.

Cross-platform work rarely stands alone. For a heavier governance build, see enterprise mobile app development; for a consumer marketplace, on-demand app development. If you want to validate demand first, an MVP ships one core workflow to both stores fast, and UI and UX design shapes how the app feels native on each platform.