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Sencha Touch VS Appscend

Compare Sencha Touch VS Appscend and see what are their differences

Sencha Touch logo Sencha Touch

The leading mobile web app framework based on HTML5 for amazing mobile apps.

Appscend logo Appscend

Appscend provides turnkey mobile solutions that drive TV audience engagement, Salesforce performance, The on-demand economy and Mobile video monetization
  • Sencha Touch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-24
  • Appscend Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-11-09

Sencha Touch features and specs

  • Rich UI Components
    Sencha Touch provides a wide range of pre-built, customizable UI components like carousels, lists, and forms, which enable developers to create visually appealing and functional mobile applications with ease.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Sencha Touch is designed to work across various mobile platforms, allowing developers to build applications that run on iOS, Android, and other devices from a single codebase.
  • MVC Architecture
    Sencha Touch follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, which helps in organizing code and improving maintainability by separating the application logic from the user interface.
  • Community and Support
    Sencha Touch has an active community and provides extensive documentation, forums, and support resources which are beneficial for both new and experienced developers working with the framework.

Possible disadvantages of Sencha Touch

  • Performance Issues
    Applications built with Sencha Touch can sometimes experience performance issues, especially on older or lower-powered devices, due to its heavy reliance on JavaScript.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Sencha Touch has a steep learning curve, particularly for developers who are new to the framework or JavaScript/HTML5 development in general, due to its extensive feature set and complex API.
  • Licensing Costs
    Sencha Touch is not open source and requires a commercial license for certain features, which can be a significant cost factor for startups or small businesses.
  • Limited Native Features Access
    While Sencha Touch allows for cross-platform development, accessing device-specific native features might require additional plugins or integrations, which can complicate the development process.

Appscend features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Appscend allows developers to create apps that work across multiple platforms, reducing the time and cost associated with building separate apps for iOS and Android.
  • Cloud-Based Services
    Provides cloud storage and other cloud services that facilitate scalable app development, which is particularly useful for managing data and ensuring quick access to app resources.
  • Integrated Analytics
    Offers in-depth analytics tools to track user engagement and app performance, enabling developers to make data-driven decisions and optimize their apps effectively.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Appscend features a user-friendly interface that simplifies the app development process, making it accessible for users who might not have extensive technical expertise.

Possible disadvantages of Appscend

  • Limited Customization
    Some users report that the customization options are not as extensive as they would like, potentially limiting advanced developers who want more control over their app's functionality.
  • Performance Challenges
    Depending on the complexity of the app, there might be performance issues compared to apps developed natively, which could affect user experience.
  • Learning Curve
    While it is designed to be user-friendly, there is still a learning curve associated with mastering the platform, especially for complete newcomers to app development.
  • Dependency on Platform Continuity
    Relying on a third-party platform, such as Appscend, introduces a risk if the platform ceases operation or doesn't update its features regularly in line with technology advancements.

Analysis of Sencha Touch

Overall verdict

  • Sencha Touch was considered a good choice at its peak for building mobile web applications when it came to leveraging web technologies for multi-platform compatibility. However, as the mobile development ecosystem evolved and other tools like React Native, Flutter, and native solutions gained traction, Sencha Touch's popularity and usage have seen a decline. Its integration into Ext JS also means that it no longer exists as a standalone product, which may limit its relevance for modern projects.

Why this product is good

  • Sencha Touch was a popular framework for building cross-platform mobile applications using web standards like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. It allowed developers to create rich, native-like mobile apps with a single codebase for different platforms. The framework offered a comprehensive set of UI components, animation capabilities, and built-in support for touch and gesture events, making it suitable for complex applications. It was particularly favorable for organizations and developers who were already invested in JavaScript and wanted a robust tool for building mobile apps without diving into native development.

Recommended for

    Sencha Touch might be recommended for teams maintaining legacy applications that already use the framework. Furthermore, it's beneficial for developers with a strong preference for JavaScript-based solutions and those who require a powerful UI library. However, for new projects, especially those prioritizing up-to-date support, performance, and community adoption, exploring other modern frameworks might be advisable.

Sencha Touch videos

Phone Gap and Sencha Touch

Appscend videos

Appscend Tutorial: First Application using Content Lists

More videos:

  • Review - Developing Smarter Apps with Appscend
  • Review - Building a Event app with Appscend - part one

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Sencha Touch and Appscend)
Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
66 66%
34% 34
IDE
67 67%
33% 33
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Sencha Touch and Appscend

Sencha Touch Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks For Mobile App Development
Sencha Touch has now been merged with Sencha Ext JS. Sencha Ext JS has been one of the most effective JavaScript frameworks to create cross-platform mobile applications. It consists of well tested and good performance UI components like pivot grid, trees, lists, forms, HTML5 calendar, D3 adapters, etc. that help in getting the best of results.
Source: medium.com
9 Top JavaScript Mobile Frameworks To Know In 2020
Sencha Touch(similar to Ext JS) is said to be the only framework that offers optimal solutions to developers create fast and impressive mobile applications that work on Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, and more. It comes with lots of creative and useful components that work efficiently on all types of mobile applications. Here is a glimpse of the features.

Appscend Reviews

We have no reviews of Appscend yet.
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Sencha Touch and Appscend, you can also consider the following products

Appcelerator Titanium - Appcelerator Open Source

B4X - Cross platform development tools for native iOS, Android, desktop and server applications.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

SimPholders - A small utility for fast access to your iPhone simulator apps.

jQuery Mobile - jQuery Mobile

MobAppCreator - MobAppCreator is a self-service mobile application platform.