8 Best iOS App Development Software & Tools

In today’s competitive mobile app market, companies of all sizes are realizing the key benefits that well-designed, user-friendly apps can provide.

From attracting new customers to boosting engagement and sales, a high-performing iOS app can be a game-changer for your business.

The good news is that iOS app development has become much easier over time. Since its early days, Apple has introduced various advanced developer tools and technologies to streamline building apps across platforms.

This article discusses the top iOS app development tools to build fully functional, cutting-edge iPhone apps that get approved and published within days.

Let’s dive in!

In our recent article, you can learn more about iOS app development costs and the factors that affect it most.

Top iOS App Development Tools for 2024

1. Xcode

Apple has introduced Xcode, a tool for creating Swift applications for iOS devices.

It is the first choice for new developers to create applications for the Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

The Xcode integrated development environments are used to create iOS applications. They have a text editor, a compiler, and a build system.

Moreover, it is the perfect tool for developers to write, compile, debug, and publish the app on the Apple App Store.

If you’re looking for a tool that reduces the amount of development time needed to create a mobile app, and creates consistency and speediness in the app development process, consider using this.

Features:

• You can design and test a graphical interface without writing a line of code.
• With iOS SDK, you can build, install & run mobile apps and debug them in a Mac-based Simulator.
• To find any information, you can look in the Help index for complete documentation.

2. AppCode

AppCode is an advanced tool built on the IntelliJ IDEA platform and launched by JetBrains.

It uses plug-ins to extend its functionality, or you can extend its functionality by writing your plug-ins.

The tool can be used with several programming languages, including Objective-C, Swift, C++, and JavaScript and is popular among iOS developers.

The major benefit of using the AppCode tool is that it makes writing and analyzing code easy.

The IDE and editor are geared toward catching different coding errors, which enables developers to fix them in time.

This code management task helps developers save more time.

Features:

• A single integrated development environment that works with many programming languages, including JavaScript, XML, HTML, and CSS.
• Intelligent code assistance helps you create clean code, and reveals your context and project structure.
• Built-in tools and integrations make it easy for developers to run, test, and debug the app.

3. Transporter

The Transporter tool helps you upload your content directly to Apple.

Being a developer, it becomes easy for you to send apps, music, TV shows movies, or books on the various Apple platforms.

The Transporter development tool allows you to upload your content directly to Apple.

As a developer, sending music, TV shows, movies, apps or books on the different Apple platforms is easy.

To distribute your content in the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Books, or iTunes Store, you will need to set up an App Store Connect account, or iTunes Connect account, or give us valid encoding house credentials.

Features:

• Drag and drop the content you want to move into Transporter.
• You can upload multiple files at once from your computer to streamline the delivery process.
• To check the status of your issues fixing, look for validation warnings and delivery logs.
• Keep records of all past deliveries, including the date and time.

4. Simulator

iOS developers rely on a program called Simulator to test their mobile apps before sending them off to Apple for approval.

The simulator is an Xcode tool installed on your Mac that allows you to run iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple TV applications in a window. It’s great for quick testing of your application.

A simulation environment combines a simulated device and the simulation software that comes with its own settings and files.

Settings and files will be saved to each device that gets tested, so there isn’t a great deal of back-and-forth between screens.

This lets you streamline your interactions!

Features:

• Smoothly interact with apps on iOS, watchOS, and tvOS with pointer and keyboard support.
• Helps to prototype and debug apps
• One of the best prototyping and debugging tools.
• You can easily tweak the graphics of a mobile app.
• Test your iOS mobile app for bugs before submitting it to Apple for review.

5. Jazzy

You can now create easy-to-read documentation for your Objective-C and Swift code using the Jazzy tool, a command-line utility.

It uses SourceKit and Clang AST representation of code to generate accurate and stellar results.

Moreover, the addition of Objective C and Swift capabilities will help iOS app developer manage essential attributes and understand the purpose of writing certain code.

The Dash documentation viewer is installed directly to the source code of websites and makes possible a great deal of accuracy and efficiency for iOS app developers

A result is a tool that is much loved by developers because it works so well.

Features:

• Generate professional-looking app manuals with this tool.
• Compatible with Objective-C and Swift.
• Helps in creating stand-alone applications with great accuracy.

6. CocoaPods

CocoaPods is a dependency manager that streamlines your integration of third-party libraries into your Xcode projects.

This is one of the best iOS development tools used by over 83,000 active developers and has been integrated into more than 3 million apps.

To use CocoaPods, you create a Podfile—a text file that describes how your app depends on other libraries.

CocoaPods then resolves dependencies and fetches source code for the libraries, placing it in an Xcode workspace so that it can be linked with your app to create iOS apps.

Features:

• Third-party code from sources other than the owner of a project integrated into a project and available for distribution.
• Eliminates dependency conflicts between libraries.
• The app makes it easy to incorporate third-party libraries.

7. Design+Code

Design+Code tool is used to provide educational videos related to iOS app development that aids developers in improving their learning skill, thereby resulting in faster results.

The video content covers a range of topics and techniques related to iOS app design and coding, with tutorials on using Xcode, Sketch, and Framer.

Design is key to user engagement. Learn more about the app design process and its importance for app success.

As a complete knowledge-based platform, it lets developers build faster and highly efficient iOS apps.

If the programmers like any content, they can bookmark them as well for later practice.

Features:

• Build quick apps with React and Swift. Discover the cost to hire a React.js developer and learn what you can expect for your investment.
• Video tutorials to strengthen your knowledge.

8. Applyzer

Applyzer is an iOS tool that helps programmers monitor their apps’ positions in the Apple Store.

This easy-to-use tool allows you to create an account and integrate your app ID to track your apps’ positions on iTunes.

The Editor tool enables content developers to search for keywords in the app’s content. This includes the ability to view a list of all the keywords that have been used and their results.

So, Applyzer is not exactly a development tool but it holds a great place in the eyes of app developers, marketers, investors, and publishers.

Features

• Hourly app insights for great performance.
• Find the most relevant keywords for your competitors.

Build Your Own Cutting-Edge iOS App

An intuitive iOS app can increase your business’s visibility, engagement, and revenue. With the right iOS tools and a skilled development team, you can build an app that delivers immense value.

At SpdLoad, iOS app development is our specialty. For over 10 years, we have designed and launched successful iOS apps — from consumer-facing to secure enterprise solutions.

Whether you have an app idea to test or want an upgraded version of your existing app, we can make it happen. Get in touch for a free consultation today.