Ionic Vs PhoneGap

Ionic and PhoneGap are both used to develop the mobile application. Both Frameworks are used in large enterprises by the developers. Here, we are going to compare the important differences between ionic and PhoneGap.

Ionic

Ionic is an open-source platform that is used to develop mobile applications. It is a free and open-source component library to build the application that runs on the iOS, Android, and Web platforms. It uses various web technologies such as HTML, CSS, SaSS, and JavaScript.

It emphasizes the front-end user’s knowledge or user interface interaction of the application. It is easy to learn and can work with various libraries or frameworks such as AngularJS and Apache Cordova.

Ionic was created by Max Lynch, Ben Sperry, and Adam Bradly of Drifty Company in 2013. The first version of ionic, i.e., 1.0 beta, was released in March 2014. Although the ionic framework is integrated with Angular, it also provides support for Vue.js and React.js.

Advantages of Ionic Framework

It is a free and open-source platform.
It uses various languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to develop a mobile application.
It supports multiple user interface development.
It provides very simple, clear, and consistent documentation.
It is also used for the Hybrid Mobile app Development that runs on iOS, Android, and Web.
It works on the MVC (Modal View Controller) Pattern.

Disadvantages of Ionic Framework

The ionic framework does not support large graphics-dependent apps or video games.
The ionic application is not secure for financial apps such as banking or e-commerce apps. Also, it does not provide as much security as a native application.
At present, ionic technology is under the development phase. It keeps updating its support and quality regularly, and thus its libraries can be modified at any time.
The performance of the ionic app is slower than the native application. In some cases, the performance of the ionic application is not noticeable.

PhoneGap

PhoneGap is an open-source platform to develop mobile applications. It was introduced by Nitobi in 2009 and named as Apache Cordova. In 2011, Adobe Systems purchased Nitobi and renamed it PhoneGap. Since then, it is maintained and developed by Adobe Systems.

PhoneGap is the best framework to create a mobile application that supports native app features such as GPS, Camera, Recording features, Compass, etc. Many tools and frameworks are designed based on PhoneGap, such as Ionic, Monaca, Visual Studio, App Builder, etc. Those who contribute to the Apache Cordova (PhoneGap) framework project include Adobe, Blackberry, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mozilla, and others.

Furthermore, it allows developers to build mobile apps by using CSS, HTML, JavaScript for different platforms. Furthermore, it creates a mobile application that runs on various operating systems such as Android, iOS, Windows phone, etc.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of PhoneGap.

Advantages of PhoneGap

PhoneGap is a free and open-source platform that allows the developer to create a mobile app and can run on different platforms.
It works on CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to develop mobile apps.
It makes testing and deployment of an app quickly and easily.
It has a strong back-end system that accelerates the development process and reduces the developer’s efforts.
It provides great flexibility for developers as they can develop any type of mobile app without putting more effort.

Disadvantages of PhoneGap

The performance of cross-platform apps is slower than native apps.
PhoneGap does not support all the functionalities.
When the developer works with the native app, then PhoneGap can be ineffective in some situations.

Comparison chart between the Ionic and PhoneGap

Features	Ionic	PhoneGap
Purpose	Ionic is an open-source platform to develop mobile applications that run on Android, iOS, and Windows phones.	PhoneGap is an open-source platform to develop mobile applications that run on different platforms.
Languages	It works on CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.	It works on CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.
Developed	Drifty Company developed it in 2013.	Nitobi developed it in 2009. In 2011, Adobe Systems purchased it and renamed as Apache Cordova.
Performance	It is a faster development process than PhoneGap.	It is a slower development process than the ionic.
Application Type	It is a Hybrid mobile application.	It is also a Hybrid mobile application.
Supported Platforms	Android, iOS. Windows	Android, iOS, Windows.
Companies Used	AccentureMAK ITZenefitsEdifyUNIQLOJustWatch	Binary.comStreetHubAT&TBosch.comInfoshare