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10+ Best Mobile App Development Tools To Use In 2020
A curated list of trending mobile app development tools that can turn up the face of app development in 2020.
This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
Mobile app development has become an ultimate need of today’s hour. A number of businesses are now preferring to port their existing web or desktop applications to mobile apps. However, it is quite a challenging job for mobile app developers to develop or port an application due to many reasons including varying operating systems, UX designs, hardware capabilities etc. Hence, you may require special mobile app development tools to assist the mobile app developers in their work.
Important: Ask yourself these questions before choosing mobile app development tools for your project:-
A) Have you considered all the necessary platform/tool features you need for your next app development project?
B) Does your mobile app development tools support multiple operating systems?
C) Which type of app you want to develop for your business? Is it a web app or native or hybrid mobile app?
Since, mobile app development is vast so its app development tools. The tools can be categorized as given below:
- Conversion tools: Help mobile app programmers build mobile versions of the existing web app, desktop app or website.
- Low code development platforms: Help mobile app developers quickly design the app, prototyping, and launch the app.
- Integrated development environments: Help mobile app programmers to code in an easy way and to come up with the best app.
- Libraries: Provide mobile app developers with important APIs so they can add features such as file sharing, messaging, mapping to other apps.
One of the big motives behind the use of mobile app development tools is the “Cross-platform mobile app development”. A hybrid or a cross-platform app can be operated on the different mobile operating systems. Using these tools, mobile app programmers can easily create multiple operating-system-specific builds from a single page application.
Let’s have a quick look at the features/capabilities of top mobile app development tools first:-
- Push notifications
- Social media integrations
- Translation for multilingual app versions
- Update and feature-drop scheduling
- App analytics
- Authentication, authorization, encryption & device management
- Connection to SQL and no-SQL databases
- Front-end and back-end support for enterprise offerings
- GPS system integrations
- Publishing to App Stores (Google Play, Apple App Store)
- Offline app versions
- Photo & video integrations
Mobile app development software may include the following types of capabilities:
- Development libraries and SDKs
- Content management systems
- Collaboration tools
- IDEs
- Low-code and no-code development platforms
- Mobile conversion/migration tools
Now’s have a look at the golden collection of some top mobile app development tools for you project in 2020:-
1) Xamarin: Trusted by Enterprises
If you want to build native mobile applications, then it is a golden choice. This mobile app development tool is used to build native apps for Android, iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and Windows with C# and .NET.
Xamarin is a part of the vibrant.NET ecosystem which is used by millions of mobile app developers across the globe. When you build a native user interface with Xamarin, your apps will behave the way your customers expect.
Top Features:
- It is an open-source, free and cross-platform app development tool.
- It can develop apps using .NET from a single shared codebase for Android, iOS and windows.
- It has a strong community of around 60K contributors from 3700+ companies.
- It allows great communication with the APIs of other mobile devices.
- It also allows Deep linking and application indexing.
- It provides faster time-to-market and produces fewer bugs.
Popular mobile apps built using Xamarin app development platform:
Azure App | Microsoft, Alaska Airlines, Microsoft News, BBC Good Food, FreshDirect, UPS
2) React Native: Facebook Supported
Developed by Facebook in 2015, React Native mobile app development tool is the best choice for native development which combines with React. It is the best-in-class JavaScript library for building user-interfaces. Using this, mobile app developers can maintain two platforms with a single shared codebase. It creates truly native apps that don’t compromise on user experiences.
In 2018, React Native achieved the second position in the number of contributors for repository in GitHub. Now, it is supported by companies and individuals globally including Microsoft, Callstack, Expo, Software Mansion and Infinite Red. So, give your business a try with React Native today and reap maximum benefits from it.
Top Features:-
- It provides seamless cross-platform app development.
- It lets mobile app programmers iterate at a lightning speed using JavaScript.
- It can create a whole new mobile app from scratch.
- It has a large community of developers.
- It is a cost-effective solution for enterprise apps.
- It builds interactive user interfaces and is known for optimal performance.
- It has a modular architecture and offers more stable apps.
Apps developed using React Native app development tool:-
Facebook, Walmart, Bloomberg, Instagram, SoundCloud Pulse, Wix, Townske, Gyroscope, Uber Eats, Skype, Pinterest
3) Ionic: Faster than before
You can choose Ionic mobile app development tools for your project if you want to develop hybrid apps. Ionic provides tools for building interactive mobile and web applications and a library of mobile-optimized UI/UX components.
It creates amazing mobile applications using various web technologies like HTML5, CSS and SASS. It enables mobile app programmers to ship apps to the store with a single shared code base. Thus, you must hire mobile app developers who can create beautiful and high quality UI’s in order to perform great for their users.
Top Features:
- It is known for features like animation, design and performance.
- It is an open-source and 100% free app development tool.
- It can access features like cross-platform deployment, live reload and other integrations.
- It provides base theme, ready-made components and typography that adapts to each platform.
- In numbers, 100% lightweight PWA performance score and 2x faster than previous versions.
- It builds highly interactive mobile applications and offers great tools.
Apps built using Ionic mobile app development tool:
Pacifica, Sworkit, Diesel, Untappd, McDonald’s Türkiye, MarketWatch
4) Adobe PhoneGap: App-store ready apps
Looking to develop hybrid applications for your next project? Adobe PhoneGap can be a nice option to choose. The mobile app programmers use existing web development skills to make hybrid mobile applications with JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
By using a single codebase for multiple platforms, it can create interactive user experiences no matter what device they use. It comes in the category of cross-platform app development.
Top Features:-
- It is an open-source distribution of Cordova for robust mobile app development.
- It builds amazing mobile applications using web technologies.
- It provides third party tools, builds, plugin library and a large developer community.
- It works effectively with HTM5, CSS and JS framework.
- Using the plug-in architecture, it can help mobile app developers in extending the functionality of an app.
- To enhance mobile application development, it easily integrates with other libraries.
- With less time and efforts, it can quickly build the desired app for you.
Apps developed using PhoneGap mobile app development tool:
Sworkit, My Heart Camera, TripCase, Untappd, Bit Timer, FanReact, METAR Reader
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5) Appcelerator: Great mobile experience
This mobile app development tool is used to build native mobile applications and build interactive mobile APIs on just one platform i.e. Appcelerator. The mobile app programmers use a single JavaScript code base to create great native mobile applications.
It creates complex applications using fewer lines of code. This tool supports Windows, Android and iOS, HTML5 applications.
Top Features:
- It builds native apps, connects mobile-optimized access and measures data on its own analytics.
- It gives high cloud capacity limits.
- You can improve the speed of the complex mobile app development using this.
- It provides support for multi-region global app deployments
- It allows private virtual and on-premise app deployment.
- It can also improve the speed of the mobile app development.
- Hyperloop, Vue.js integration, Angular integration, ES6 support are its top features.
Apps developed by using Appeclerator mobile app development tool:-
Cisco, VMWare, AVIS, Blackbaud, The body shop, Bracket, MIT education
6) Mobile Angular UI: Discover the Magic
You can easily build HTML5 mobile apps with Angular JS and Bootstrap using Mobile Angular UI mobile app development tool. It is just like jQuery mobile or Sencha Touch. It develops better mobile experience using some reliable and robust libraries such as overthrow.js and fastclick.js.
With mobile Angular UI, you can transform your desktop web application to mobile applications with less possible efforts. For this, mobile app developers use most of Bootstrap 3 syntax of mobile Angular UI in order to convert web apps into mobile applications.
Top Features:
- It comes with awesome mobile components and original Bootstrap 3.
- You can create awesome mobile apps with this open-source project.
- It allows mobile app developers to test speed and responsiveness.
- Using this, you can develop interactive mobile user-interfaces and a responsive app.
- It can easily convert a desktop web application into a mobile app.
- You can squeeze or stretch the browser window to see both mobile as well as web versions.
Apps developed using Mobile Angular UI:-
Gunks Apps, Tic-Tac Mobile, Guezz It, Hotelier News, iKeyBox, Biggo Mobile Template
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7) NativeScript: Loved by Customers
With NativeScript mobile app development tool, you can easily build truly native mobile applications with Vue.js, JavaScript, Angular and TypeScript. It features deep integration with router, CLI, webpack, code generation and more in case of Angular.
It comes with various features including strong backing, native performance, cross-platform app development and extensible app development tools. So, it deploys native mobile applications from a single code base.
Top Features:
- It gives 100% direct access to all Android and iOS APIs.
- It can run anywhere with its native UI without using Webviews.
- It is a free and open-source app development tool.
- It helps mobile app developers increase their skills by its learning curve.
- The team of NativeScript provide implementations of real-world apps.
Apps developed using NativeScript app development tool:-
Groceries, Strudel, BitPoints Wallet, Daily Nanny, Regelneef, Dwitch
8) Corona: 2D Game Engine
Corona is an ideal cross-platform framework for quickly creating applications and games for mobile devices and desktop systems. That means you can create your project once and publish it to multiple types of devices, including Android phones, Apple iPhone and iPad, and tablets, Amazon Fire, Mac Desktop, Windows Desktop, and even connected TVs.
Top Features:-
- It is completely free and a cross-platform app development tool.
- It avails numerous plugins to extend features like analytics, media, in-app advertising etc.
- It is Lua-based framework which is a leading scripting language in games.
- Corona app development tool is built on OpenAL, OpenGL 2.0 and other industry standards.
- It allows mobile app developers to share their code while building apps or publishing them to various platforms.
- It is a powerful mobile app development tool in games.
Apps built on Corona platform:-
Zip Zap, PKTBALL, The Lost City, Draw Rider Plus, Designer City, Mandora
9) Sencha Ext JS: Build Better Apps
Sencha Ext JS is a MVC-based JavaScript framework used for building data-intensive cross-platform mobile and web applications for any modern device. It brings high level of responsiveness in the mobile apps.
Sencha Ext JS includes over 140 user interface components, such as HTML5 Calendar, Grids, Dynamic Grid, D3 Adapter, Trees, Windows, Lists, Forms, Menus, Toolbars, Panels, and more. Hundreds of user extensions are also available in the Sencha community.
Top Features:-
- It comes with 140+ pre-built component libraries.
- It provides a rationalized configuration system.
- Its code can be transformed using another tool like PhoneGap.
- It provides a wide support for animations and touch events.
- It is an awesome mobile app development tool for building native applications.
Apps developed by Sencha mobile app development tool:-
Real Capital Markets, Ticketmaster, CERN, Greentree, eVestment, Williams, Xero
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10) KendoUI: Trusted by NASA, HP
Using KendoUI, mobile app developers build modular app development solutions for the clients. It provides a top collection of JavaScript UI components along with important libraries for Angular, jQuery, Vue.js and React for building high-performance, eye-catching and responsive web apps.
Top Features:-
- It can build better JavaScript apps that are faster, modern and responsive apps.
- It provides advanced UI features and reduces design risk.
- It can build cross-platform web apps and can be easily customized for screen size.
- It helps mobile app developers via easy data-binding for remote and local data
- It can be considered as one of the easiest languages for mobile app programmers.
Apps built on KendoUI app development tool:-
Microsoft applications, Sony apps, Volvo apps, NASA, Philips, IBM, FOX
11) Onsen UI: Magic for Hybrid Apps
Onsen UI can be a good choice if you want to develop HTML5 hybrid mobile web apps that are based on PhoneGap. It creates beautiful and efficient apps for the clients. The mobile app programmers use many of its libraries including React, Vue, AngularJS 1 and Angular 2+ for creating these apps.
It provides ready-to-use components as well as automatic styling for native look and feel of the apps. Hence, you can trust Onsen UI mobile app development tool for app development on both Android and iOS using the same source code.
Top Features:-
- It works well with Monaca which offers a command-line tool for simplifying complicated tasks.
- There are around 100 million mobile devices with Onsen UI apps running over them.
- It gives the fastest way to develop hybrid mobile web apps.
- It also provides mobile app developers with a grid system in order to place your elements on the screen.
- It gives 100% performance for developing mobile apps.
Apps developed using Onsen UI mobile app development tool:-
Ohalog, Giro D'Italia, Offcourse Golf
Some more to know...
12) FireBase
This mobile app development tool creates applications for iOS, web, Android and OS X clients. Using this tool, mobile app programmers can save your time and unnecessary mess with data storage & servers. It is backed by Google. You can enjoy its various extensions including sync with Mailchimp, resize images, trigger email and translate text.
Portfolio link:- https://firebase.google.com/use-cases
13) Unity Ads
This mobile app development tool enhances user’s gaming experience. It allows ad publishers to embed video ads into games without interrupting the gameplay and also increases player engagement at the same time. It provides incentives to gamers through rewarded video ads.
Portfolio:- https://unity.com/solutions
14) VuForia
VuForia is an augmented reality mobile app development tool which allows mobile app developers to create AR based mobile apps. It utilizes computer vision technology to track 3D objects/images.
Portfolio link:- https://www.ptc.com/en/case-studies
15) TenserFlow
This app development tool deploys machine learning models on mobile & IoT devices. It is an open-source deep learning framework designed for on-device inference. The mobile app developers can easily integrate special features to mobile apps by using its libraries for Artificial Intelligence.
Use cases:- https://www.tensorflow.org/lite/examples
17) Easy AR
This is an augmented reality based mobile app development tool which offers cross-platform support for mobile application development. It comes with various features including QR code scanning, 3D engine plugin, transparent video playback, simultaneous tracking/detection and cloud recognition support.
Portfolio:- https://www.easyar.com/
18) IBM Watson
Watson is used to create powerful mobile applications via Artificial Intelligence which allow mobile app developers to store and manage data in the cloud. It also uses machine learning and develops bots for various messaging platforms and mobile devices. The apps understand users behaviour and revert accordingly through their tone and emotion.
Use Cases:-
- https://www.ibm.com/watson/ai-customer-service
- https://www.ibm.com/industries/banking-financial-markets/risk-compliance
- https://www.ibm.com/watson/ai-search
- https://www.ibm.com/watson/contract-governance
19) Swiftic
Swiftic is an iPhone app development tool which has an easy-to-navigate interface to build apps. Using this tool, mobile app developers are creating custom apps for businesses of varying sizes. It guarantees real business deals to clients.
Portfolio link:- https://www.swiftic.com/case-studies/
Conclusion:-
Since the mobile app market is growing at a faster rate day by day, it becomes important for all businesses (being it small, big or medium sized) to fulfill the ongoing demand of their mobile customers. Hence, selecting the best app development tool plays a key role in the app market. From above listed mobile app development tools, you can find the best one for your next app development project as per your goal and requirements. You can connect with a consultant as well who can suggest you best as per project.
Moreover, a reliable and reputed mobile app development company in India can cater to your business needs. You can contact authorized and good mobile app development company in India to hire mobile application developers for your dream project. The company you opt for must focus on customer satisfaction, no-box approach, timely delivery and most importantly sign NDA for data security.