Welcome to the April edition of the Skip.Tools Developer Program newsletter!

Skip is the first tool that enables you to build a genuinely native app for both iPhone and Android with a single Swift codebase. This month we have some exciting news, new features and frameworks, and some brand new content for app developers. Let's dive right in!

Early Adopter Discount

First off, we are pleased to announce that the Skip Early Adopter program, which we unveiled last month, is in full swing. For a limited time, the Skip Professional developer program is 50% off, and the Skip Small Business program is 100% off! That's right, if you are a qualifying small business or non-profit, Skip is completely free for the first year. This offer will only be available for a limited time, so head right over to https://skip.tools/pricing  while the offer still lasts.

Take our Developer Survey

We're looking for feedback on the technologies that people are using to build their apps and what features are most important to them. The survey is quick and fun, and lets you have a direct influence over the Skip roadmap during our Early Adopter phase: https://skip.tools/survey

Skip on the Compile Swift Podcast

Abe and Marc were delighted to be invited back to Peter Witham's excellent Compile Swift podcast, where they discussed the present and future directions for Skip, and dove into some interesting technical details of Skip's inner workings, including the secrets to the unbeatable performance of apps that are built using Skip. Check it out at: https://skip.tools/blog/skip-on-compile-swift-podcast

Updated Comparison Table

We truly believe Skip is the best way to build mobile applications that reach the entire marketplace. No other solution offers the same level of user interface polish, raw performance, and seamless integration with the native platform interfaces. We've updated our comparison table to highlight some of the benefits of Skip over alternatives like Flutter, React, and other legacy solutions: https://skip.tools/compare

Skip Module Updates

Skip is more than just a transpiler – it is also an ecosystem of modular frameworks that work identically on both iOS and Android. The open-source frameworks that are maintained by the Skip team are all located at https://github.com/skiptools . Here's a small sample of some of the recent updates to some of our core frameworks:

  • Lottie animations The updated SkipMotion packages enables you to include Lottie animations directly in both your iOS and Android apps. With its impeccably smooth rendering, Lottie has become the de-facto solution for adding whimsy and delight to mobile apps. Discover more about the module at  https://skip.tools/docs/modules/skip-motion  and see the sample application at  https://skip.tools/docs/samples/skipapp-lottiedemo
  • Firebase Firestore Firebase is one of the most popular solutions for storing and synchronizing your data between your devices and the cloud. Our SkipFirestore module is the first part of a comprehensive SkipFirebase package, and sits atop the official Kotlin and Swift Firebase libraries maintained by Google. Read more about the package at  https://skip.tools/docs/modules/skip-firebase  and take a look at the "FireSide" sample app at  https://skip.tools/docs/samples/skipapp-fireside
  • Native SQL The SkipSQL package was recently updated to facilitate using either the vendor-provided sqlite libraries (thereby keeping your app size low), or embedding a full native SQLPlus build, which enables many of the great sqlite extensions that the community has provided over the years: full-text search, encryption, and advanced JSON functions. Read the full documentation at  https://skip.tools/docs/modules/skip-sql  and check out the "Data Bake" sample app at  https://skip.tools/docs/samples/skipapp-databake

Get Your Project Featured

We are assembling a list of Skip projects to feature on our web site. If you have built – or are currently building – an interesting app using Skip, send us an email at support@skip.tools and we may promote it on our customer stories page! And, as always, we are seeking testimonials from happy Skip users that we can share with the rest of the community.

Evaluation Period Extended

For those of you who have signed up for the Skip eval over the past 12 months, we have great news: you can now extend your evaluation period for one additional 30-day trial period. No action is required on your part, you can simply return to https://skip.tools/eval  and request a new key for your host ID, and you will have another 30 days to try out Skip on your project.

That's All Folks!

You can follow us on Mastodon at https://mas.to/@skiptools , and join in the Skip discussions at http://community.skip.tools . The Skip FAQ at https://skip.tools/docs/faq  is there to answer any questions, and be sure to check out the video tours at https://skip.tools/tour . And, as always, you can reach out directly to us at support@skip.tools – we are always there to answer any questions or provide a helping hand.

Happy Skipping!