Two thirds of developers using cross-platform tools report time and costs savings of more than 30 per cent, but acceptance and usage among developers is still low, according to a study from research2guidance.

The analyst firm said that less than 5 per cent of all apps in the major stores have been developed with a cross-platform tool, against a backdrop of concern about the quality of the resulting products.

However, 75 per cent of developers say they can build apps of a similar quality to native titles using these products.

Noting that cross-platform tools could deliver significant benefit to the “app economy” and “bring app development to the next efficiency level”, research2guidance said that “the spotlight is on the cross-platform tool vendors”.

“Their communication strategies have failed in educating and convincing developers about the benefits of developing once and publishing multiple times,” it said.

The company recommends that app developers, IT managers, and app services buying companies check if an existing tool fits with the project requirement before starting the next project.

research2guidance polled more than 1,000 app developers and publishers, with the collaboration of leading tool vendors. Its Cross-Platform Tool Benchmark 2013 report evaluates the service offering of 45 cross-platform tools and “compares both sides: vendors and tool users”.