Building apps used to mean choosing between speed and reach. Developers had to pick a single platform (iOS, Android, or web) and rebuild the same product for each one, tripling time and cost. For startups and small teams, that meant choosing one platform and hoping they picked the right market, or spending $40,000 building separate apps for each platform.
Cross-platform app development changes that equation. Now, you build a single codebase and deploy it everywhere, which means your app reaches every potential customer instead of just iPhone users or just Android users.
This guide explains how cross-platform development works, why it matters for builders who want to make money online, and how AI builders like Anything make it possible to launch production-ready apps in weeks instead of months — without learning to code.
What is cross-platform app development?
Cross-platform app development means building an app that works across multiple operating systems (typically iOS, Android, and the web) from a single shared codebase.
Instead of hiring separate teams to write your app three different times, you build it once, and it runs on iOS, Android, and web automatically.
The traditional approach meant building separate native apps for each platform:
- iOS apps required Swift or Objective-C code
- Android apps required Java or Kotlin code
- Web apps needed HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
That's why most startups launched on just one platform and hoped they chose correctly. Building for both meant doubling your timeline and budget. If you found a bug, you fixed it twice. When you added a feature, you built it twice. The costs compounded quickly.
Cross-platform development fixes this by using frameworks or AI builders that generate apps for multiple platforms simultaneously. So when you fix a bug in a cross-platform app, that fix applies everywhere automatically. When you add a new feature, it appears on iOS, Android, and web at the same time. One codebase and one deployment covers all platforms
The results: your app reaches every potential customer from day one, and you're not burning months building the same features three times over.
How does cross-platform development work?
Cross-platform development works in two ways, depending on your technical background:
- Framework-based: You use languages like JavaScript (React Native) or Dart (Flutter) that compile into platform-specific code.
- AI-based: You use natural-language prompts that generate app logic automatically without requiring coding skills. The AI turns your prompt into cross platform framework code.
The main difference is speed. With frameworks, you're still learning to code — React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin all require months of practice before you can ship production apps.
With AI builders like Anything, you describe what you need in plain English, and working apps deploy to iOS, Android, and web automatically. That's why builders go from idea to App Store in weeks instead of spending six months learning JavaScript.
Both approaches follow the same development process:
- Design the interface: Create the screens, buttons, and visual elements.
- Define the logic: Establish what happens when users interact with your app.
- Connect to data: Set up where information is stored and retrieved.
- Deploy to platforms: Package everything for iOS, Android, and web simultaneously.
Key benefits of cross-platform apps
Cross-platform development offers several advantages alike for builders who want to ship fast and reach the most users:
One codebase reaches every platform: Build your app once and it automatically works on iOS, Android, and web. No need to build separate native apps for each platform. When you add a feature or fix a bug, it appears everywhere.
Faster launches mean more time testing what works: Cross-platform apps typically reduce development costs compared to separate native apps. So you’ll get to market in weeks instead of months, while your competitors are still in development. This means you can start finding paying customers while they’re still building prototypes.
Your users get the same experience everywhere: When users switch between devices, they get the same experience everywhere. The same interface, buttons, features, all at once. That consistency matters because confused users don't become paying customers.
Maintenance happens once, not three times: Need to fix a bug or update a feature? You do it once instead of coordinating changes across multiple codebases. What starts as faster development becomes faster iteration. So you can respond to user feedback while your competitors are still coordinating updates across multiple codebases.
You reach everyone from day one: Your app launches simultaneously on web, iOS, and Android, accessing all major platforms from day one. No more leaving half your potential users waiting while you build for their platform.
What are the most popular cross-platform frameworks?
Several frameworks exist for cross-platform development, though they all require learning to code before you can ship production apps. Here's what the learning path looks like:
React Native
React Native lets web developers who already know JavaScript build native mobile apps using patterns they recognize. The framework includes thousands of third-party libraries and pre-built components, which speeds up development once you understand how to use them.
If you're already a web developer, React Native represents the fastest path to mobile apps because you're using JavaScript skills you already have. If you're not a developer, expect three to six months of learning JavaScript before you can build anything production-ready. If you're building a mobile app, Anything turns your code into React Native code.
Flutter
Flutter uses Dart, a language built for UI development. Flutter is known for exceptional visual consistency across platforms and remarkably smooth animations that run at 60fps.
Unlike other frameworks that use iOS or Android’s native elements, Flutter draws its own interface components to ensure pixel-perfect consistency between platforms. That control comes at a cost: you're learning Dart, a language that isn't widely used outside Flutter development.
Xamarin (.NET MAUI)
Xamarin works best for teams already using Microsoft's development tools and C# programming language. The framework leverages existing Microsoft developer tools like Visual Studio and integrates smoothly with Azure services.
For teams already working in the Microsoft ecosystem, this represents the most straightforward path to cross-platform development without learning entirely new languages. Bt if you're starting from zero technical knowledge, this represents the steepest learning curve of the major frameworks.
Unity
While it’s primarily known for game development, Unity has become a powerful framework for creating interactive 3D experiences, especially in AR/VR, simulations, and visualization tools.
Unity uses C# for scripting and supports deployment to over 25 platforms including iOS, Android, web browsers, desktop operating systems, and game consoles. But unless you're building something with rich graphics or immersive experiences, simpler frameworks will get you to market faster.
The new approach to cross-platform app development: AI app builders
Modern tools skip frameworks entirely. Platforms like Anything turn natural-language instructions into real web, iOS, and Android apps without requiring any coding knowledge.
With React Native or Flutter, you spend months learning to code before you can build anything. With Anything, you describe what you need — "users should be able to log in with Google" or "add a payment page where people can subscribe for $20/month" — and working features appear automatically.
This represents the most accessible option for complete beginners who want to ship production apps without learning to code.
Build cross-platform apps without coding: meet Anything
Anything is the only AI app builder that lets you build and deploy production-ready web and mobile apps in the same project, connected with the same backend. You simply describe what you want in plain language, no coding knowledge required. You get complete apps — frontend, backend, database, and deployment — built automatically from your descriptions. This is especially important if you’re building a business and you want both a web and mobile app.
Here’s what’s included with Anything:
- Built-in authentication: Google login works in one prompt, no OAuth configuration needed
- Serverless database: Automatic Postgres setup that stores your data and scales as you grow
- Free hosting: Your app goes live automatically, no AWS accounts or server setup required
- Payment ready: Stripe payments work immediately, so you can start collecting revenue the day you launch
- 50+ integrations: Major AI models (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini), Google Maps, email services all work without API setup
- Cloud-signed App Store submission: Your iOS app deploys to the App Store automatically, handling certificates and signing that usually take days to configure
You can download your entire source code at any time for backup, modification with external tools, or hosting on alternative infrastructure. There's no vendor lock-in. If you eventually want to hire developers to customize your app further, they can work with the exported code directly.
For someone with zero coding experience, this means you can go from idea to working app across web, iOS, and Android in weeks instead of the traditional 6- to 12-month timeline for native development.
The recently launched Anything Max provides an autonomous software engineer that tests applications, identifies issues, and ships fixes. While traditional frameworks require you to manually test and debug your apps, this autonomous approach means the platform can identify and resolve technical issues automatically. So you won’t hit the 3 a.m. “doom loop” where your app breaks and you can’t figure out why.
Describe your idea in Anything and launch your app on web, iOS, and Android all from one codebase.
