Best Mobile Development IDEs in 2026
Updated
In short: Codename One is ranked #1 of 37 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Felgo and Monaca. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Felgo. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Codename One at $2.08/mo.
Building mobile apps can involve coding, interface design, testing, and packaging, and IDEs vary in which of those tasks they support. Compared on supported languages and mobile targets, these tools also differ in desktop platforms, emulator or simulator availability, and visual UI design. Codename One, Felgo, and Monaca are examples to compare against the platforms and workflow you need. App packaging may be another deciding factor, while free-plan availability and paid starting prices help frame cost. Consider whether you want an IDE centered on coding, visual design, or testing support, and check each option against the targets for your project.
37 mobile development IDEs ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Mobile Development IDEs, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 15 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 Codename OnePaid from $2.08/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 2 FelgoFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 MonacaPaid from $22/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 4 Qt CreatorFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 Visual StudioFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 6 RiderPaid from $14.08/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 7 Godot EngineFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 8 B4XFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 9 DroidScriptFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 10 DefoldFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 11 GameMakerPaid from $79.99/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 12 Xcode CloudPaid from $49.99/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 13 Solar2DFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 14 Smartface
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 15 Xojo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 16 GeneXusFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 17 HBuilderXFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 18 LiveCode
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 19 Cocos Creator
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 20 Swift Stream IDE
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 21 Tizen Studio
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 22 MobileTogether Designer
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 RhoMobile Suite
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 24 Swift Playgrounds
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 AIDE
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which mobile development IDE is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Codename One is ranked #1 of 37 with a score of 8.1. Felgo is second and Monaca third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Codename One has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.08/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.