In this article, you’ll discover different mobile app development tools. Whatever platform you want to build an app on, iOS or Android (or even cross-platform), these tools would aid you every step of the way.
iOS App Development Tools
Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or Later
For the full list of old and new devices that are compatible with this OS X version, check this Wikipedia page.
or devices with Dual Core Intel Processor (4gb RAM), and for this case, there are several ways to simulate OS X in a Windows device :
- Hackintosh.com features instructions on how to install OS X on a PC or selected notebook brands.
- VirtualBox is an open source virtualization software powered by Oracle. You can purchase a copy of Mac OS X and run it using VirtualBox.
- MacinCloud : This is a remote online Mac rental service. It basically allows you the luxury of accessing Mac Servers using any device.
Xcode 6.3.2 or later
Xcode is the one-stop shop in Apple app development. Integrated into Xcode are the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, Swift and Objective-C compilers, iOS Simulator, instruments analysis and iOS SDKs among other features.
Android App Development Tools
Compatible OS :
- Windows : Microsoft Windows 2003/Vista/7/8; 32 or 64-bit with minimum of 2gb RAM and 400mb disk space and 1280×800 minimum screen resolution.
- Mac OS X: Mac OS X 10.8.5 or higher; minimum of 2gb RAM with 400mb of hard disk space and 1280×800 minimum screen resolution.
- Linux : GNOME or KDE desktop; GNU C Library (Glibc) 2.15 or later with a minimum of 2gb RAM, 400mb hard disk space and 1280×800 minimum screen resolution.
Android Studio :
Android Studio is a code editor capable of advance code completion, refactoring, and code analysis.It is main use is in app development for Android devices like phones and tablets. Features include the Android Studio IDE, Android SDK tools, Android 5.0 (Lollipop) platform, Android 5.0 emulator system image, and Google APIs.
Cross-Platform Mobile App Development Tools
They say that developing apps for iOS devices are still the most profitable venture even with Android’s dominant majority of users. But what if you want to play both sides and see which one brings you the big bucks? Here are some of the most popular cross-platform mobile app development tools :
- Unity 3D. This game engine tool is used to develop games not only for app stores but also for other computer platforms. App development is in UnityScript, C# or Boo. It comes with support for distribution, exposure and user analytics.
- Phonegap. This is one of the most well-known cross-platform mobile app development tools. Adobe owns this free tool based on the Apache Cordova open source project. The main development languages are HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Even without SDK and compilers, native app features are still retained. Most importantly, the tool is cloud-based so there is no need for SDK updates.
- Xamarin. This is one of the fastest growing cross-platform mobile app development tools. It has since partnered with IBM, Xoriant, and Microsoft. It uses a single C# codebase used to build cross-platform apps for both computer and mobile devices. Apps are then tested through the Xamarin Cloud service.
- Sencha. This tool focuses on HTML5. Sencha comes with Ext JS 5 tools that a developer can use to build HTML5 apps. These apps can run on various browsers and touch-based devices. Also, conversion into a native app is possible through Phonegap. Finally, big name clients in their portfolio include Google, CNN, and Samsung.
- Alpha Anywhere. This brand offers solutions for enterprise’s app development from the start to the end of the development process. They also developed a built-in support for offline apps that will enable these apps to properly synchronize once online. Alpha Anywhere tools utilize both JavaScript and HTML5 to cross major mobile platforms.
- Appcelerator Titanium. This is an open-source tool that allows you to build native apps for iOS and Android using a single Javascript codebase. It also has a very useful feature that allows you to reuse up to 90% of the code when building cross-platform apps.
- Cocos2d. As the name implies, this tool is used for 2d game development. It has five different versions that can specialize in different programming languages used to develop apps for both iOS and Android.
