The mobile app development market is extensive and is expected to grow substantially in the upcoming years. As of 2021, there are around 4.83 million mobile apps in total available for download. Almost 1.96 million applications are available in Apple App Store, and about 2.87 million apps are present in Google Play Store. In fact, as per statistics, the mobile app market would generate around $935 billion by 2023.

After reading all these facts and stats, you, too, might be looking forward to developing a mobile app for your business. In this regard, you can consult a mobile applications development company and ask them to build one according to your business needs. However, you will need to understand what tool would be best for this purpose.

This article will tell you about the basics of mobile app development and the five best mobile app development tools you can consider in 2021.

What is a mobile app?

Before moving forward to discuss the mobile app development tools, it is crucial to understand what a mobile application is. So, one can simply define a mobile app as application software with the capabilities and specifications to run on a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet. Mobile applications are somewhat similar to the software or account portals you access on your PCs that help you with the services like online banking, accessing emails, transferring data, video conferencing, etc. However, these apps are generally smaller in size and designed to serve specific purposes.

What is mobile app development?

Mobile app development is the process of designing and developing a mobile application that runs on a mobile device and usually requires a network connection to coordinate with computing resources available at a remote server. It involves building installable software bundles and implementing backend services like data access with an API.

To develop a mobile application, you need to decide and choose a specific platform on which your application will run. In the present context, two platforms are dominating the mobile app development space. One is Android, and the other one is iOS (for Apple devices). You can choose any of these or even build a cross-platform app that can run on multiple platforms.

Now, since you have understood the basics of mobile app development, let’s proceed to the top mobile app development tools you can look for in crafting your mobile business app.

Top 5 mobile app development tools to look for in 2021

React Native

Crafted by Facebook, React Native is an open-source, cross-platform mobile app development used to develop Android and iOS applications. This tool combines the power of React and JavaScript library that helps you build interactive user interfaces for your mobile app. With React Native, you can create a new mobile app from scratch or use it in your existing mobile app development project.

React Native is a reliable choice to build cross-platform applications. Moreover, since it uses React and merges native modules in the programming, users can experience the native feel in the applications developed using React Native.

Xamarin

Xamarin is a Microsoft-build mobile app development tool used to create cross-platform applications. Although it is relatively new in the market, it has gained immense popularity since its evolution.

Xamarin uses C#, and with its single programming language, you can create apps for both platforms (Android and iOS). Moreover, Xamarin works on the .NET framework that enables developers to reuse more than 90% of their code. It means you can use the reusable components of one project in some other app development project with ease.

With Xamarin, you can build your mobile app in Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code as per your choice and requirements. It can be an excellent option for developing top-notch cross-platform apps that appears to be native.

Framework 7

Framework 7 used to be an iOS app development tool; however, it also provides Android support. Many people consider that the performance of iOS apps is much better than the Android ones. Well, it would be hard to say that. However, if you also think like that and want an app that appears and feels like an iOS application even on Android, Framework 7 is your tool.

Moreover, understanding and working on Framework 7 becomes very easy if you have a decent knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Some features of Framework 7 consists of native scrolling, XHR caching and preloading, 1:1 page animation support, custom DOM library, material design UI, etc.

Ionic

Ionic is another famous cross-platform app development framework based on Sass CSS language. It is pretty easy to use, and when integrated with AngularJS, you can develop more advanced mobile applications using Ionic.

Ionic consists of a library with mobile-optimized JS, HTML, and CSS components and tools that work nicely with predefined elements. It also includes a CLI (Command-line interface) that provides emulators, logging, and live reloading features.

jQuery Mobile

You might be surprised to know, but more than half of the mobile websites are presently using jQuery Mobile. It is one of the oldest mobile app development tools and has more features than most frameworks. It is often regarded as the “Swiss army knife of mobile app dev tools” for having various benefits in a single tool.

jQuery Mobile works on the principle of ‘Write less, do more.’ Although you can miss out on the native experience and advanced functionalities in the apps built using jQuery Mobile, you can get high-quality applications with this tool.

Final Thoughts

This article has introduced you to the basic concepts of mobile app development and the best tools you can use to design highly engaging applications. With the help of a mobile application development company, you can turn your mobile app-related ideas and thoughts into reality. An expert app development team will help you suggest the best mobile app solutions to boost your business growth and enhance customer engagement.