App Development Trends in 2025 (and beyond): Key Technologies Driving Innovation
December 26, 2024Want to be miles ahead of your competitors in your web development journey? Well, if so, you’ve boarded the right plane.
As we are getting closer and closer to 2025, it’s clear that web development isn’t just about writing cleaner code or designing user-friendly interfaces anymore. To stay afloat (and even thrive), you need to be smarter, faster, and more innovative than other industry players. One of the best ways to do this — follow the app development trends.
A savvy entrepreneur knows that paying attention to the trends and technologies is important. The best entrepreneurs adopt them before they become mainstream.
Read our article covering the main app development trends in 2025. We’ve also done in-depth research on this topic, covering 508 applicants from 33 countries.
Let’s start the ball rolling!
Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is a buzzword now. We hope there is no need to explain why this tremendous technology can make an impact and drive sales. It conquered the world in 2023 and 2024. 2025 will be no exception but rather a continuation of this trend.
Compared to 2023, in 2024, 50% of businesses have already optimized two or more operations with AI. In 2023, the figure was 30%. Our own research says that in 2024, the number of people wishing to use AI tools like ChatGPT has increased up to 63.19%. Today, we can even talk about a heavy reliance on AI tools, as one of the most prominent app development trends.
Why is AI one of the app development trends?
- Automate repetitive tasks
As a business, you probably have to deal with hundreds or thousands of invoices. Doing everything manually increases the risks of human mistakes, which, in turn, could lead to errors in payment, potential delays, and other significant issues.
Think: is there really a need to enter and verify data all by yourself? There is a chance that you and your employees can bring much more benefit in areas which require strategic planning and creativity.
Invoices are just one example of a time-consuming task that can be automated. We can also mention tasks like inventory management, payroll processing, and customer support, which can also be incredibly labor-intensive.
- Enhance decision-making process
By providing data-driven insights, AI can uncover hidden patterns, which can be crucial for you. For example, AI can predict customer demand and help you ensure you won’t run out of popular products when they are needed.
AI studies customer behavior and segments your audience based on its buying patterns. Analysis of such information may take much time, and still there is no certainty that analysts spot the market shifts.
- Improve customer experience
Ensure your customers have round-the-clock support. One of the unbeatable benefits of AI is that it can work 24/7, without holidays and sick leaves. In this way, AI drastically reduces response time and troubleshoots important technical issues.
- Save costs
All of the factors mentioned above result in the cost reduction. Fewer errors from human mistakes mean you need less time and resources spent on corrections. According to McKinsey’s Global AI Survey, more than half of companies reported increased revenue as a result of AI adoption. So, you not only save money but earn more.
Disclaimer
Although AI will definitely be linked with our future for the next few years or even much more, we want to talk about questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves before implementing it.
- What problems do you want to solve with the help of AI?
Even AI is not an all-powerful genius. There are still limitations and challenges to consider. For now, AI is best capable of performing repetitive tasks and analyzing vast amounts of data. However, it still needs to learn human empathy and judgment in complex situations.
Similarly, AI can provide insights into market trends, but it still depends on the quality of the data fed into it, and biases in the data could lead to inaccurate predictions.
- How much money do you need for integration?
The cost you need to implement an AI solution varies wildly. Many firms still benefit from free ChatGPT. Others opt for more custom-made software and spend thousands of dollars on it.
What are the factors impacting the cost of AI? Consider the following: type of AI technology and data requirements, infrastructure and hardware, integration with existing systems, maintenance and support, scalability, and vendor vs. in-house development.
- Is your infrastructure sufficient?
The success of your AI solution fully depends on whether your IT systems can support it. AI, especially machine learning and deep learning models, requires robust infrastructure, including powerful computing resources, large data storage capabilities, and fast processing speeds.
- How are you going to integrate AI into your current systems?
Before integrating AI into your current systems, identify where it can add value. You’ll also need to choose between cloud-based and on-premise solutions.
- What return on investment (ROI) can I expect?
Unlike traditional investment, you won’t likely see immediate ROI from AI. It’s rather a long-term game. Early value comes from automating processes and removing human error, leading to immediate savings. However, the real power of AI becomes clear as it generates data-driven insights.
Answering these questions could help you see whether AI direction makes sense for you. All businesses are different, so calculate the benefits in your particular situation.
Flatlogic and AI
Flatlogic’s code generator is powered by AI. The platform uses this technology to automate certain parts of the development process, so that we easily get full-stack web applications with both the front-end and back-end code.
Trend #2: Serverless architecture
With the help of the serverless architecture, your users can run code for any application without provisioning the whole infrastructure. This means there is no need to manage or oversight your servers.
The global market size of serverless computing is predicted to reach around USD 106.12 billion by 2033. This means the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will grow by 23.02% from 2024 to 2033.
Various companies (such as Netflix or Adobe Creative Cloud) use serverless architecture to download file backups, send notifications, and much more. Coca-Cola even developed a “smart vending” system relying on the serverless infrastructure. Now, it does not need to purchase or maintain any hardware or software licenses.
Our own research says that the adoption of serverless architecture has grown to 11.8% (2023-2024). For now, cloud computing is offered by three main providers:
- Amazon — AWS Lambda
- Google — Google Cloud Functions
- Microsoft — Azure Functions
Let’s compare them here.
Feature | AWS Lambda | Google Cloud Functions | Azure Functions |
Ecosystem | Tightly integrated with AWS services | Designed for Google Cloud & Firebase | Strong with Azure services and bindings |
Ease of use | Slightly more configuration | Simplified deployment | Flexible bindings for many triggers |
Languages supported | Broad range | Limited but evolving | Wide variety |
Cost efficiency | Pay-per-millisecond | Pay-per-millisecond | Pay-per-millisecond (or fixed plans) |
Scaling | Seamless, automatic | Seamless, automatic | Seamless, automatic |
Overall, such app development trends as serverless architecture, demonstrate a decline in traditional coding. In 2024, the number of users who prefer to build web apps in a traditional way dropped to 36.02% in 2024. In 2022, this figure was 65.97%.
Why is serverless architecture one of the app development trends?
- Cost-efficiency
With the serverless architecture, you pay only for the resources you use (due to the “pay-per-use” billing model).
- Development speed
The ease of deployment with serverless architecture helps developers focus on writing code without being distracted by managing infrastructure. This enables rapid testing and time-to-market.
Trend #3: No-code and low-code
According to Harvard Business Review, “low-code/no-code platforms have evolved from just facilitating function-specific tools to making it possible for a broader range of business employees to truly own their automation and build new software applications with no coding while increasing organizational capacity.”
In simple terms, low-code is one of the app development trends that require minimal coding knowledge. Low-code platforms offer a range of pre-built components and templates, but they also allow users to write custom code when necessary. Due to this flexibility, low-code can be more suitable for users with technical expertise.
71% out of 2,000 surveyed low-code developers say that they are able to deliver a ready solution within three months. According to our research, 50% of respondents prefer visual drag-and-drop builders (a key feature of many low-code platforms), which could help simplify the development cycle.
We can also say that WordPress (29.3%) and FlutterFlow (16.5%) are the most commonly used no-code and low-code solutions. Bubble ranks third place. From here, the last one most caters to users with 0 experience.
What are the key features of low-code:
- Drag-and-drop builders
- Custom code options
- Scalability
Examples of low-code:
- Appian
- OutSystems
- Mendix
While low-code requires some kind of programming knowledge, with no-code, you can create apps without writing a single line of code. This could help you reduce development time by 90%.
What are the key features of no-code:
- Airtable
- Webflow
- Wix
- Bubble
Flatlogic and no-code/low-code
Flatlogic’s code generator caters to both technical and non-technical users. Our easy-to-use templates and customizable frameworks are go-to solutions for those who want to create apps quickly.
For low-code users, this offers a more flexible and efficient way to customize solutions, while no-code users can rely on the intuitive, drag-and-drop interface to create apps without writing any code at all.
Trend #4: React — Leader among new generation of engineers
React is one of the most used web development technologies and most well-known app development trends. It also led in 2023 and 2022. For developers with 0-3 years of experience, React is the obvious and almost the only choice.
In 2023, React had more than 201K stars on GitHub. The library is used by websites with some of the highest traffic, including Canva (192 million monthly visits), CNBC (18.5 million monthly visits), and Business Insider India (20.6 million monthly visits).
Why is React one of the app development trends?
- Faster time-to-market
Due to its component-based structure, React can be reused across different parts of your app. This helps to build apps more quickly and get them live faster.
- Improved user experience
React can update the right components when the data changes. This helps to avoid reloading the entire page, ensuring a smooth experience for your clients.
- Cost-efficiency
Due to the fact that React utilizes component-based structure, it reduces the overall development and maintenance costs.
Flatlogic and React
React is one of the primary frontend frameworks Flatlogic’s code generator supports. For example, our pre-built templates utilize React. These templates come with pre-configured components, routing, and state management, allowing developers to jumpstart their projects with minimal setup.
What’s more, React is also integrated into the backend. We also offer customization options for React-based applications. This helps users select specific UI components, themes, and functionality and then auto-generate them in a React-compatible format.
Bonus points
The web development industry is constantly changing, so we’ve decided to add two more app development trends that are not included in our research but are also making a big impact in the IT industry now.
Trend #5: Micro frontend
Micro frontend means each part of your architecture is responsible for a specific part of an app. This approach helps to reduce complexity and makes updates easier. Such companies as Spotify, IKEA, Zalando, and Paypal have already benefited from it.
Each micro frontend can be built using different frameworks or technologies, offering flexibility in choosing the best tools for specific features or teams.
Micro frontends are built on SPa architecture with web technologies like HTML, JavaScript, or CSS. They are typically implemented as separate modules that communicate through APIs or shared state management systems.
This allows developers to build and maintain smaller, manageable pieces of a larger application while ensuring that each piece can function independently.
You may wonder, “Do I need to use a micro frontend in every app if it’s so good?” Not so fast.
Micro frontends are recommended for applications with a large and complex frontend codebase, which is difficult to maintain and scale. It would also benefit your projects to support different languages or frameworks.
Why are micro frontends one of the app development trends?
- Enhanced agility
Micro frontends enable parallel development by independent teams, reducing bottlenecks and allowing faster time-to-market for new features. This agility is essential in competitive industries where responsiveness to market demands is a priority.
- Scalability
With the help of the micro frontends, you can scale specific parts of your app. There is no need to overhaul the whole system, which means your time and resources are saved.
- Reduced complexity
If you have problems with one block, they will not cascade to another one. You can safely make any updates and fix issues in a specific part of an app without impacting the rest.
Trend #6: Component-driven design
Just like micro design, component-driven design also serves the purpose of improving agility and scalability through modularization. It is also one of the most prominent app development trends.
One of the key benefits of the component-based approach is the reusability of its components. You can even create a so-called library, which serves as a centralized repository of pre-designed, functional building blocks. These components can be used consistently across different parts of the application or even across multiple projects, ensuring both efficiency and uniformity in development.
Just like atoms, which you probably remember from chemistry, you can combine your blocks to create powerful and complex applications.
Why is component-driven design one of the app development trends?
- Better testing
In component-driven design, testing becomes more efficient because each component is independent and self-contained. For example, a “login form” component can be tested separately for functionality and performance before it’s integrated into the product.
- Easier maintenance
With component-driven design, updates are simplified. When a design or functionality change is needed, the update can be made in the component itself rather than across all instances where that component is used.
For example, if a button component needs a style update to match new branding guidelines, the change can be applied once to the component, and it will automatically propagate to all instances across the product.
- Consistency across platforms
Since components are modular and reusable, businesses can ensure consistency in design across different platforms (web, mobile, desktop, etc.).
For instance, consider a retail app that uses the same button styles, color palettes, and input forms across its mobile and web interfaces. Users can easily switch between platforms without feeling disoriented, enhancing user satisfaction.
Flatlogic and a component-driven design approach
Flatlogic organizes the UI elements into reusable React components, which are essential for building scalable and maintainable applications. The structure includes various components such as widgets, modals, and forms that can be customized and reused across different parts of the application
Summing up…
The app development trends mentioned in this article have already shaken 2024. They will also play an impactful role in 2025 and beyond.
Stay innovative, stay competitive, and continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in web app development. Try Flatlogic’s code generator, and see how to stay ahead of the curve!