The Top Mobile App Development Tools You Wished You Heard About Sooner
by Michelle Lawrence | Last Updated: Aug 23, 2020
It’s Saturday morning. You’re feeling refreshed after a cup of coffee and you’re ready to get to those home renovation projects you’ve been putting off for a few weeks (read: years). You grab your toolbox and head to the garage to get started. Just when you’re ready to start your project, you open your toolbox and notice you’re missing a lot of the key tools needed for the job. You march down to the nearest hardware store and ask an expert their opinion on what you need for the job. Once you’ve purchased the right tools, you can finally start the project and cross your fingers you’re finished before dinner.
This story might resonate with a lot of marketers out there, except you’re not doing any home renovations. You’re doing a renovation on your mobile marketing strategy to keep your organization current with the times and your team has landed on building a mobile app. If this is your first time dabbling in the world of app development, don’t panic. Think of this blog post like the expert in the hardware store...we’re here to tell you the top mobile app development tools you wish you had sooner. 🛠
Investing in the Best Tools Can Have a Big Payoff
Before we get started with our round-up of the best mobile app development tools, let’s first explore why having the best tools is necessary. Do you know how long you have before someone makes a judgment about your mobile app? It’s less than half a second. And if you don’t get it right on the first try, two-thirds of users are likely to never use your mobile app again. So designing a mobile app that is not only visually appealing but also provides relevant content to users is crucial.
And if you do end up creating an engaging mobile experience, you could see some serious payoff. It’s no secret consumers love their smartphones. On average, consumers pick up their mobile phones 96 times a day. That’s 96 times a day users have an opportunity to interact with your brand on mobile. When West Elm designed their Progressive Web App (PWA), they witnessed a 9 percent increase in revenue per visit. So, investing in the right mobile app development software has its perks.
The Top Mobile App Development Tools
Now let’s get to what you came here for - to discover what the best app development software for beginners is. The good news is you have a lot of options when it comes to application development technologies. Let’s go over a few options you have when it comes to your ‘mobile toolbox’.
Low Code/No Code Platforms
Starting off with perhaps our favorite tool to incorporate into your marketing strategy are low code and no code platforms. Low code and no code app builders give individuals with no prior coding experience the ability to build a mobile app (pretty cool, right?). Learning how to create an app without coding skills can actually start to be addictive with drag and drop functionality that makes it possible to add items on the app’s page. The main difference between low code vs. no code platforms is the ability to add or modify code using a low code platform. If you want to create a custom app and not be tied down to templates with a no code platform, we suggest you choose low code software.
Cross Platform Software
If you’re new here, you might not know our stance on native mobile apps. Well, spoiler alert we think the time for native mobile apps has come and gone. Why do we have such a visceral reaction to native mobile apps? They’re a headache to develop (plus no one is downloading them anymore). Not only are native mobile apps more expensive to develop, but you also have to develop them for both Android and iOS. So instead of looking for Android development tools, search instead for cross platform mobile app development tools. Cross platform app development frameworks are designed for mobile apps to work across any operating system or device.
Open Source Mobile App Builder
OK, maybe you wouldn’t call yourself a developer but you know enough code to be dangerous. Working with open source mobile app development software will give you a bit of a head start when it comes to building an app from scratch. Open source software opens the door for users to modify pre-existing code to fit their needs. If you don’t want to create just another generic app, being able to modify the code to create a custom app is a pretty good option to add to your list of mobile app development tools.
It’s important to note though that just because open source code is open to the public to use, it doesn’t mean it’s free. So if you were looking for some free mobile app development tools, you might have to hang up that dream. You unfortunately can’t create an engaging app without investing some resources.
Want to witness what can happen for you when you invest in the best mobile app development tools? Read why partnering with a low code platform was perfect for Warren Rupp.
Meet with one of our experts to see how easy it is to centralize your product data, manage digital assets, and create digital product experiences. Trust us…you’re going to be wowed.
