10 Best iOS App Development Tools for 2024 (Expert Recommended)

Let’s look at the best iOS app development tools that are used by experienced app developers to build custom apps with highly integrated functionality.

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Today, almost every business is realizing the significance of increasing their popularity beyond local audiences. And, the first point of interaction nowadays is their mobile phone. Undoubtedly, applications are the quickest and smartest ways to expand the targeted demographics. iOS is one of the popularly used operating systems these days.

According to reports, the worldwide app Store downloads grew 2.4 percent to hit 8.6 billion in the first quarter of 2022. This reveals the unparalleled and unrivaled demand of iOS app development in the coming years.

However, kickstarting the app development process isn’t an easy task. You need to consider an array of features and factors, Android and iOS development latest trends, technology stack, and more in each step.

But, the most crucial thing is to choose the right mobile app development software or tool. This will make your app function swiftly and efficiently. So, let’s have a quick look at the best iOS app development tools for 2024.

Best iOS App Development Tools for 2024

Here’s a list of iOS app development tools for 2024 that can help you with the app development process:

Xcode

Introduced by Apple, Xcode is a complete developer toolset for creating fast-performing iOS applications. It leverages the simplicity and power of Swift and Swift UI with faster coding and multiplatform app experience.

Xcode has a compiler, text editor, and a build system for creating smooth-functioning applications. It contributes crucially to reducing the app building time and works seamlessly for app developers to write, debug, deploy and launch on Apple App Store.

Key Features

• Easy to create a graphical interface without coding.
• Helps you with productive coding – Smarter code completion and dynamic snippets.
• Provides templates that are easy to integrate within the source.
• Easy to share the encryption for widgets functioning.
• Easy-to-use interface.
• Enables you to write in different programming languages.

AppCode

AppCode is convenient and easy to navigate. It is popularly used for building highly functional iOS applications. Launched by JetBrains, it’s used in many complex languages like Swift, C, JS, and C++. It often utilizes plugins for expanding the functionalities and making code writing and analysis easy and hassle-free.

Key Features

• It helps you in compiling the code for filtering precise suggestions with the smart editor.
• It helps you to improve the design of code by offering a solid set of reliable code refactorings.
• Ensures easy integration and offers in-built tools for testing, tracking, and debugging iOS applications.

Transporter

Transporter helps the developers to directly upload the content to Apple without any additional hassle. You can easily share movies, music, books, TV shows, and more all across the Apple platforms.

All you need to do is create an account in Apple Store Connect and get started. Such an app development tool not only helps customers but also aids developers in delivering significant services with less integration and lesser time.

 Key Features

• View delivery progress and check the history of deliveries.
• Easily drag and drop the content into a transporter.
• Allows multiple file uploads for a faster project delivery.
• Quickly resolve validation warnings, delivery logs and errors.

Simulator

The Simulator tool helps developers in prototyping and test building the application during the development process before sending it for approval. Being a part of the Xcode tool, it lets developers run iPhone, Apple TV, iPad apps, and Apple Watch in a window.

It syncs the simulated device with the simulation software that provides and saves the file automatically.

Key Features

• Helps developers in testing and debugging the iOS apps.
• Easy-to-manage simulator with the command line.
• Captures iOS Simulator Video, runs animation, and takes screenshots.

CocoaPods

CocoaPods is a dependency manager for Swift and Objective-C Cocoa projects. It can resolve the dependencies between libraries and obtain source code for the same. Later, this code will be placed onto the Xcode workspace for efficiently linking it with the iOS application.

It has over 93 thousand libraries and is used in over 3 million apps. You can use this tool for creating a Podfile – a text file that tells you the dependency of your app on other libraries.

Key Features

• Makes your project scalable.
• Minimizes the possibilities of inconsistency among libraries.

Design+Code

Design+Code helps developers in polishing their skills for delivering high-performing iOS development. It offers innumerable courses, tutorials, and live streams to learn about the best tools and platforms for enhancing your coding skills.

Being a comprehensive knowledge-based platform, developers can have access to tutorials for Xcode, Sketch, and Framer for creating fast-performing iOS applications. You can bookmark the videos or guide or content for further reading.

Key Features

• Helps to build highly efficient apps with React and Swift.
• Offers detailed tutorials for prototyping and building a seamless animated app.

Mockingbird

Mockingbird is a convenient mocking framework for Swift that makes it easy to mock, stub, and verify objects. With the help of this tool, you can change colors and fonts and share the changes with your partner.

It offers handwritten fonts that make Mockingbird attractive. You can create a huge database and separately store it for further reference. It is extensively used by Facebook.

Key Features

• Enables to create and share clickable wireframes.
• Simplifies unit testing in iOS.

Firebase

Firebase is Baas (Backend as a Service) tool extensively used for data storing and API. It widely supports all platforms – OS X, iOS, Web, Android, and Windows. There is no particular reason for any backend code. You can store all the information and data on the client’s progress.

It makes app development easy by offering the following functions – cloud messaging, hosting, virtual test lab, authentication, crash reporting, and more.

Key Features 

• Offers unlimited reporting and optimum data security through 2048-bit SSL encryption.
• Helps in segmenting audiences based on custom events, device data, and user properties.
• Offers robust storage solution powered by Google Cloud.

RxSwift

RxSwift is a library that simplifies the process of developing asynchronous programs. It enables developers to create dynamic iOS applications. This tool will let your code interact with new data and process in an organized and isolated manner.

Key Features

• Helps you combine complex asynchronous chains.
• Ensures rational management of app resources.
• Perfectly compatible with MVVM template.

Sketch

Since UI UX design is a non-negotiable aspect of every app development project, you can’t miss on Sketch – robust designing tool.

It helps you with app prototyping, wireframing, logo and icon designing, graphical presentation, vector illustrations and more that makes your apps interactive.

From early designs to picture perfect framework, you can ensure the scalability of app graphics without compromising over the qualitative aspects of app designing. Try Sketch for iOS app development and make your app standout.

Key Features

• This is an all in one designing toolkit that facilitates multipurpose design functions.
• Leverages real time collaboration among designers to work in the same document in the same time.
• Through Sketch Workspaces, you can store files, share ideas, manage your team easily.

The Final Words

Investing in app development gives you that edge over competitors.

While creating an iOS application, it is extremely important to have the correct collection of iOS app development tools. These above-discussed tools will ease your iOS app development process.

So, if you choose iOS platform to build your application, be sure shot to hire a professional to integrate it with the best features, functions, and plugins.