Before we start let us inform you that Goodfirms.co expert Jin Markov has written a guest post especially for our blog. It focuses on the urgent topic of development market, namely, on mobile development, one of the key areas of New Line Technologies actions.

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Author Bio: Jin Markov is a Content Writer at GoodFirms.co. He has an experience of 6 years and has been writing on areas related to app development.

Everyone in the mobile app development business is talking about Android development tools, owing to the popularity of this platform.

The perfect IDE for Android app development must at least have a convenient layout, an intelligent code-editor, and a real-time analyzer. If you are using the right tool that has all the desired features, the development will be speedy and hassle-free.

But there is so much confusion on how to select the right tools for Android apps development. If you have already made a selection which is working well for your needs, you should not shift to a different tool.

And, if you are still exploring, here are some of the parameters that you must consider when selecting the right tool for Android development.

Choice of Platform

The most crucial question while choosing a mobile app development tool is whether you want a tool that is conducive for different platforms or a specific platform only.

So, if you are looking for a tool that gives a single shared codebase for Android, iOS, and Windows, you can go for Virtual Studio (Xamarin) by Microsoft. It is one of the most commonly used tools for cross-platform mobile app development.

On the other hand, a fully native solution is practical if the user experience requirements are high on offline support and data encryption. For building high-security fully native Android applications, Android Studio is the best. It is also the official IDE for Android development.

But, Eclipse, an open source tool, also tops the list of the preferred Android app development tools. It was the official Android app development environment before Android Studio took over.

Cost

Cost of the tool is sometimes a constraint for its selection for Android development. This is particularly prominent if you are a small company with limited projects and you can’t spend a lot of money on buying costly tools.

Fortunately, you can find both free and paid Android app development tools. So, it is upon you to asses if you want to go for the paid ones, or the free ones are just fine for your needs.

If your business model supports the development of low-cost apps for small businesses, you cannot anyway go for very high-cost app development tools.

However, if you are developing very high-quality, large scale projects, and you want to choose a tool that comes with a significant degree of support, as and when required, you should go for the paid tools.      

Off Premises Development

A common issue faced by Android app developers is of virtual development. There are fewer tools available in this category.

But, if you do have such requirements, Appcelerator is mainly famous for the convenience of off-premises app development. It has high cloud capacity limits, and it allows code reuse across different platforms.

The distinguishing characteristics of Appcelerator allow it to be used extensively for multi-region global deployments. And, it comes with a private cloud deployment option too, for those who don’t want to go for off-premises hosting.

Scope of Functionality

If you need an Android development tool that covers multiple aspects of app development such as development, testing, and deployment, you can go for GenyMotion. Similarly, if you need that Android app development tool which will allow you easy development, deployment, and extension, Fabric is the right choice.   

Any customer-centric Android app development company chooses development tools that can completely cater to their client requirements. And, client requirements can vary from one project to the other. However, the top Android development tools are capable of delivering to the variations and the broad scope of functionality that you want to implement in your end-product.

Type of App

It may sound ridiculous if I say that the kind of app that you have to develop will also influence the decision of choosing the right Android app development tool. But believe me, it does!  

The best example is a gaming app which requires specific features in the tools for development. The reason is that games need exclusive 2D and 3D graphics integration. And, high-quality graphics integration will not come with just any tool available in the market.  

Gaming is an extensive area of development altogether. So, there are various tools especially favorite for the features that they provide for gaming app development. Unity 3D is one such famous IDE for cross-platform gaming app development. So, you don’t need to look any further for developing virtual-reality gaming apps!  

Updates

It is crucial for every software, framework, or technology to be fast updating to match up the ever-changing market needs.

No matter what tool you are choosing, if you want it to work for you in the long run, it is essential that the software receives regular updates. This ensures that it incorporates all the new features trending in the Android app development market.

As such, paid Android development tools are better when it comes to regular updates and support precisely when it is required.

Conclusion

The Android app development tools differ from each other in features. As such, we cannot name the best app development tool because what works best for your needs will depend on your requirements from the tool.

Even the best Android app developers have personal preferences when it comes to selecting the right Android development tool. So, to make sure that your app development tool helps you deliver the perfect Android app, you must base your selection on the requirements of the project.

App developers have limited time and money. So, it is not practical to rely on trial-and-error when it comes to choosing between the different Android development tools.

Moreover, changing the tool too often will not let your team gain expertise with any one tool. It can also prove to be costly and time-consuming.

If you are already using a tool for Android app development and getting the desired results from it, it is not necessary for you to try different tools. Stick to it!

Do share here, if you know any other factors that can help in selecting the best tool for Android app development.