Mobile applications are no longer a luxury, but have become a necessity of day to day life. One of the biggest challenges that app developers faced before was creating applications that work well on multiple platforms. Not anymore; here we are sharing the top 9 cross-platform dev tools for mobile app development tools that will help in designing cutting edge and productive apps in a short duration of time.

8. Codename One

This cross-device platform helps in developing industry-based applications. The platform supports rapid application development. The developer can write code in Java and the application will be tested and verified with Codename One’s simulator devices and test automation tools. The framework supports popular IDEs like NetBeans, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA. The most interesting feature about its build server is that the developer can build native iOS apps as well as native Windows apps without a Mac machine or Windows PC. The platform is recommended for developing iOS apps.

Cons: Codename’s graphic UI does not match the requirements of large projects and its visual themes are not updated. Another major flaw is that all the event handlers are stored in a single file, which makes the development part more cumbersome.

7. PhoneGap

This open-source platform can make building cross-platform apps a lot easier. The tool works best for mobile applications that do not rely on the device’s native features for performance. A product of Adobe, one can use it to translate code from HTMT5, CSS, and JavaScript. The PhoneGap platform allows the developer to design app for platforms like iPhone, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry. This free resource is high in demand among developers due to its features and support that it offers.

Cons: The only limitation in this tool is it is not suitable for graphics-intensive apps.

6. Appcelerator

This tool makes it possible for coders to create cross-platform apps with speed. The tool deploys a JavaScript codebase. The plus point of this tool is it is extensible and open. The developer can create apps for platforms like iOS, Android, and BlackBerry; it even supports HTML5 and hybrid apps. The Appceleratortool has an open-source SDK and supports more than 5,000 devices and OS APIs, Eclipse-based IDE Studio, and the MVC framework Alloy.

Cons: The only disadvantage that we have come across so far about the tool is its support team, especially the developer community, which is slow in response.

5. Sencha Ext JS

The Sencha Touch platform is an ideal choice for a cross-platform mobile app framework. The framework allows developers to build cutting-edge apps

Cons: The native looking themes are limited. The commercial licensing feature is not easy to comprehend.

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4. Monocross

If you need Dev Tools for Mobile App to build interactive and interesting apps for smartphones and tablets, then Monocross is the framework is for you. This open-source, cross-platform framework supports C#, Microsoft, .NET, and the Mono framework. What makes this tool interesting is that it gives the developer full access to the native device APIs while still coding in C#.

Cons: The document and support for the Monocross framework are few in number on the internet, so developers may find themselves in a tricky situation while developing the app, as they don’t have enough resources to learn about the framework.

3. RAD Studio

You can create apps for Android devices including phones, tablets, and now wearables like Smart Watches with RAD Studio. Develop Android apps quickly in the RAD Studio visual designer and code editor to deliver high performance, natively compiled apps for the best user experience. You can then simply select the iOS target to deliver a compiled native iOS app from the exact same codebase.

• Fast native performance – Android apps created with RAD Studio are faster than web-based or hybrid mobile apps
• Build secure applications – compiled code that doesn’t require a runtime is more secure and InterBase ToGo offers on-device database encryption
• Leverage your Delphi and C++ language skills, knowledge and source code to get to mobile
• Develop for Android, iOS, Windows and OS X using a single IDE with a single framework
• Create true native compiled Android and iOS apps from a single codebase

Cons: The scarcity of documentation and resource support can create a peculiar situation for developers.

2. NativeScript

Here is another wonderful open-source platform for building cross-platform compatible mobile apps. The framework provides native APIs in JavaScript. Developers can easily reuse the available plug-in npm directly in NativeScript projects. It provides support for Angular.js 2 and TypeScript.

Cons: The resources are not extensive; one may not find useful examples and documentation on each of its features.

And number one Dev Tools for Mobile App is:

1. Xamarin

Xamarin has made it possible for the developers to design native apps for multiple platforms using only C# codebase. The tool allows developers to use the same IDE, language, and APIs everywhere. Xamarin cross-platform development has been adopted by big names like Microsoft, Foursquare, IBM, and Dow Jones. If a developer wants to use Ruby or C#, then it is one of the most suitable development platforms for them. Xamarin platform allows the developer to share code, which means an app can be created in less time and at a decreased cost.

Cons: The free version of Xamarin offers limited features and it does not allow a developer to use open-source libraries due to compatibility issues.