Top 7 Popular Mobile App Development Tools

As a new business owner, you frequently find yourself in situations where you must demonstrate your worth. Either to keep ahead of the curve or to win over customers by delivering on time. Such circumstances need use of off-the-shelf solutions that can save a significant amount of time, effort, and money. This is where mobile application development tools can come to your rescue.

Today's market is flooded with a surprising number of cross-platform mobile app development tools, making it tough to choose the best option. 

Regardless, a small bit of study might help development process in a big way. In this article, we'll provide a fully prepared list of most popular mobile app development tools, as well as an overview of mobile app development can be easier.

List of Most Popular Mobile App Development Tools in 2024

1. Flutter

It's a software development kit that's open-source. It is great option for cross-platform mobile apps. It allows developers to create apps for both iOS and Android without having to write separate code for each platform. A single codebase is required for both platforms. Flutter is gaining popularity among developers, businesses, entrepreneurs, and users.

It's a cross-platform user interface toolkit that lets you make native-like programmed for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. Dart, as well as Material Design and Cupertino widgets, are used. With same codebase, Flutter programmers can design amazing user interfaces. On all platforms, it seems and feels native.

Flutter features a mobile SDK that allows for responsive design without use of a JavaScript bridge.

Key Features:

• Cross platform development
• Highly customized user experience
• Widgets
• Layered architecture
• Smooth performance

Cost: It’s free, even for commercial use. Some of the tools can be availed with payment.

2. React Native

This is a Facebook-developed open-source, cross-platform application development tool based on JavaScript. It has only one motto "learn once, write anywhere". You may port your project to both Android and iOS using same base code using React Native.

What sets React Native distinct from other tools on our list is that apps built on it will have the appearance and feel of native apps, resulting in an engaging user experience.

This tool is quite simple to understand and use, especially if you already know JS like the back of your hand. It also speeds up initial development process by allowing for rapid prototyping.

However, keep in mind that JavaScript scripts consume a lot of memory while performing complex calculations. However, if you've already adopted Agile development or plan to do so soon, there's no better tool than this.

Key features:

• UI component
• SEO friendly
• Support for third party libraries
• Support of large community

Cost: For 1 user React native is free of cost and for 10 users it is priced at $19 for all core features and basic support.

3. Ionic

Ionic is an HTML5 mobile development framework that makes it simple for web developers to create, test, publish, and monitor cross-platform apps. Because Ionic is an open-source SDK, it can also be used to create hybrid mobile apps using web technologies such as CSS, HTML5, and SASS. For creating interactive mobile apps, the tool provides with a number of preset CSS and JavaScript components.

One of the key reasons it succeeds is that it allows web developers to continue utilizing the Angular framework, which they are most familiar with. This also makes moving from online to mobile programming easier.

Ionic combines Angular with its own user interface library to create a smooth cross-platform mobile app development experience. Since the experience is so smooth, Ionic is often used interchangeably with cross-platform hybrid development.

This tool is for you if you're seeking for a free, open-source framework with a stunning default UI that's also easily customizable.

Key features

• Java script component
• Web standard based
• Cross platform mobile application
• High performance

Cost: team plan costs $49/month/team member and the starter pack is free with limited features.

4. Xamarin

When it comes to mobile app development, Xamarin is one of the most popular mobile app development tools. It's a cross-platform solution that lets Xamarin developers exchange over 90% of their code between major platforms. Developers have a variety of free and commercial components to pick from. It is, of course, the preferable option for native apps.

It's a mono framework that helps communicate with mobile device APIs. With the support of its QA and testing features, it also allows mobile app developers to construct scalable and powerful apps. Xamarin is based on the C# programming language and operates on the.NET framework. It's widely used to create apps for the iOS, Windows, and Android operating systems.

One of the biggest benefits of Xamarin is that it has a shorter time-to-market and produces fewer defects.

If you're limited on time and need to release a bug-free app, Xamarin should be your first choice!

Key features

• Native user experience
• Simple maintenance
• Fast app development cycle
• Use similar codebase

Cost: For small organizations, a few fully fledged Visual community products with OSS development capabilities are available for free. Professional versions include enterprise features and are paid on a per-quote basis.

5. Appery

Appery.io is a platform for creating low-code apps. It's used to make it simple to make hybrid mobile apps, online apps, and progressive web apps (PWAs).

The Appery.io build server generates HTML5, jQuery Mobile, AngularJS, Bootstrap, and Apache Cordova code, while the Appery.io code generator develops iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and HTML5 apps. The Appery.io MBaaS includes hosting, a MongoDB database, push notifications, JavaScript server code, and a secure proxy. HTML hosting is supported on its own cloud, Heroku, and third-party hosting providers (manually).

The Appery.io app builder has tabs for the app settings, your model and storage, your pages as you develop them, dialogues, templates, styles, CSS, whatever services you put up, your JavaScript, and any custom components you define.

Key features

• Drag & Drop
• No code
• Compatibility testing
• Debugging

Cost: Appery.io pricing starts at $30.00 per month. They do not have a free version. Appery.io offers a free trial.

6. Felgo

Based on the Qt framework, Felgo is a native cross-platform application development SDK. Use Felgo to create modern, adaptable, and elegant apps that are natively compiled from a single code base.

Hot reload and more cutting-edge tooling for all supported platforms can help build faster. With real cross-platform components, service integrations, and native UI/UX out of the box, you can save up to 90% on code.

Without the burden of dealing with native framework connectors, you can quickly add leading third-party services.

Key features

• APIs & controls
• QML and hot reload
• Cloud build CI/CD

Cost: For developers on limited budget the app is free with limited services, it has startup plan for €79 and business plan for €245.

7. Corona

It is a very effective tool in development of innovative mobile applications. Some tools are more adaptable, straightforward, and easily configurable, allowing users to turn their ideas into reality. Others are more complex to use but deliver faster and more accurately. There is a tool for every need, but selecting the appropriate tool is crucial to the final result.

Key features

• Monetization plugins
• fast FPS
• No IDE
• Uses Lua

Cost - It's free, powerful, and allows you to write code once and publish it on all the platforms.

Conclusion - Keep in mind that the mobile app development tool is just a means to an end. It's a winning combination of a fantastic mobile app development platform and the necessary skill sets that will propel the creation of mind-blowing mobile apps.

Clarion’s mobile application developers are your best bet if you need a few additional skilled hands to get started on your mobile application development.