Top iOS App Development Tools for Creating Magic in Apple’s Devices

Mar 3, 2021
iOS App Development services

Did you know that 42% of developers prefer iOS as a mobile app development platform as opposed to 31% of developers who choose Android? 

A successful iOS app development is majorly dependent on the tools used by developers during the development stages. Exploring variations and leveraging the best among iOS app development tools is critical to build new generation applications for various Apple products such as iPhones and iPads. In this article, we will do a category-wise breakdown of the best iOS app development tools.

iOS app development services
Did you know that prior to the advent of Swift, Objective-C was the most preferred language for iOS app development?   

Programming Language

Objective C– Akin to popular languages such as C# and C++, Objective-C is dependent on the language C. Objective C bear similarities with the language C in terms of structuring and punctuation. It will be an easy task to for developers to work with this language who are already adept with the language C.

SwiftThe design patterns of this language are much simpler than Objective C and is highly preferred to create applications for iPad and iPhone.

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IDEs and Editors

CodeRunner This iOS app development tool is characterized with a cutting-edge code compilation. It is regarded as one of the best iOS app development tools that is easy to use, lightweight and has multiple layers of highlights to compile a code in a seamless way. It allows developers to run codebase tests without minimal impact on the entire application module.

XCodeThis iOS app development tool is known for its flexibility. This was developed as an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for devices with the Mac operation system and has programming language to support app development for iOS-backed devices, iPad, tvOS, and watchOS. Backed by a source code checker, XCode is functional in analyzing bugs and accordingly suggest alterations in code writing. It’s features like real-time fixtures and autocomplete usefulness decreases the time taken to develop an app.

App Design

iOS mobile app design services

Flawless– The versatility of this tool enables developers to analyze, compare, and execute an iOS app design. It is backed by XCode and supports a seamless comparison of a new design with an old one.

Hyperion It is hailed as one of the best iOS app development tools for structuring and designing an app. It is one of the highly sought-after tools used by iOS app development companies to do a post-mortem of an app at any point of time. This tool comes in three modules by default which are view investigator, measure module, and moderate activity module.

Cocoa Controls This tool contains a massive repository of codes that are updated on a daily basis and is ideal for developing iOS apps. These codes are pre-written and are in strict alignment with Apple’s design philosophy.

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Libraries

JSONModel This open-source library assists in parsing and getting started with model classes with a JSON response from the server. It suits best for apps that are characterized with a complex data model and are in constant requirement of a JSON communication with a remote server.

AFNetworking It is touted to be among the most popular third-party iOS libraries. This lightweight and fast tool is best for networking as it has a massive coding community that helps to update its content on a daily basis.

CocoaPods This library is heavily relied on for programming in Swift Cocoa and Objective-C projects. It houses over 59,000 libraries and thereby is regarded as a mainstream library across the world.

Did you know that CocoaPods has supported the development of over 3,000,000 applications? 

Backend Services Tools

Firebase This tool offers a comprehensive support for the backend services of an app. The scopes of this support include static hosting, data storage, user authentication, among others. The data is stored as JSON which is synchronized with all the clients in real-time. It is also fitted with social media user authentication features.

Kinvey Kinvey is one of the highly popular backend service tools that offer a wide range of services such as notifications support, cloud storage, and others. One of its highly regarded features is its ability to use the Facebook open graph for apps bypassing websites.

Parse It has an open-source structure and provides a holistic backend service for iOS apps. It enables saving in the clouds by writing limited number of codes. Its cloud code allows customization of business logic as and when needed.

Tools for Testing

TestFlight It is a perfect fit for small-sized app and if the developing enterprise seeks for an easy distribution of the app and collect feedback on the same. It is a combination of critical error reporting features and analytics that boosts its functionality in app testing.

TestFairyThis tool is fit for application beta testing. It maintains a video documentation of test case run on a phone and sends a detailed report of GPS issues, CPU and memory usage, and others. It automatically creates NSLogs for iOS devices enables an easy share of usage feedback by just a shake of the phone.

Specta- This lightweight tool is characterized with a BDD framework. This tool is easy to use and it can be used at any point of time during an app testing without relying on external matchers.

Tools for Debugging

USB over Internet- This iOS app development tool enables remote debugging of iOS apps. This remote debugging feature is created by redirecting iPads and iPhones over the network and connect them with a remote computer. This tool provides safe connectivity and is protected by advanced traffic encryption and works across Ethernet, Internet, and LAN.

Raygun It is regarded as an error, crash, and performance monitoring tool that provides actionable insights into user experience of an iOS app. Raygun’s SDK and online service supports a deep-dive error diagnostics and also offer smart grouping and notifications along with the current tool. This tool sends a detailed report of an error on the dashboard. This feature is critical in monitoring the user interaction with the app and have a know-how of the issues users face during their sessions.

To Conclude

A simple search for the best iOS app development tools on the Internet will deliver multiple results. It is essential to find the right tools to save time and money and also speed up the app development process. The list above features all the necessary iOS app development tools and add-ons that are practically tested by developers and can be explored for a successful app development process.

Who Are We and Why Are We Considered as an Industry Authority?

getSmartcoders is a leading iOS app development company specializing in building a range of iOS apps for multiple domains. We build custom iOS apps leveraging the latest tools and technologies for a wide variety of industries. Our inside out knowledge of the iOS tools helps us build robust, scalable, and highly functional iPhone apps that get approved and published on Apple Store at one go.