Top 6 Tools Needed to Develop An Application From Scratch

01 March 2022

The mobility revolution is reaching its peak globally. What makes your smart device facile are user-centric apps which make it easier for you to complete your day-to-day activities with a few clicks of the button. The app allows you to order meals, book taxis, shop for clothes, etc.

As till the first quarter of 2022, Android users can choose from 3.298 ≅3.3 million apps, making the Google app store the leading one. The Apple App store stands second with 2.11 million available apps. However, the app market revenue is forecasted to reach around 613 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

If you’re thinking of developing an app from scratch, it’s time when you need some software that makes your task straightforward and faster. This blog features the top 6 mobile app development tools that help you get your solution crafted from scratch. Before jumping to lists, let’s explore why it’s beneficial.

Mobile App Development Tools Making Your Task Easier: Explore How?

The past was the days when a mobile-friendly website was the only way to stay ahead of the curve, but it evolved slowly; now, tech experts help their clients focus on improving their presence on mobile. They choose to use popular tools that make development easier. It provides programmers with numerous advantages like:

• Improves efficiency;
• Provide great scalability;
• Helps to maintain data;
• Reduce coding efforts;
• Save time.

There are many more edges than coders get when they choose to portray an app using the top development tools. It helps coders assemble the nuts and bolts of mobility solutions that make users’ lives smoother than ever before.

Top Tools to Create App from Scratch

Are you planning for app development from scratch? Don’t worry, there are numerous tools and frameworks that can save your time, money and other valuable resources. In fact, referring to in-depth  mobile app development guide can prosper your business and help you build out-of-the-box apps.

You must understand that creating an app doesn’t require tremendous investment, time, and effort; all you ought is to choose the right tool that helps you get your app crafted. There are many tools that allow you to portray apps from scratch. Want to know which you can use to create apps for iOS, Android, or other platforms, have a quick look over the list below.

Xamarin – For Cross-Platform Apps

Microsoft open-source framework for C# and .Net, Xamarin is widely popular. Statist reports represent 11% of software developers preferred to use Xamarin in 2021. It’s found that nearly one-third of developers use cross-platform frameworks or technologies, while the rest choose to go for native.

This cross-platform uses C# and .Net, a single language to portrait apps for iOS and Android. It’s the best option when you want to portray a high-quality and best-performing app. Developers can share around 90% of code across platforms; this makes development faster. You can get your app built in Visual Studio. Xamarin is the most trusted development tool with great functionality.

Features: 

• Can be quickly installed
• Great visual experience
• Automatic SDK installation when needed

Pros:

• Full hardware support
• Compatibility with MVVM and MVC architectures
• Complete development ecosystem
• Open-source
• Simplified maintenance
• Provides lots of components

Cons:

• Platform-specific code
• Minimal community support
• Not a perfect choice for apps with Complex UI
• Time-consuming to develop UI

BuildFire – For No-code App Development

This tool reduces the barrier to creating apps and decreases development costs to some extent. BuildFire powers more than 10,000 applications with millions of users every day.

It’s one of the most loved and preferred tools by businesses, individuals, developers, etc. This app development tool’s hit and edit interface enables you to create a powerful app. Additionally, a suite of features and functionalities eliminates the requirement for having programming experience to craft an app.

Features:

• Users without coding experience can use it
• Straightforward app builder
• Portrait custom functionality with SDK

Pros:

• Free trial for fourteen days
• Easiest app building
• Useful social networking features
• Provides effective options for portraying an app

Cons:

• Not Supported by big platforms
• Small support community and challenging finding the advice

Xcode – For iOS App Development

Apple integrated development environment, Xcode, helps you create mobility solutions for the iOS platform. The initial version was launched in 2003; the latest one that you can use is 13.2.1, released at the end of 2021. Just register and download the prior and preview version on the official website.

This development tool comes with Command Line Tools, making UNIX-style coding through the Terminal app in macOS. Users are allowed to install and download it without the GUI.

Features:

• Provides IDE for macOS
• Users can use this tool for iOS, tvOS, iPadOS, and macOS development
• Easy to install and download
• Offers quick suggestions and corrections
• interface design tools

Pros:

• Easy-to-use tools
• The fastest option to create hybrid apps

Cons:

• No tab autocomplete for C++
• Error in exporting archives and app packages
• Has to deal with a lot of errors at an initial level

Android Studio – For Android App Development

This tool was announced at the Google I/O conference in 2013. Built on JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA software, it has been replaced by the E-ADT as the initial IDE for native app development. It provides a great environment, helping coders code apps for Android platforms.

Android Studio’s structured code modules allow you to divide the project into different functions and help you create and test the app independently. It’s the best option as it gets the support of Google and a wider community of programmers.

Features:

• Outstanding code editor
• Feature-rich emulator
• Easy to add patterns as well as code templates

Pros:

• Effective debugging features
• Great code editor
• Easy testing for the launched app
• Has a great set of plugins for specific needs

Cons:

• Higher system requirements
• A lot of time required to portray an app
• Outstanding emulator and database functionality

OutSystems – For Low-code App Development

This tool makes it easier for coders to create and manage omnichannel apps. Founded in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2001, OutSystems provides security and more to the users. The tool has AI-powered automation integrated, helping to develop apps quickly and more seamlessly than ever before.

Users can use OutSystems to portrait enterprise apps; they can manage everything, from front and back-end process automation to data modeling and more. This tool takes all the models and generates an optimized and robust app ready to run on standard architecture. Additionally, it uses the relational database to save all information, helping you access and control data at your convenience.

Features:

• Real-time monitoring and reporting
• Scalable via APIs
• Fully secured functionalities
• Easy monitoring and deployment
• Complete control and permission management
• Great support for agile development

Pros:

• Helps to create flawless projects
• Great user interface
• Feature-rich and secure development environment

Cons:

• Face issues with on-premise implementation
• Confusing documents
• Comprehensive platform

Firebase – App Analytics Tools

Founded by James Tamplin and Andrew Lee in 2011, Firebase is an app analytics tool developed to build apps of your choice. Google acquired the platform and offered development. It supports Apple, Android, and other clients; this significantly decreases programming time and eliminates the issues with information saving and servers.

Features:

• Offers cloud service
• Information is saved as native JSON; developers can see what they have accumulated
• Data is secure as it’s transferred to Firebase
• Supported by Google cloud storage
• Data streams to create a robust app

Pros:

• Great database capabilities
• Wide range of services and features
• Free plan for basic features
• Straightforward documentation
• Easy integration and setup

Cons:

• Restricted querying capabilities
• Limited data migration
• Less support for iOS

Programmers can use more app development tools to craft a feature-packed and functional mobile app. Moreover, developing an app doesn’t require investments, as these easy-to-use tools make the app development process efficient and cost-effective.

Bottom Line

The development segment is flooded with many tools helping programmers build mobile apps. They get a chance to select from lots of development tools that enable them to develop an app for different platforms and technology. However, most of them have various features, complexity, pros, and cons. Thus make sure to Google and have complete analysis to make a smart choice when portraying an app from scratch.