Top 7 Modern PWA Framework: Pros and Cons

The popularity of progressive web applications is currently at an all-time high. After all, this cutting-edge solution is a fantastic alternative to native apps, with flawless UX and UI, lightning-fast speeds, and a slew of features that boost mobile conversions.

With the current rate of adoption, newcomers like yourself should have a difficult time finding a solid foundation on which to build their PWA.

Of course, we understand, that there are simply too many different PWA frameworks to select from, each with its own set of benefits.

So, we believe it is vital to present you with a thorough, best-of-the-best list that will make the framework selection process much easier for you.

Here are 7 PWA frameworks if you wish to adopt a PWA strategy for your company

1. Angular

After you’ve gotten past the steep learning curve, Angular is a fantastic PWA framework to work with. It’s designed to be modular, with each Angular element being fully compatible with projects created with other frameworks. Ahead of Time (AOT), the Angular compilation mechanism enables faster application rendering by transforming Angular HTML and TypeScript code into efficient JavaScript code before the browser downloads and runs the app. It greatly benefits Progressive Web Apps created with Angular.

Pros:

• Angular 8 introduced two new CLI commands that made app installation on mobile devices easier.
• AngularJS has a large developer community.
• Its implementation is made simple by its fully modular elements and clearly defined methodology.
• Google provides extensive developer support, including timely resolution of issues.

Cons:

• Because Typescript is needed to develop web application code, you should learn it.
• Because there are various solutions to a given problem, there is no standardization of codes.
• Not so SEO-friendly.

PWA projects developed using Angular.JS: Corona Statistics, Google Cloud

2. React

The Angular community is large, but it pales in comparison to the React community. React is well-known as a first-class citizen in the Progressive Web App development space or PWA framework thanks to its ‘Create a new React app’ generator and all of its efforts to make PWA the new Web standard.

After a brief introduction, its dynamic PWA environment is widely welcomed and loved by developers.

React framework, in particular, has rich Javascript libraries that give developers additional development options by providing detailed docs and advanced tools. For single-page and multi-page applications, the JS framework is used.

The virtual Document Object Model, or DOM, is the one feature that makes React a suitable PWA development platform. As a result, you can make custom changes to the UI without having to rework the entire page or risk rendering issues.

Pros:

• Multiple Parts that can be reused.
• Because it leverages native API, ReactJS has a comparable appearance and feel to a native application.
• React apps are extremely adaptable, expandable, and scalable.
• Using multiple javascript libraries, developers may create API integrations, static and server-side rendered web pages, and routing in this framework.
• It has a Virtual DOM. As a result, rendering times are reduced.

Cons:

• To make it easier to write and add HTML, a thorough understanding of JSX is required.
• With more flexibility in React PWA solutions, more functionality issues arise.
• Implementation is difficult due to a lack of clarity in the methodology.

PWA projects developed using React: Starbucks, Twitter Lite

Want to know why should all about Progressive Web App Development: features, benefits, and pricing? Read it to know more.

3. Vue

Many of Vue’s characteristics are comparable to those of React, such as efficient rendering of the actual DOM and lightweight virtual DOM.

The only difference is that Vue concentrated on enhancing existing technologies like CSS and HTML. React, on the other hand, mostly used JavaScript and took a more complex approach.

With the introduction of CLI3, a fully functional PWA framework set, Vue significantly simplifies the coding process. Second, there are additional supporting features such as Nuxt.js for a flawless one-page app.

Pros:

• The easiest to learn.
• Documentation that is adequate.
• To get the greatest results, mix it with JSX and Typescript.
• Good animations options.
• Virtual-DOM improves rendering performance.

Cons:

• In large projects, there are far too many reported and unresolved integration difficulties.
• A small group of developers.

PWA projects developed using Vue: Zadig & Voltaire, Tally Weiji

4. Ionic

Another amazing PWA framework technology that is open source and free to use is Ionic.

Ionic is based on a combination of Apache Cordova and Angular and is used to run on a high-tech stack.

The advancement of Ionic derives from the fact that it takes advantage of highly approved web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It also uses best practices for mobile devices, such as touch-minimizing gestures and hardware transitions that are faster.

Native app functionalities may be simply incorporated into the PWA framework to run in browsers using Cordova plugins. Adaptive Styling aids in the visual and user experience of Ionic-based apps.

Pros:

• Because it is an open-source platform, the development costs are lower.
• APIs are easy to use without coding thanks to their large library.
• Developers will find it simple to pick up.
• Ionic’s built-in browser tools and debugging tools make maintenance a breeze.

Cons:

• It is necessary to keep the web application up to date on a regular basis.
• There are no built-in capabilities for collecting analytic data during installation or receiving feedback from app users.

PWA projects developed using Ionic: Pinterest, Lyft

📢 Want to make long-term benefits from your online business using PWA development for your company? Feel free to reach out to us.

5. Polymer

Finally, another Google solution, Polymer, is currently gaining popularity among developers. One of the highlights is the methods that assist developers in dealing with design quirks.

By allowing developers to recreate HTML components to their own needs and incorporate them into the web project, Polymer’s source code does not require special adjustments.

Polymer is gradually gaining authority and trust from programmers, with over 22,000 stars on GitHub.

Polymer is one of the most straightforward operations, making it a good candidate for PWA development.

Pros:

• It provides APIs that are simple to comprehend.
• Because of the rich instructions provided, this progressive web app is simple to implement.
• Full web app stack support is provided by the responsive layouts, data tier, and routing.

Cons:

• It isn’t optimized for search engines. As a result, the goal of creating a web app is not met.
• Page loading time is excessive.
• It may be necessary to use debugging software at times.
• See how easy and effective the layout of a shopping app using the Polymer framework.

6. NextJs

It is run by the Next.js creators and offers a variety of features such as interactive experiences, offline support, zero dependencies, testing, and support. With time this PWA framework is becoming popular among developers.

Pros:

• Developers will find it simple to learn and work with.
• It provides benefits of both front-end and back-end frameworks.

Cons:

• Very new framework thus less developer community support.
• There may be unresolved integration issues in large projects.

7. Preact

Preact is a lightweight, performance-oriented alternative to React that’s great for PWA development because it’s light, fast, and should cover the majority of your requirements.

Pros:

• Lightweight and quick
• It makes use of the same ES6 API as React, allowing for smooth integration.
• Preact CLI is an easy-to-use CLI that provides excellent PWA performance right out of the box.
• It has its own renderer, routing, and add-ons on the server.

Cons:

• A lot of ‘innovations’ in Preact are not effective.
• To use React components or packages, you’ll need preact-compat.

How To Pick The Right Progressive Web App Framework?

To choose the right PWA framework, you must think about the demand, the resource, and the needs of your company.

Here are some questions to help you better brainstorm and choose the right progressive web app framework from the many options available.

1. Is the project you’re handling huge or small scale?
2. Which type of customer is the project outcome aimed at? Is your company’s customer buying process low- or high involvement?
3. How much time do you have on your hands? What is the maximum amount of money you will allow to be used?
4. What are the features that are a must-have?
5. Have you seen the outcomes of these various frameworks? What do you think is useful and what do you think isn’t?

Now you know all about framework for your Progressive web app. To know more do read Top PWA Development Tools and Technologies For Your Business.

Wrapping It Up

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) have emerged as the next big thing for anyone looking to combine the power of the web with the power of mobile to expand their reach and make their digital presence more accessible to users.

This post should have provided you with useful information about the most powerful and popular progressive web app frameworks, as well as essential PWA technologies.

Different frameworks will be used by each PWA development company. Reach out for a virtual coffee and let’s discuss together how we can help you with your PWA development.