Looking for some top Android app development tools to develop the application? But confused with the available options in the market? Don’t worry, this blog caters to your needs!
Android apps are widely used in every industry to attract users and it captures around 85% of the app market. If you want your online business to survive, then having an Android app is a necessity these days as they are compatible with maximum smart phones, unlike Apple which is available for iOS devices only. As you know, the development market is more inclined toward Android apps, and developing a good Android application is a tough task.
So, you may require special and best android app development tools to cater to the needs of your application. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 Android app development tools, which are really helpful in 2022. But before moving further, you should have the basic knowledge and features of an app development framework.
Table of Contents
What is an Android App Development Tool?
Developing an Android application is not a kid’s play. This process requires so much time and efforts apart from having good knowledge of development. To start your development project you will need many things and an app development tool is one of them.
Android app development tool is used to make your development process much easier with the help of different IDEs, templates, code-free development, APIs, and analytics. It assists to simplify the development process with the integration of backend services. An app development tool gives a visual platform to test the hardware compatibility and the whole workflow. As there are plenty of options available for these sorts of tools to choose from, you need to know the basic features of a good tool. Let’s take a look at that!
Features of a Good Android App Development Tool
It is so difficult to choose a selective framework that suits the proper requirements of your android app development. To fit into the basic criteria of every developer, here are some most discussed features of the tools:
- The application developed by any good framework should have a nice user interface that fits all the smart devices perfectly. Your app’s functionality, look, feel and resolution should be perfectly fine on different devices.
- The developers should be able to handle the design process without any hurdles with these tools. It should have the ability to resolve any design issue in the developing and designing stage.
- Your application should provide the optimal user interface and user experience to satisfy the customers. This can be a major success milestone in your online market sales. Any good tool will check this for you.
No matter whichever development tool you choose, it should fit your application’s requirements. Try to consider these basic points in mind before you start your development project. As you have read about the features, let’s get further to know the 10 top Android app development tools for developers!
Top Android App Development Tools for Developers
1. Xamarin
Xamarin is one of the most widely used app development tools. Microsoft owns the Xamarin framework, which is good to use for native and hybrid app development. This platform will take your mobile application development process to the next level with so much ease.
Also, Xamarin is part of the .Net ecosystem, which makes it widely used in all development aspects. It mostly uses C# language and its merging with .Net enables you to develop cross-platform applications very easily.
Some Potential Features:
- Xamarin is an open-source framework.
- You can use a single share codebase for Android, iOS, and Windows using .Net IDE.
- Xamarin has a strongly built community of more than 60K contributors from different companies.
- You can easily manage small to large teams, and version control via Visual Studio.
- You can develop applications with very less bugs using this platform.
- You can also do deep linking and application indexing using Xamarin.
2. PhoneGap (Apache Cordova)
The next choice on the list is Adobe’s PhoneGap, a nicely used framework for developing applications for cross-platform android app development. You can create apps for Android, iOS, and Windows platforms using a single code set. Even the platform allows you to make hybrid apps.
The framework is based on Javascript, HTML5, and CSS3 languages. Its strong developer community and CLI make it a very good choice for developing Android applications.
Some Potential Features:
- PhoneGap is an open-source development platform with regular updates and versions.
- It is best for apps that don’t need heavy use of native features.
- Its development cycle is really quick and also it provides a fast debugging process.
- You don’t have to bother to maintain native SDKs.
3. Ionic
If you want to create high-quality and high-performance mobile and web apps, Ionic is for you. This open-source, cross-platform framework has an awesome UI features toolkit and it works on web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript with support from Angular, React, and Vue. You can easily ship the apps to the play store with a single shared code base. If you already know Angular well, then you will feel familiar with this development tool.
Some Potential Features:
- The framework is well-known for features like design, animation, and performance.
- This application development tool is 100% free.
- Its ready-made themes and typography make it easy for you to adapt to each platform.
- Live to reload and cross-platform deployment are some of the great features of Ionic.
4. Corona
If you want to develop games and apps for your mobile or desktop devices, Corona is a perfect platform for you. You just have to use a single code base to publish on multiple platforms including Android, iOS, Desktop, iPad, etc. That means you can create your project once and then publish it on various devices.
Its superb documentation and active community make it a good choice for developers. Corona development tool is based on the language ‘Lua’, a powerful and easy-to-learn scripting language. Lua is a very lightweight, fast, and powerful language, which makes Corona a good choice for gaming applications especially.
Some Potential Features:
- You can integrate various plugins to extend the app’s functionality.
- Android app developers can even share their code while developing the app.
- You can get a real-time preview of the looks of the applications you are developing because of the Corona Simulator.
- The applications will compile automatically at the developing time so that you can streamline them as per stability.
- The platform is completely free and has an active community of developers.
5. Mobile Angular
Mobile Angular is a UI framework for mobiles that are used to build HTML5-based mobile applications using Bootstrap and Angular JS. Mobile Angular is similar to Sencha Touch or jQuery Mobile. When anybody is well aware of Angular JS and Twitter Bootstrap, he will easily know about this development platform.
With very little effort, you can change your desktop applications to android mobile applications using Mobile Angular. This is the basic reason we have included this tool in this top list.
Some Potential Features:
- UI of Mobile Angular has all the features which were lacking in Bootstrap 3: Sidebars, Switches, Overlays, Scrollable areas, and many more.
- This open-source project lets you develop Android applications with very little effort and in less time.
- As a developer, you can easily check test speed and responsiveness.
- It assists you to develop an attractive interface and responsive design for your mobile app.
- You can even see the preview as per the desktop and mobile screen while developing the app.
6. Native Script
If you want to build native mobile apps using Javascript, Angular, TypeScript, and Vue.js with very little effort, Native Script is the option for you. Its cross-platform development features, native performance, strong backing, etc. make it a good choice for developers. This framework provides Javascript access to the native APIs and interfaces. Using Native Script, you can deploy native Android applications too with a single code base.
Some Potential Features:
- You can get full access to all Android APIs.
- Native Script is an open-source and completely free framework.
- You can combine the experience of real-world apps by being a Native Script developer.
- You don’t need to use web views to run with its native UI.
- The platform has good integration with CLI, router, code generation, and web pack in the case of Angular.
7. Sencha
If you need a good responsive mobile application with a good user experience, then go for Sencha. Its broad library of UI tools, banners, toolbars, and menu lists results in a user-friendly Android application. Its Javascript-based model view controller framework makes your projects compatible with the latest types of operating systems.
Some Potential Features:
- Sencha is a package of rich data analytics tools.
- You can access a default layout manager.
- You can use over 140 high-quality UI components to develop mind-blowing apps.
- It assists you to give a feel as native applications to your mobile and web apps on the various supported mobile devices.
8. Android Studio
Android app development has an official integrated development environment known as Android Studio. It is one of the most preferred tools for android app developers because it is easy to code, test, and debug. In 2003, Google developed this tool, and soon after that, it catches the attention of the people. If you are hunting for a stable IDE, then Android Studio is your go-to option.
Some Potential Features:
- The platform offers a flexible Gradle-based system.
- It has default compatibility with the Google Cloud platform.
- You can get code altering, troubleshooting, and testing of devices with the simple-to-use interface.
- You don’t need to restart the system to make changes to your running program after making changes in the code.
- It has the support of NDK and SDK for native app development.
9. AIDE
The next choice in the list is AIDE which is a free Android IDE. The special thing about this tool is the creation of an application directly on your phone. It has a very good response to C++ and Android development. The platform is very easy to learn, So it is very much suitable for beginners. It lets you create applications by using Java and C/C++.
Some Potential Features:
- You can have extra security against hash function attacks.
- You can easily exclude folders, files, or file types.
- You can even get integrated programming languages.
- The platform has good compatibility with Dropbox, PhoneGap, and Git.
- It even allows you to develop user interfaces inside the IDE without restarting, but it is available in the premium range.
10. Basic4Android
B4A (Basic4Android) is one of the easy Android app development tools which is very similar to visual basic. The thing that differentiates it from VB is the object support. It has all the basic features you will need to develop an app quickly. It lets you interact with native API via the Java library. Java jar file and an XML file are the two main components of B4A libraries.
Some Potential Features:
- The platform allows users to make and share their own libraries written in Java.
- Its robust GUI builder supports many screens.
- You don’t need to write down XML.
- You can develop complex applications in simple ways with its vast libraries.
- B4A is solely dedicated to the Android platforms.
Final Words
As the development tool options are wide in the market, slipping into confusion is natural. Android app development is quicker, simpler, and easier to do if you know the right tool for you and all the given tools have hot features to do all that.
To select the right tool for you, check your budget and time constraints properly before jumping onto any decision. We hope you find you suitable tool to do the development for your Android application and increase your business productivity. If you still have queries in mind, you can connect with us...We will serve you happily!
Hope you had a great read!
About the Author:
Naveen Kumar is the marketing and product head at JoomDev. He loves to convert his ideas into reality by developing products to make your online business successful with his WordPress plugins and mobile app development services.