This post is #11 in DailyTekk’s famous Top 100 series which explores the best startups, gadgets, apps, websites and services in a given category. Total items listed: 113. Time to compile: 6+ hours. Follow @DailyTekk on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a week!
There’s quite a list of people who are interested in creating iPhone/iPad and Android apps these days. Big publishers, indie developers, small businesses, advertising agencies, app enthusiasts/hobbyists/wannabe developers–the list goes on. No matter who you are this post has everything you need to develop, test, market, monetize, analyze, enhance and refine your next hit app. Get ready for some great tools that can help you create a more polished app with the biggest chance of meeting your goals (like making money or engaging users).
There’s truly something for everyone here. For the big guys I’ve included links to powerful and scalable cross-platform SDKs. For the indies out there I’ve included tools to help acquire traffic and promote apps to keep you competitive. For small businesses I’ve included some great services that let you create an app on your own with no coding required. If you’re a developer and you use this list to create an app, let me know! I’d be happy to help promote it if it’s good.
Also read: 100+ Professional Social Media Business Tools for Brands and Marketers
I’m sure there’s more than 100 awesome tools for creating awesome iPhone, iPad and Android apps out there so if I missed something good leave me a comment to let me know!
Post Navigation
- Random + Noteworthy Tools
- DIY (No Coding) App Creation Tools
- Development, Analytics and Management Platforms
- Mockup and UI Design Tools
- Mobile Ads + Monetization
- Test, Refine and Get Feedback
- App Promotion & Marketing
- Enhance App Functionality
- Other and Miscellaneous
Random + Noteworthy Tools
- Tapjoy - Drive more installs and boost your revenue.
- Vungle – Video trailers for your app.
- Skala Preview – Sends lossless, color-accurate previews to any iOS device.
- Apptopia – Buy and sell app ownership.
- appbackr – Get your apps funded or profit from funding apps.
- Ooomf – Create a beautiful landing page for your iPhone app in minutes.
- App Annie - App store analytics and market intelligence.
- Mopapp – App store analytics.
- Pieceable – Make your iOS apps work in the browser.
- Chupa – The marketplace for buying/selling mobile app components.
- Distimo - Providing valuable insight into the app store marketplace.
- Appsfunder - Fund your development. Build up customers. Keep ownership.
- PlayHaven – Mobile game LTV maximization platform and cross-promotion.
- Appstores.com – White label app store and distribution platform.
- Cloudmine – Stop writing backends for your mobile apps.
DIY (No Coding) App Creation Tools
- Cabana - The visual way to make gorgeous custom mobile apps. *RG
- Mobile Roadie - Full CMS, no coding app builder for iOS and Android.
- Appafolio – 100% native apps, content caching for offline viewing and more.
- AppMakr – Point and click solution for building rich content based apps.
- RareWire – DIY app creation studio. Coming soon.
- GameSalad Creator – Create, test and publish your own game. Drag and drop.
- Bizness Apps – Mobile apps for businesses made easy.
- WebMobi – Create a mobile web app in minutes. Many features.
- SwebApps – An easy way to build your app in minutes.
- TapLynx – Create an app from your website in minutes.
- AppBreeder – “The online iPhone app builder.”
- App Press – Build iOS apps without coding.
- Dapp – The app design app. WYSIWYG editor with 100% money back guarantee.
Development, Management & Analytics Platforms
- Parse – Add a powerful and scalable backend to your app in minutes.
- Appboy - User engagement, CRM, analytics and more.
- Flurry - Analytics, traffic acquisition and monetization.
- Mixpanel - Mobile analytics. Actions speak louder than page views.
- Scoreloop – Cross-platform mobile gaming SDK. Virtual currency and more.
- PhoneGap – Open source HTML5 framework that supports 7 platforms.
- Kontagent - User analytics for the mobile web.
- Appcelerator – Mobile app platform for building on Android, iOS and mobile web.
- Kendo UI Mobile – Build HTML5 apps that look native on any device.
- Appoxee - Making mobile app engagement easy, effective and trackable.
- Localytics – Powerful tools and actionable insights.
- Precog – Harness the power of big data to build smarter apps.
- Apsalar – Allows mobile publishers to analyze, optimize and monetize.
- Sencha – HTML5 framework for mobile devies.
- Flow – Build real-time apps faster, better, smarter.
- Game Closure – Offer a JavaScript game SDK. Runs on mobile/tablet devices.
- StackMob – Robust and flexible end-to-end HTML5 platform.
- Claritics – Intelligent analytics for mobile app developers.
- Tiggzi – Cloud-based mobile app builder.
- Capptain – Combines analytics and CRM features.
- Placed – The Placed SDK enables location analytics for your app.
- GENWI - Cloud publishing for mobile.
Mockup and UI Design Tools
- App Cooker - Advanced iOS mockup generator for mobile applications.
- Proto.io – Silly-fast mobile prototyping.
- Mockabilly – App for creating mockups on iPhone.
- UI Stencils – Stencils, sketch pads and accessories for UI design.
- Interface – Mockup and prototyping app for iPhone/iPad.
- justinmind – Rich interactive wireframes to define mobile apps.
- UXPin – User experience design tools for professionals.
- Symbolicons - Simple, precise and awesome vector icons.
- Prototypes – Turn your stackable designs into a tappable iPhone prototype.
- Blueprint – An iPad app for mocking up iPad/iPhone applications.
- Mobility – A free set of mobile UI design elements.
- Android GUI Set – Free Android GUI set including Photoshop files.
Mobile Ads + Monetization
- iAd – A significant revenue stream for iOS developers.
- Millenial Media - Monetization solutions for mobile app developers.
- inneractive – Mobile advertising and marketing.
- Burstly – Empowers developers and enables them to make more money.
- Airpush – Push ad network. Android app monetization.
- Medialets – Mobile rich media advertising.
- xAd – Local mobile ads.
- madvertise – European mobile advertising marketplace.
- Pontiflex – Mobile performance advertising.
- WHERE Ads – Deliver relevant local ads to your audience.
- Jumptap – Targeted mobile advertising.
- Tapgage – Mobile interstitial ads (also has a “click exchange” for driving traffic).
Test, Refine and Get Feedback
- Apptentive – Easy in-app feedback for iPhone application developers. *RG
- Apphance – Instant, accurate and complete mobile testing.
- Crashlytics - Powerful yet lightweight crash reporting for iOS and Android.
- StartUpLift – Submit your startup. Get featured. Get feedback.
- Crittercism – Gives you real-time, actionable crash reports for mobile apps.
- BetaBait – Find beta users and testers.
- BugSense – Crash reports for Android, WP and iOS apps.
- FieldTest - Currently in private beta.
- iPad GUI PSD – A free vector iPad GUI set.
- uTest – End-to-end software testing.
- Truevoo – Submit iPhone apps for users to review.
App Promotion & Marketing
- apptap - App search, recommendations and marketing.
- AppCod.es - iOS app store SEO and marketing.
- Appency - Professional mobile application marketing.
- App.net - Market your mobile apps with beauty, strength and intelligence.
- Chartboost - Succeed in the app store through cross-promotion.
- Appular - iPhone application marketing and public relations.
- Appia - An open app marketplace with over 32k developers.
- App Store Optimization - SEO for mobile apps.
- AppCircus - The global open app showcase platform.
- buzzdoes - App marketing and distribution tool.
Enhance App Functionality
- PubNub - Blazingly fast cloud-hosted messaging service for real-time apps.
- Xtify - Push notifications for iOS, Android and Blackberry devices.
- Lookio - Live in-app support for mobile applications.
- CENZIC - Solutions for mobile application security.
- SecureUDID - A UDUD solution that’s secure and respects privacy.
- Verious - A mobile app component marketplace.
- ZooZ - Start accepting secure in-app payments within minutes.
- Applingua - iOS app localization (translation) service.
- Trestle - Powerful cloud services for your mobile apps.
Other and Miscellaneous
- Interstate – Plan and share development progress using roadmaps.
- Mobile Orchard – The iPhone app developer’s blog.
- Appolocious - Discover iPhone and iPad apps. A Yahoo directory.
- Orientation to Android Training – Official Android classes.
- StackOverflow - Question and answer site for programmers.
- Tap2Print – Monetize your photo/image app.
- StartApp – Get paid for your Android app downloads.
- AppLover – Helping build amazing applications.
- BlueStacks – Run Android apps on Windows.
Footnotes
Thanks to Doron Sherman from PubNub for suggesting I add a post navigation via email.
*GR – Suggestions made by Robi Ganguli via comment.
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Just WOW!
Great list with 2 Kima startups inside
Great list! I thought I’d add a few great companies to this that you missed:
Appbackr (http://appbackr.com) – Get your apps funded or fund promising apps.
Apptopia (http://apptopia.com) – The secondmarket for apps
Cabana (http://cabanaapps.com/) – The visual way to make gorgeous apps.
Apptentive (http://apptentive.com) – Better ratings, reviews and customer relationships in 15 minutes.
Awesome. I’ve even heard of Appbackr before and I didn’t add it?! I’ll get this added to the list… thanks Robi!
My pleasure, thanks for compiling this, must have taken a while
.
Only 6+ hours…
Great job!
Recently published MobAppCreator (http://mobappcreator.com) – Build and Manage your Mobile Apps. No Programming Knowledge Necessary
And there’s more:
Hockey App (http://hockeyapp.net) – Beta distribution and crash notifications
StorageRoom (http://storageroomapp.com) – Content Management for mobile apps
Chris, thanks for the mention. Great compilation. Let’s connect. @Veriously
I rencently used Localizable String Merge to update localization of an iPhone app and found it really effective
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/localizable-strings-merge/id475333727?mt=12
Wow, excellent collection. Exactly what I currently need
Found a few tools/services I never heard about before.
Thank you Chris.
I’ve recommended a bunch of these to my clients looking to promote and monetize their apps. Some of my favorites are http://www.xad.com, http://www.apptap.com, and http://www.truevoo.com.
Awesome! Glad the list has been useful to you.
Check out TestFlight as well. Beta test management and apps distribution, user feedback, user recruitment, production analytics, etc. (http://testflightapp.com)
Awesome job Chris! We are super proud to App Cooker on the top of the list. We have amazing new features coming by the end of May, it’s time to buy before the price goes up!
We also have App Cooker Viewer under review right now…
Any suggestions on the best places to find mobile developers?
Chris, great roundup here. I’d add four more that we use often:
PlacePlay (http://www.placeplay.com) – Drop in location based tournaments + geo-targeted ads. They easily pay 3X+ the rates of iAd.
Aireal Mobile (http://www.airealmobile.com/) – Content Management System in an app.
Testflight (http://www.testflightapp.com)
Redmine (http://www.redmine.org) – Open source project management and team collaboration.
Cool, thanks for the awesome suggestions Michael!
Sneeze in LinkedIn and 10 app developers will offer you a tissue.
Great list, though I see one very great mobile ad company missing. PlacePlay (http://placeplay.com/) hopefully this will be added soon. I’ve been using it for around 5 months and my eCPM’s are really high! I see eCPM from $3 – $17!!!
Grate stack of grate software. I would like to add https://heatma.ps A visual UX feedback tool for iOS apps.
Awesome post, I love this site! The only thing I’m missing is a share button so I can easily post links to your content on my Twitter.
You should add http://www.Thebetafamily.com, its a great beta testing platform for both iOS and Android.
Cool suggestion, thanks.
I use http://www.bloapp.com to convert my blog into an app, pretty cool tool.
We recently launched htp://www.AppNotch.com a 100% pure cloud based service that combines all three – DIY (No Coding) App Creation tools PLUS
Development, Management & Analytics PLUS
Mockup & UI Design.
I’m looking for a CRM-oriented type of app.
Any suggestions?
Philip, are you talking about a mobile app that is for CRM usage or having a CRM for your apps? Our service (Apptentive) is being used in that way.
Great list !
I might add Buzztouch.com to your DYI app creation tools. They have an amazing service and great support from the admins and everybody in that community.
Totally agree about buzztouch. Haven’t been signed up with them for long, but in my short time, I would easily make them #1 on the list in this post. If you’re looking for a DIY app creator, check them out. And no, I don’t work for them. But I am a user!
Absolutely! Buzztouch totally rocks. Found them over a year ago via USA Today article. Amazing community, great interface, and you own the code! Great stuff!
That’s a another big 10-4 for Buzztouch. Great tool and you get to keep the source code.
On the development side there’s MobiOne as well, iOS and Android apps built with a visual designer. Nice list, btw, the most comprehensive one I’ve ever seen on the interwebs. http://www.genuitec.com/mobione
Just thought I would suggest http://www.fluidui.com to be added to the list under mockup UI tools. Clever new interface, play around with it at http://www.fluidui.com/editor
An amazing collection of tools! Here I would like to add my own tool for iOS developers to easily format multi-line strings: http://nsstringify.nateflink.com
DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT & ANALYTICS PLATFORMS
You should include “Kinvey” Boston in the list provided. They are one of the first companies to start the “backend as a service” platform.
My 2 cents worth. I think this company deserves a mention.
Thank you very much. This was very useful .
Don’t forget http://www.codengo.com for easy distribution to app stores
How about a search tool to build your app around?
http://www.locayta.com/iOS-search-engine/locayta-search-mobile/
Currently used by Boeing, Reed Elsevier and Lonely Planet!
I would like to add App Mockup Tools http://www.appmockuptools.com for their App Sketchbooks and iOS GUI Element Kits: http://www.appmockuptools.com/collections/types?q=iOS+GUI+Elements. You can easily create app wireframes and prototypes with Apple Keynote.
Awesome, awesome, awesome list of resources. Tip of the cap to you, sir.
If you think it’s worth adding under the Marketing section, please check out our site AppClover.com. If not, no hard feelings
Just wanted to throw it out there since it’s a free resource for app marketing and monetization information.
Great article!
The buzzdoes tool that you mentioned is awesome! thanks for the tip
Oh cool. Glad you found it useful! Thanks for letting me know.
At Realtime.co we have an Android API for our multiplatform one-to-one/one-to-many/many-to-many messaging service.
Very thorough list! Another one for in-app feedback is http://www.feedmob.com
this has to be the more detail article on mobile development
thanks a lot of great info
Great list – added to evernote
Here is another entry for TEST, REFINE AND GET FEEDBACK
I am the founder of https://www.elusivestars.com a crowdsourced test and review service for Android and iOS
Hi,
I’d like to also throw in my site, http://www.mobileadnetworks.net which is a directory of a ton of ad networks for monetization
Excellent list! Here’s an in-app customer support SDK MobiHelp: http://freshdesk.com/mobihelp
You can snap in the code and get your customers talking to you about your app!
Great list! I would like to add one more tool for iPhone mocks https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imockapp/id588325430?ls=1&mt=8.
Come visit our redesigned AppNotch.com
There is another tool I would suggest, for iOS or Android app localization, http://poeditor.com/. It works as an online platform where translators can collaborate on translating po, pot, strings or xml files.
Very good list. Can you suggest me framework or tool which can help developing online and offline apps supporting iOS, Android & Windows OS
What’s up colleagues, its impressive article about cultureand completely defined, keep it up all the time.
Great site!
Please mention: Mockabilly, app for creating mockups on iphones, is doing a promotion this month (march), get the full version for more than 50% less