12 Best Mobile App Development Tools

Xcode enables developers to create native applications for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. Xcode provides developers with a seamless and easy-to-use workflow. Many developers regard it as a type of IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that helps them to not only write software but also to compile it and debug it.

Xcode makes use of the all-new SwiftUI framework to bring an iPad app to Mac with a simple click.

Key Points:

• Free to start your mobile application development
• No demo available
• Exceptional native app performance on Apple platforms

Want your app in the Google Play app store? Google’s Android Studio is an Android development software to build apps on every type of Android device based on IntelliJ IDEA. Apart from providing a unified Android app development platform, Android Studio offers a feature-rich simulator that makes app development a breeze for Android developers.

Android Studio’s drag and drop features along with the various shortcuts for coding and designing save time and make building apps a much easier activity.

Key Points:

• Free to start mobile application development
• No demo available
• Time-saving, easy-to-use tool
• A suite of rich features

AppCode is a smart IDE for iOS/macOS development. AppCode uses a variety of programming languages like Objective-C, Swift, and C/C++. Being a highly dynamic tool, AppCode also supports web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, HTML5, XML, CSS, and more.

AppCode helps developers save time and improve efficiency by automating routine tasks and providing a thorough code analysis and inspection on the fly.

Key Points:

• Starting price is $89 for first year per individual user and $199 for the first year for businesses
• No demo available
• Free trial for 30 days
• Thorough code inspection
• Automates regular routine tasks

Adobe PhoneGap is one of the most exceptional and robust open-source cross-platform’s for app development. Based on Cordova technology, PhoneGap developers have the freedom to work using web development languages in the likes of HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript instead of mobile programming languages.

Another advantage for developers here is the fact that PhoneGap allows developers the option to access a device’s various functionalities like the camera, file system, microphone, gyroscope, accelerometer, and more.

Key Points:

• Free to start
• No demo available
• Dynamic and robust tool
• Utilize web technologies to develop mobile apps

Developed and launched by Facebook, React Native is a Java-Script based mobile platform that also happens to be one of the preferred choices for app developers since it allows for building truly cross-platform apps by using native components.

React Native’s vast community of happy developers makes this the perfect tool for open-source mobile app development. Having said that, React Native is better suited for experienced developers.

Key Points:

• Free to start
• No demo available
• Open-source tool
• Developer’s choice

Founded in 2011 by Microsoft, Xamarin is an open-source mobile application development platform that is widely used to develop native apps for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices. Also an IDE, Xamarin uses a .NET code base and Visual Studio Tools and is pegged as one of the most sought after tools for hybrid mobile app development.

This is also down to the fact that Xamarin boasts fewer bugs and saves the time spent on developing apps due to its ability to re-utilize code on Windows and macOS platforms.

• Free for individual users, prices start at $1,199 for enterprise use
• No demo available
• A free trial is available
• Time-saving tool
• High-level of code inspection

Onsen UI is an open-source hybrid mobile development framework designed to be used without the Angular JS requirement. Known for its possession of high-quality UI components, Onsen UI offers a suite of well-optimized tabs, side menu, navigation, list, and forms that can be used on a range of device types.

Not only is Onsen UI easy to use, but it also serves as a powerful tool to build mobile apps on various different platforms.

Key Points:

• Free to start
• No demo available
• Easy to build for cross-platform app development

Ionic is another preferred choice of hybrid cross-platform tool for most developers. It’s easy-to-use, and easy-to-learn framework makes it a hit among developers as it helps them build beautiful cross-platform apps without much complexity.

Apart from being a free open-source tool, the CSS portions alone of Ionic’s framework can be used to create native apps for iOS, Android, and web. However, Ionic’s full potential can be unveiled when it is paired with AngularJS.

Key Points:

• Free to start
• No demo available
• No free trial
• Open source, easy-to-use mobile platform

NativeScript is an open-source mobile platform that enables developers to create native iOS and Android apps with AngularJS, JavaScript, and TypeScript. Developers can use their web development skills, JavaScript and CSS, to build hybrid apps. The biggest advantage of NativeScript is that it uses one single codebase to deploy iOS and Android mobile applications.

Key Points::

• Starting price is $19 per month and a free version is also available
• A demo is available
• No free trial
• Open-source framework
• Build mobile apps with web application knowledge, no additional know-how required

BuildFire is a simple and effective app builder that is free to use. It is a DIY, web-based app development tool that does not require any prior coding or previous knowledge of programming languages. The platform is best suited for apps on the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

BuildFire offers developers a highly immersive and intuitive framework packed with drag and drop functions to create mobile applications on iOS and Android smartphones.

Key Points:

• Starting price: $53 per month
• A demo is available
• No free trial
• Easy-to-use framework
• No coding or programming knowledge required

Alpha Anywhere is a complete end-to-end mobile and web app development platform known for its “no-code” and “low-code” mobile application tools. This RMAD platform is pivoted towards developers and businesses that want to create elegant apps without spending too much time. Alpha Anywhere’s low code environment enables developers and businesses to build complex apps and workflows with ease.

Key Points:

• Pricing starts at $29.95 per month, per user.
• No demo available
• Free trial for 30 days
• Build quality apps swiftly
• Build complicated apps with ease

AppSheet is a unique software development tool that enables anyone to build a robust and productive mobile app for Android and iOS by using their own data sources. Data from various sources like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and Smartsheet can be used to create the app. AppSheet offers an array of app customization options to edit various components and also to make changes to several parameters of the app like security provisions and more.

AppSheet is commonly used by developers to build powerful, feature-rich cross-platform and platform-specific apps.

Key Points:

• Starting price is $10 per active user, per month
• A demo is available
• A free trial is available
• Build powerful cross-platform apps with ease
• Edit UI components on the fly