The mobile landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by users' insatiable appetite for native apps. As you weigh the options for native app development, you're faced with a plethora of solutions vying for attention. That's why we've curated the top 9 native app builder tools to help you create a competitive and cost-effective native app that meets your business needs.

A Quick Look at Native App Development

Before diving into the world of native app development, it's essential to understand what makes a native app tick. Put simply, a native app is a mobile application built using a specific programming language for either iOS or Android platforms. For instance, iOS native apps are typically written in Swift codebase, while Android native apps are written in Java.

Take WhatsApp, Facebook, and Pokémon Go – all prime examples of successful native applications. But how do you create one? The process varies depending on the languages accepted by the platform and the development tools used. Stay tuned as we'll cover this in more detail later.

Benefits of Native Apps

Native apps have gained widespread adoption in recent years due to their numerous advantages over alternative solutions. In fact, most popular apps available today are native ones. Here's why:

  • Fast and responsive experience: Native apps offer the fastest, most reliable, and responsive user experience, giving businesses a competitive edge over web-based counterparts.
  • Easily tap into wider device functionality: Native app features allow users to seamlessly access camera, compass, microphone, accelerometer, and swipe gestures for specific purposes.
  • Match UI/UX to platform conventions: Building a native app allows businesses to tailor the user interface and experience to match the platform's conventions, resulting in a more intuitive user experience.
  • More security and consistency: Native apps provide robust and reliable security, ensuring that updates are consistent across platforms.

Top 9 Native App Builder Tools for 2024

For businesses without extensive programming knowledge, native app builder tools offer a lifeline. By leveraging these tools, anyone can bring their app idea to life. Here's our list of the top 9 native app builder tools every business should consider:

App My Site

AppMySite is one of the most powerful and reliable mobile app builders in the DIY development space. It enables WordPress website owners to convert their sites into mobile apps, syncing website content and data like posts, pages, categories, and menus to a native app interface.

  • Real-time sync between your website and app
  • Point-and-click options for designing your app and adding features
  • Support for custom post types and taxonomies

Pricing plan: Free plan available; paid plans start at $19/month

Flutter

Developed by Google, Flutter is an open-source application development framework that's free to use. Its codebase includes C, C++, Dart, and Skia Graphics Engine. The tool offers a set of fully customizable widgets, making the native app development process quick and easy.

  • Fast rendering and flexible design process
  • Major native app items like navigation, fonts, and icons in the widgets
  • Foundation library

Pricing plan: Free

NativeScript

NativeScript is an open-source mobile framework for creating native Android and iOS apps. It uses TypeScript, JavaScript, Vue.js, and JavaScript as its main codebase for app development.

  • Built-in themes
  • Theme builder for users' visual customizations
  • Huge SCC styling system
  • Direct access to Platform APIs from the code

Pricing plan: Free

Appy Pie

Appy Pie is a popular native app development tool that requires no coding or programming skills. It's ideal for creating simple and business-oriented native mobile apps.

  • Straightforward and customer-oriented mechanism
  • Fill out a survey containing all your app's needs

Pricing plan: Not disclosed