Top 10 Mobile App Development Tools to Build a Robust App

Ankit Patel
July 06, 2022
8 min read

Unless you have a solution that helps address customer needs seamlessly, it becomes a challenge for businesses to gain a competitive edge. This makes it necessary that they channel the use of mobile apps. This will help successfully stand out from competitors. It is equally crucial to utilize the right set of app development tools while building a mobile app so that this task becomes easy to achieve.

But, do you think an idea is enough? Not really! It is important that you first have an idea of the best mobile app development tools that can automate the task of building apps. This also demands you have thorough knowledge about them.

Why? Because mobile app development requires that you place immense attention on using the right set of tools that can streamline the overall process.

To make this understandable, we have brought forth a comprehensive list of the 10 top app development tools that would contribute to the inevitable success of your project.

Before that, we will first explain the meaning of this concept in the lines below.

◉ What Do You Mean by App Development Tools?

Mobile app development tools assist in building a mobile app that is robust and functional.

Using these tools app becomes responsive. Also, developers can remain certain- the overall development process will remain seamless.

Finally, it helps simplify the overall integration process by offering a visual development environment and features like hardware compatibility and workflow design support.

So now that you know the meaning, let’s understand the relevance of these tech stacks.

◉ Benefits of Mobile App Development Tools

Testing and deployment are flawless to perform.
Configuration and patch management are easy.
Cloudification to ensure remote access is seamless.
Helps to achieve scalability and supports in providing access to devices within the IDEs.
Debugging is easy to perform at an altogether accelerated pace.

With knowledge now of the benefits of these tools, let’s give you a list of the top 10 mobile app development tools for developing Android or iOS applications.

Look at the comprehensive list below so that when you build a mobile app, the end solution is robust and works smoothly.

◉ 10 Mobile App Development Tools to Build a Robust App

These are the 10 best app development tools developers prefer to build mobile apps.

Xcode
Kobiton
Onsen UI
Mobile Roadie
Ionic
Sencha Touch
Alpha Anywhere
Qt
Firebase
Longrange

Let’s now know about each one of these tools.

1. Xcode

Date of Release – 2003

Developed by – Apple

Possessing solutions for making it easy for developers to perform different tasks like development, testing, and distribution across Apple platforms- app development is a streamlined task.

Simultaneously, it also offers developers a unified workflow. This makes tasks like creating a user interface design a cakewalk.

Some of its advantages are-

Code is easy to maintain.
Ensures smart code completion.
Helps developers to complete the task of building a mobile app within minimum amount of time.
Makes it easy to monitor the status of the app buildup task and get the respective reports. After obtaining those reports, it becomes easy to distribute them to testers.

2. Kobiton

When the task of developing Android apps comes into question, Kobiton is a tool recommended the most. This is due to the support it provides to accelerate the pace of mobile app delivery and testing. This is by mediums it provides for manual and automated testing on real devices, in the cloud, etc., to name a few.

Some unique features that make it stand out are as follows-

Local devices get the flexibility to be cloudified so that remote access becomes a cakewalk.
Integrates seamlessly with servers like Jenkins, Travis CI, etc.
Ensures the achievement of commercial scalability alongside providing an unlimited user policy.
Debugging is a simple task through the medium through the tool providing easy access to real devices that may be present within the IDE.

3. Onsen UI

Date of Release – 2013

Developed by – Monaca Inc. / Asial Corporation

An open-source UI framework, Onsen UI supports the task of hybrid app development. It also provides the developers with the necessary support to build apps channeling web technologies like CSS, and HTML5, among a few.

Some unique elements that especially give it a standout look are as follows-

Delivers optimized performance so that the app works seamlessly across different devices.
The learning curve is easy. By providing resources like official documentation, interactive tutorials, etc., therefore developers can get their queries resolved as and when they may feel they get stuck during mobile app development.
Possesses components – it enhances the UI like tabs, side menu, etc. it delivers a native look and feels to the app that gets developed at the end.
Accelerates the pace of building rich hybrid and web apps.

4. Mobile Roadie

Year of Launch – 2009

Developers – Michael Schneider and Brock Batten

A self-service mobile app development tool, it helps developers in tasks like creating, customizing, and managing the apps they develop with considerable ease.

Providing the freedom to design as per their requirement, developers get the ability to create custom workflows, and time and money also is saved. This is a boon for startups who may embark on the task of building these solutions to take their business to the next level.

Some of the advantages that the tool provides developers are-

Making business-centric decisions gets streamlined due to reports and analytics in the tool. This allows developers to assess the user retention rate for the app they develop.
Users get assistance related to training and implementation through the customer support presence within.
CMS system present in the tool helps developers to build an app seamlessly. This is without them requiring to write a code to do this task.
Possessing a wide range of mobile marketing features within, reaching out to a good percentage of the audience becomes easy. This helps in increasing the revenues for the business in the long run.

5. Ionic

Year of Launch – 2013

Developers – Drifty

An open-source SDK (software development kit), Ionic helps in hybrid mobile app development. It also supports performing other tasks like building unique and rich cross platform apps for mobile, web, and desktop platforms. This is through one shared code base present in it and the open-web standards it adheres to.

Unique elements that make it a recommended choice for developers-

Possessing a single codebase, it becomes a streamlined task for developers to build apps across platforms like the web, desktop, and mobile.
Makes the task of testing seamless as well as simple.
Accelerates the pace of development and the time to market the app.
Including several plugins within makes the task of using smartphones extremely simple.

Read also: Mobile App or Web App – Which One Should Be Developed First?

6. Sencha Touch

Year of Launch – 2015

Developers – Sencha

A user interface JavaScript library, Sencha helps developers create UI for mobile web apps possessing a look and feel of a native app. By facilitating quick and easy development of HTML5-based apps, it becomes easy for developers to run these apps across different platforms such as iOS, Android, etc.

Its pros are like the ones listed below. This will help you to gain insight into the reasons why the tool is best for mobile app development-

Customer satisfaction becomes easy to achieve through the high level of responsiveness that the tool provides. This makes navigation a seamless task.
Compatible with the latest iOS and Android versions, developers will obtain the best results when developing their apps on these OS.
Native packaging is something that becomes easy to achieve through using Sencha Touch. This makes the task of creating native apps a simple task. Hence, the app will work seamlessly across different OS like Android, iOS, etc.
Keeps quality at prime without compromising on the cost factor. This makes it a preferred choice among startups who want to build an app that is easy to build and possesses supreme quality without having to use enormous finances.

7. Alpha Anywhere

Year of Launch – 2013

Developers – Richard Rabins, Selwyn Rabins

Several tools get used for building an app. But if we talk about ones that are the best in the list of free mobile app development tools which startups should use, Alpha Anywhere comes first in the list.

It helps developers accelerate the development and deployment of enterprise apps that can work seamlessly across devices that may not possess an active internet connection.

Some of the advantages of using the tool are-

Speeds up the time and pace for development and time to market.
The finances that may get involved in the task of mobile app development are less.
Helps deliver significant value to the organization through creating an app that is of supreme quality.
Assists in retaining power and flexibility of the mobile app developed since it requires less dependency on code.

8. Qt

Year of Release – 1995

Developed by – The Qt Company

A cross platform software development tool, Qt helps in tasks like creating modern UI as well as apps that can work seamlessly as well as smoothly across multiple screens.

Advantages the tool provides-

A single code deployment support across different screens, as well as platforms, makes it easy to save time considerably for developers.
Provides developers with the flexibility to gain control and get the capability to work smoothly with different libraries that may be already present.
Possessing a capable IDE in the Qt creator makes it easy for developers to ensure that the app works seamlessly across different platforms and get access to a development environment uniform irrespective of where developers use it.
Productivity gets boosted for developers when they build apps. This follows next, by the time that goes down when the app gets marketed. This ensures that the business launching the app gets future-proof results.

9. Firebase

Year of Launch – 2011

Developerd – Google

Developed by Google, Firebase assists in building and running apps. This follows next by the support this tool provides in tasks like enhancing the engagement level, accelerating the pace of development, monitoring the app performance, and so on.

Advantages the tool provides-

Working under the flagship of Google, therefore it provides powerful databases. This ensures that the process of the web, as well as mobile app development, remains robust.
Providing secure and fast hosting services makes it easy to enhance the level of security during content delivery.
With the Google Analytic integration support provided by the tool, it becomes easy for developers to assess the behavior of users when navigating their web or mobile-based apps.
The testing services that Firebase possesses enhance the overall quality of the app that gets built through Firebase.

Read also: Firebase Vs MongoDB – Out of The Two Which One To Choose?

10. Longrange

Year of Release – 1987

Last, in our list of top mobile app development tools developers recommend, Longrange is recommended for building a mobile app.

This is due to the possession of a wide array of solutions within. This enhances and accelerates the pace of cross-platform app development. Hence, it becomes easy for developers to overcome complexity when it comes to the task of creating or maintaining business apps.

Why should you use Longrange?

Decreases time to market through the possession of the mobile app builder feature within.
Developers get the flexibility to use tools they already use when developing mobile apps. This makes the task of mobile app delivery streamlined. Hence, in the end, maintenance becomes easy.
It becomes easy for developers to reduce the overall complexity of creating and maintaining apps.

Due to possessing a wide array of integrated toolsets, therefore building a robust foundation for the mobile app becomes easy. Now that you have a list of the top tools best for building a mobile app, know some crucial points before using them. This means before using either of these tools, assess the criteria as the ones listed below.

◉ Areas to Consider Before Using These App Development Tools

Know if it is easy to use. Conducting a free trial will make this task seamless.
Examine the cost to ensure that with every scalability performed, the pricing remains uniform and predictable.
Understand if the tool allows for easy upgrades, updates, etc.

◉ Which App Development Tool Are You Choosing?

In the article, we have shared the necessary information that is essential before you go ahead and select the best mobile app development tool. Hope thus the selection process becomes simpler for you. However, in case you want support from a professional team of developers in building high-performing apps, connect with us today. Being a reliable mobile app development company in India, we have vast experience in developing complex applications. We will assist you in finding the best solution that seamlessly caters to your complex business requirements.

How XongoLab Assists You in Building a Robust Mobile App?

Possessing expertise in developing Android & iOS apps and other solutions that are of significant business value, when you connect with us, we will ensure that the end solution you get is of supreme quality. This will ascertain that you obtain maximum returns and customers along with the capability to keep users engaged through the solution developed.

About: Ankit Patel

Ankit Patel is a Director of Sales & Marketing at XongoLab Technologies LLP and PeppyOcean, A leading mobile app development companies. In his free time, He likes to write articles about technology, marketing, business, web, and mobile. His articles featured on YourStory, E27, Datafloq, JaxEnter, TechTarget, eLearningAdobe, DesignWebKit, InstantShift, Business Magazine, SimpleProgrammer, and many more.

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