When our team gets started on a mobile development project, one of our first priorities is to determine the tech stack.
For us, it took years of experience to assemble our list of best tools for application development. here are plenty of great tools on the market, so it’s easy for product owners and even some developers to get confused.
We decided to share our take on what is the best tool for mobile app development. Here, you’ll know which instruments to use on each development stage and their DOs and DON’Ts.
The approach that you chose for mobile development will define the tech stack of the project.
Both types’ pros and cons are obvious: native apps are harder to develop, but they are faster, more interactive, and deliver a better experience. Hybrid apps allow avoiding double spending of resource. Still, the end performance is not nearly as smooth.
Above all, the choice depends on the industry of a mobile development project. We use different approaches for marketplaces, retail apps, games, messengers, and on-demand apps.
In this guide, we’ll talk about the best tools for mobile application development for both types of mobile apps, all the way specifying which fits best where.
In our experience, you need to have a clear understanding of your expectations from a mobile development tool. First and foremost, we like our instruments to be:
Xcode is an official integrated development environment for iOS mobile development. The supported languages include Swift, Objective-C++, Python, Java, Ruby, AppleScript, C, C++, and others.
For most iOS developers, Xcode is an indispensable instrument. Its functionality and interface may be far from perfect. Still, it’s the only official iOS IDE on the market.
Where to use Xcode?
Where to not use Xcode?
Our reason to use Xcode: it’s the only officially-supported IDE for iOS development. There are third-party solutions, but they don’t guarantee full compatibility. Also, Xcode has all the best tools for mobile application development that a developer needs to build an iOS app from scratch. We use a bunch of others, too – but Xcode always lies at the core.
Just like Xcode is an officially-supported IDE for iOS development, similarly, Android Studio is a publicly endorsed environment for Android development. It’s based on the IntelliJ Idea environment, created by JetBrains (often considered to be one of the best in the game).
Where to use Android Studio?
Where not to use Android Studio?
Our reason to use Android Studio: the new version of an official IDE is a massive improvement over the previous one, Eclipse. Refactoring tools, performance speed, emulator quality now work a lot smoother. Ultimately, the interface became easier-to-handle, too. On top of that, it’s an official tool – the compatibility with Android hardware is higher than on third-party environments.
Visual Studio is an IDE developed and supported by Microsoft. It’s not official either for iOS or Android. Even so, it is often considered the best IDE tool for mobile application development on the market in terms of functionality and interface (we mostly agree).
However, there’s an important thing to consider before committing to the Visual Studio – you will be building a cross-platform application. Usually, when teams use Visual Studio, they also work with Xamarin – a Microsoft-supported tool for building native apps on iOS Android.
Xamarin allows developers to use a single C-based codebase for Android and iOS. Business logic is shared across the platform, but UI is built separately.
This way, developers can quickly build internal applications with a well-suited language (C#) without sacrificing native UI.
Where to use MS Visual Studio?
Where not to use MS Visual Studio?
Our reason to use MS Visual Studio: we like the richness of the functionality and having the opportunity to build the same business logic for Android and iOS. For some projects, using Xamarin and VS is a more reasonable option.
Unity is a game engine, used to build 3D, 2D, VR, and AR games for mobile and desktop devices. Initially, the software was compatible exclusively with Apple’s hardware, but now, the platform supports more than 35 platforms.
Unity is one of the most powerful game engines on the market. It supports elaborate graphics, allows building rich functionality, and the community offers multiple ready-to-use templates.
So, if you are considering building iOS and Android games, including Unity in your tech stack, it should be a priority.
Where to use Unity?
Where not to use Unity?
Our reason to use Unity: it’s one of the most powerful gaming app development software on the market. It’s used by the most prominent game development companies and became the standard of game development over the last decade.
On top of that, learning and working with Unity is simple, too – especially with all the available guides. Also, Unity’s asset library is the biggest one in the game.
A open-source mobile app development software for 2D game development that supports iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and others. It’s a lightweight SDK, compared to Unity. After all, Corona has a much lower frame per second rate and higher resolution adaptivity.
Where to use Corona?
Where not to use Corona?:
Our reason to use Corona: it’s an efficient platform for building simple games. In fact, when you don’t need a realistic interface and powerful functionality, Corona is best tool to use for mobile app development in 2D gaming.
| Tool | OS | Purpose | Use cases |
| XCode | iOS | Official integrated development environment for iOS projects | DevelopmentTestingDeploymentCollaboration |
| Android Studio | Android | Official integrated development environment for Android projectsReplacement of Eclipse | DevelopmentTestingBeta-testingAutomation |
| MS Visual Studio | Cross-platform | Cross-platform development environment that uses Xamarin for native app development | Cross-platform developmentTestingCollaborationAutomation |
| Unity | Cross-platform | 3D gaming engine used by the majority of gaming developers | Visually-rich games3D games3D interfaces |
| Corona | Cross-platform | 2D gaming engine, known for its intuitive and simplicity | 2D gamesPuzzles, quizzesLightweight mobile games |
For development, we examined native and cross-platform IDEs, as well as a gaming engine. Testing also heavily relies on tools – both for cooperation and automation. The testing team should track real-time updates, manage use cases, record bugs, and measure the results of their work.
TestFlight is a digital service for testing iOS applications, which was available for Android, but now works only within iOS. The platform is used to run applications, manage text cases, cooperate with team members. The software also offers one of the best tools for mobile application development.
TestFlight is an industry-standard for iOS testing. Since it’s the part of the official network, the platform is fully compatible with iOS hardware and other Apple-owned development tools.
It’s also one of the best beta testing platforms overall – interface, settings, and customizations are highly thought-out and easy to manage.
Where to use TestFlight?
Where not to use TestFlight?
Our reason to use TestFlight: our iOS team has a lot of experience working with all the Apple ecosystem’s best tools for mobile application development. Being able to integrate beta-testing into our usual work environment is a great opportunity. Also, TestFlight can be used for internal testing activities, too – the software is pretty versatile and it’s don’t loads your mac, more info about slow-running mac is read here. Lastly, we appreciate its compatibility with the App Store’s requirements and hardware characteristics.
Android developers typically use Android Studio to run unit tests, check performance, emulate the functionality. Compared to Eclipse, the testing functionality improved tremendously in the new release. Still, official Android documentation recommends using Espresso, an additional instrument for UI testing – and we agree.
Espresso is used to automate writing UI tests. Developers can integrate its API into their Android studio, and control syncs, sleeps, and other updates.
Where to use Espresso?
Where not to use Espresso?
Our reason to use Eclipse: the tool is highly compatible with the overall Android ecosystem. It can be easily integrated into Android Studio (an IDE where most testing tasks are carried out) and complies with hardware requirements. Also, Espresso is intuitive, well-documented, and fast.
If you are looking for a not so platform-specific automation tool, you can try out general-purpose platforms like TestComplete. Its primary purpose is the automation of functional testing in Android and iOS applications. Developers assign keywords to each test case, navigate the process, and gradually automate most error logging processes.
To us, TestComplete appeals with its versatile support of multiple platforms. The platform isn’t reserved for mobile development only – you can use it on web development desktop, run Java application, etc. Once you get used to the interface, the software will likely be useful in multiple projects.
Where to use TestComplete:
Where not to use TestComplete:
Our reason to use TestComplete: TestComplete is a universal tool with the scope that spans far beyond mobile functional testing. Learning its functionality and interface proves to be useful on multiple projects, and it has made a huge difference in our teams’ productivity.
Cocoapods is an industry-standard to manage dependency in iOS applications, written in Objective-C and Swift. The application supports integrations with JetBrains’ App Code and has a git-repository on GitHub.
Where to use Cocoapods?
Where not to use Cocoapods?
Our reason to use Cocoapods: as a Ruby development team, we can’t help but appreciate Cocoapods structure. It’s based on Ruby and allows the installation of gems. This possibility of using Ruby even in mobile development and testing appeals to us. The language has a great syntax, and Cocoapods took after Ruby in this regard.
| Tool | OS | Purpose | Use cases |
| TestFlight | iOS | An official tool for beta-testing and collaboration | Beta-testingRelease managementUnit testingCollaboration |
| Espresso | Cross-platform | A tool, officially recommended by Android team for UI test automation | UI testing automationAPI testing |
| TestComplete | Cross-platform | A platform for automating functional and regression testing as well as documentation management | Functional testingRegression testingDocumentationAutomation |
| Cocoapods | Cross-platform | An industry-standard to manage dependency in iOS applications in Objective-C and Swift | Dependency managementMaintenanceCollaborationAutomation |
Using best mobile app development platforms and frameworks helps us save time and avoid writing code from scratch. They give us a structured approach, the template that we can choose to follow or disregard. Even our most experienced senior app developers agree that you shouldn’t aim to do everything from scratch – also, if you have the skillset for it.
Firebase is an all-in-one platform with instruments for app analytics, file storage functionality, push-notification, data processing, access control, and other services. These components are essential for functioning internal logic, but building them from scratch takes time and attention away from main features.
Where to use Firebase?
Where not to use Firebase?
Our reason to use Firebase: it gives developers access to Google’s infrastructure – you can use ready code and backend app development software. It’s an excellent option for teams that work with scaling in mind. You build a robust infrastructure for your project from the beginning. All the services and app’s data are stored on the Cloud – so be prepared to switch your work to Cloud.
Flutter is a UI design kit for Android and iOS, developed and supported by Google. It’s a simple instrument for building UI, animation, widgets, managing plugins, editing text displays, etc.
Where to use Flutter?
Where not to use Flutter?
Our reason to use Flutter: what makes Flutter different from other UI frameworks is Dart’s usage instead of JavaScript. The language is designed with mobile UI in mind, and unlike browser-based JS, it can be compiled into a binary code. This means that hardware communicates with Dart directly, which contributes to more native performance.
If you need to launch an app on Android and iOS and on the web and do it as soon as possible, cross-platform development could be a solution. The tool offers interface templates, components, and styled themes. Ionic is seen by many as the best tool for cross-platform mobile app development – it’s simple, fast, and versatile.
The interfaces, built with Ionic, can be reused as single-page applications or progressive-web applications. It’s based on Angular and React JS development and uses JavaScript as the main language.
Where to use Ionic?
Where not to use Ionic?
Our reason to use Ionic: it’s a simple app development software for integrating a web code into a mobile application. If the project requires simple functionality and interface, it’s often a wiser strategy to reuse the web code rather than assembling a new team with an entirely different skill set.
| Tool | OS | Purpose | Use cases |
| Firebase | Cross-platform | Platform with instruments for app analytics, file storage functionality, push-notification, data processing, access control. | AnalyticsData managementPersonalizationAccess managementCustomization |
| Flutter | Cross-platform | A UI design kit for Android and iOS, developed and supported by Google. | MVP developmentBuilding cross-platform UICreating animation, widgetsEditing text displays |
| Ionic | Cross-platform | A cross-platform web-based network for building mobile apps. Based on JavaScript | Building mobile appsReusing codebase for PWAs and SPAsUI-heavy development |
One of our priorities is establishing a system that works efficiently, even after the project is done. This is why we emphasize documentation, automation, and continuous integration and delivery.
Jenkins is a app development software for continuous delivery and integration that automates code updates, deploys new versions, allows running automated tests, and processes pull requests.
You can report failed tests to your team, report fixes and store details in the database,
runs code through a static analysis tool and reports the findings, and perform a QA analysis.
Where to use Jenkins?
Where not to use Jenkins?
Our reason to use Jenkins: for us, Jenkins is the tool that brings development, testing, deployment, and automation together. It’s also an excellent platform for keeping track of test cases, code issues, and team contributions.
Fastlane is a app development software for software release automation and beta version management. Developers can set up algorithms for making screenshots, updating documentation, and planning releases.
Where to use Fastlane?
Where not to use Fastlane?
Our reason to use Fastline: it’s convenient, for one. The tool is integrated with multiple continuous integration systems, including Jenkins – in fact, we use them together. Plus, Fastline is open-source and can be independently customized by a development team. The software runs on our machines and servers – no need to share data ownership.
Bitrise is a continuous integration app development software that allows deploying multiple mobile builds, collecting statistics, and collaborate across teams. The tool is often considered a mobile-oriented alternative of CircleCI due to its simple interface and in-depth mobile documentation.
Where to use Bitrise?
Where not to use Bitrise?
Our reason to use Bitrise: it’s a tool that our clients can easily keep using even on their own. Once the project is over, we know that teams can easily stick to established deployment practices – because they are highly intuitive.
| Tool | OS | Purpose | Use cases |
| Jenkins | Cross-platform | An app development software for continuous delivery and integration. | Automating code updatesDeploying new versionRunning automated testsProcessing pull requests |
| Fastlane | Cross-platform | A app development software for software release automation and beta version management. | Making screenshotsUpdating documentationPlanning releases. |
| Bitrise | Cross-platform | A mobile-oriented continuous integration platform for releasing new iterations | Deploying multiple mobile buildsCollecting statisticsCollaborating across teams |
For us, flexibility and reliability are the main priorities in app development. Our tech stack should correspond with the project’s exact needs and be sustainable in the long run. This is why we always consider the resources that our clients have in disposal (team, servers, computing power, etc), and use this knowledge to build stacks of the best tools for mobile application development projects.
This is why apps, developed by Syndicode, keep successfully working even after the project is technically over. We care about choosing app development software that works in the long run. If you’d like us to build an app for you, get in touch with Syndicode’s mobile developers.