• Need iOS and Android apps but can't justify the cost of building and maintaining two separate native codebases?

  • Cross-platform app looking or performing like a web wrapper -- degrading user experience compared to native?

Cross Platform App Development

Building for iOS and Android separately doubles your mobile development cost. Cross-platform development with React Native or Flutter lets you build one codebase that runs on both platforms -- at roughly 60--70% of the cost of two native apps, with 80--90% shared code and near-native performance for most use cases.
The right choice between cross-platform and native depends on your specific requirements. We advise on the technology decision and build whichever approach is right for your product -- not whichever is easiest for us to deliver.

  • React Native and Flutter cross-platform development for iOS and Android from a single codebase

  • Near-native performance and native UI components -- not a web wrapper

  • Full native feature access -- camera, biometrics, push notifications, location, and device APIs

  • 100+ mobile apps shipped since 2019 across consumer, B2B, and enterprise

RaftLabs builds cross-platform mobile apps using React Native and Flutter -- delivering iOS and Android applications from a single codebase with near-native performance, native UI components, and full access to device APIs. Cross-platform development typically costs 60--70% of equivalent separate native development and delivers in 10--18 weeks. We've shipped 100+ mobile products since 2019. Cross-platform is appropriate for most consumer and B2B applications; truly native is required for specific use cases (AR, intensive graphics, hardware-level access).

Vodafone
Aldi
Nike
Microsoft
Heineken
Cisco
Calorgas
Energia Rewards
GE
Bank of America
T-Mobile
Valero
Techstars
East Ventures

One codebase. Two platforms. Near-native performance.

The case for cross-platform app development is economics: building for iOS and Android separately means two codebases, two development teams (or the same team spending twice the time), and two ongoing maintenance streams. React Native and Flutter remove that duplication -- one codebase, deployed to both platforms.

The case against cross-platform is performance and platform-specific features: for apps requiring intensive graphics, AR, or hardware access below what frameworks expose, native is still the right answer. Most apps don't hit those cases.

What we build

Consumer mobile apps

Consumer-facing apps for iOS and Android -- authentication, core product workflow, push notifications, payments integration, social features, and content consumption. React Native or Flutter depending on your requirements. Designed for App Store and Google Play delivery with app store optimisation guidance. App Store review compliance and submission. The consumer app your users download and use daily.

B2B and enterprise mobile apps

Mobile apps for business users -- field service tools, sales enablement apps, inventory management, approval workflows, and operational dashboards that replace spreadsheets and paper processes. SSO integration via SAML or OAuth for corporate identity. MDM compatibility for enterprise device management. Offline data sync for workers without consistent connectivity. The mobile tool your operations team uses on the floor or in the field.

Healthcare and regulated apps

Cross-platform apps in regulated categories -- healthcare (HIPAA-compliant architecture), financial services (PCI-DSS), and other regulated industries. Compliance requirements designed in from the start: encrypted local storage, biometric authentication, audit logging, and data handling controls. We've shipped healthcare mobile apps with HIPAA compliance and FDA Class II MDSaaS considerations built in.

Real-time and connected apps

Apps requiring real-time data -- WebSocket connections, live tracking, real-time messaging, and streaming data visualisation. IoT device connectivity via Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi for apps paired with hardware. Location-based features with background location tracking and geofencing. Push notification delivery via APNs and FCM. The connectivity layer that makes your app responsive to real-world events.

Camera and media apps

Apps with camera, image processing, and media features -- document scanning with perspective correction, barcode and QR code scanning, photo capture and upload workflows, and video recording. Augmented reality features via ARKit and ARCore where requirements are within cross-platform framework capability. Image classification and processing using on-device ML. Media streaming and playback.

App migration and modernisation

Migration of existing iOS or Android apps to cross-platform codebase -- reducing maintenance overhead and enabling both platforms to share improvements. Assessment of existing app codebase, migration strategy, and phased porting to React Native or Flutter. Architecture improvement during migration where the existing codebase has technical debt worth addressing. Testing strategy to ensure feature parity through migration.

Cross-platform apps built to perform like native

React Native and Flutter development for iOS and Android. Near-native performance, full device API access. Fixed cost.

Let's talk about your project

Tell us what you're building, who your users are, and the platforms you need to target. We'll advise on the right approach and give you a fixed cost.

Frequently asked questions

Cross-platform app development uses a single codebase to build apps for both iOS and Android -- React Native compiles to native iOS and Android components, Flutter uses its own rendering engine to produce pixel-identical native UI. The key difference from native development: you write one codebase instead of two (one in Swift/SwiftUI for iOS, one in Kotlin for Android). Cross-platform achieves 80--90% code sharing with platform-specific code for the features that require it (certain device APIs, platform-specific UI conventions). Performance is near-native for most use cases -- the gap between cross-platform and native has narrowed significantly since 2020. The decision depends on your specific feature requirements, not a blanket preference.

Cross-platform (React Native or Flutter) is appropriate for: consumer and B2B apps covering most common feature categories (authentication, payments, push notifications, camera, maps, location), apps where the primary value is functionality rather than graphically intensive experience, and products where reducing development cost and maintaining a single codebase is commercially important. Native development (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android) is appropriate for: apps with intensive 3D graphics or AR (games, AR experiences), apps requiring deep hardware access below the level cross-platform frameworks expose, apps where the developer community, tooling, or latest OS features are on native first. Most apps -- including many complex ones -- are good cross-platform candidates. We advise on this before recommending an approach.

Both are viable for most projects. React Native is more appropriate for: teams with existing JavaScript/TypeScript experience, apps requiring extensive native module integration with existing JavaScript ecosystem packages, and React-based web teams extending to mobile. Flutter is more appropriate for: custom UI with pixel-level design fidelity, apps targeting specific performance characteristics, and teams without existing JavaScript background. Both achieve near-native performance. React Native has a larger community and more third-party packages; Flutter has more consistent cross-platform rendering. We recommend based on your team's existing skills, the specific features your app requires, and the UI design requirements.

A focused cross-platform app -- authentication, core user workflow, push notifications, and app store delivery for iOS and Android -- typically runs $25,000--$60,000. A more complete app with complex backend integration, real-time features, payments, and offline capability typically runs $60,000--$130,000. Consumer apps with complex UI and media features run higher. Cross-platform development costs 60--70% of equivalent dual native development -- the saving comes from the shared codebase, not from reduced feature scope. We scope every project before pricing it and provide a fixed cost before development starts.