Table of contents
The selection of the best free Android app builders is undoubtedly important when making a professional application. There are quite a lot of online app builder software options available in the market, however, most of them are very expensive. If you’re on the lookout for a free Android app builder, this article has you covered. We’ve reviewed the top 10 best app builders for Android that can help you complete your app design without any coding skills or experience.
Now, let’s get started!
10+ Best Free Android App Builders: Full Comparison
Below is a comparison table of a list of the 10+ best free Android app builders:
10+ Android App Builders Free | Best for | Pricing |
AppyPie |
|
|
Backendless |
| Backendless Cloud:
Backendless Pro:
Managed Backendless: To obtain pricing information, please complete the form, and developers will respond at their earliest convenience. |
Thunkable |
| There are three plans (Pay monthly)
|
Jotform |
|
|
NativeScript |
|
|
Flutter |
|
|
Ionic |
|
|
AppMySite |
| Pay-per-app:
Unlimited workspace: Start from $799 USD Agency white-label: Start from $799 USD |
Android Studio |
|
|
Glide |
|
|
1. AppyPie
Appy Pie is one of the best free Android app builders out there. It has multiple plans including a free one, so it’s perfect for beginners. What sets Appy Pie apart are the unique features that lets you build highly professional and powerful apps without writing any code. It has a video tutorial library to get you familiar with its features. Its drag-and-drop interface simplifies the app development process, and if you encounter any issues, the live chat option is readily available to assist you.
Highlight Features of AppyPie
- No coding is required to convert your site into a mobile application.
- Use Appy Pie’s user-friendly Event App Maker and design an event app.
- Leverage the Coupon App Maker and develop a mobile coupon app at absolutely no cost using AI.
- Create your own bespoke QR Code app within minutes using the intuitive drag and drop QR Code App Maker.
- Create and design your own Medi a RSS mobile application using the Android Media RSS App Builder by Appy Pie without programming knowledge.
- The app builder Appy Pie has an offer of a free web page editor which is simple to use and free of charge, and this is how you can build your app and add pages.
- You can easily create a texting application using Appy Pie’s App Builder.
Read more: Best No Code App Builders For Non-Techies
2. Backendless
Backendless is a free no-code app builder that has both front-end and back-end development tools, so it’s a great choice for enterprise level apps. It stands out for the level of control over data and infrastructure it gives you, so you can build web and native mobile apps with ease. It supports on-premises hosting so you can host your apps on your own servers.
Highlight Features of Backendless
- Database Management: Effortlessly manage data through a graphical web browser, an SQL driven search engine, and relational features.
- Caching: Improve the performance of your application by making use of the fast and effective in-memory caching on our servers, thanks to the cross-platform data caching API.
- Cloud Code: Adapt your Backendless application for business with three kinds of Cloud Code — API Services, API Event Handlers and Cloud Code Timers.
- User Authentication: Make user onboarding, login, logout and especially password recovery easy with some handy APIs available on the platform.
- Messaging: Leverage the Publishing and Subscription APIs for exchanging messages with an individual or among the groups.
- Codeless Logic: Create and try out Codeless logic within the Console and deploy for reuse later as necessary.
3. Thunkable
Thunkable has a known and loved drag-and-drop interface where anyone can develop native mobile applications without coding. This mobile app development platform has been made for novice users and those willing to make fast apps.
You only need to arrange the screens of your application, add a few buttons or text boxes, and the task is done without coding anything. Thunkable platform can be applied to developing either iOS or Android applications making it very convenient and suitable for app developers.
Highlight Features of Thunkable
- The logic capabilities of Thunkable are comprehensive enough to allow you create advanced and multifaceted applications without having to write any codes.
- Easily integrate your applications to the rest of the world with other widgets and applications.
- Invite your team and create a work environment that fosters development and creativity.
- Access Bluetooth and location capabilities in offline mode as well.
- Enhance your application with animation, maps and various other things with the help of drag and drop elements.
You may concern: How to Turn Shopify Store into Mobile App: Step-by-Step Guides
4. Jotform
Jotform’s no-code free Android app builder is a super easy way to create custom apps without any coding skills. Jotform Apps are cross-platform compatible so it works seamlessly on smartphones, tablets and desktops. The drag-and-drop interface lets you integrate forms, widgets and other elements to create apps that match your brand. With over 700 templates to choose from, you can get started with app creation for business or personal projects.
Highlight Features of Jotform
- Builder Using drag and drop: The easy to use app building tool offered by Jotform helps in creating an application with no programming knowledge as specific tools can just be dragged and dropped.
- 700+ App Templates: Begin with a wide range of ready-made templates and adapt them to your preferences.
- Forms Integration: Quickly add forms to your application and begin data collection while on the move.
- E-signatures: Insert e-signature documents to capture signatures from users using the app.
Widgets and Integrations: Make your app more interactive by incorporating various widgets like checklists, videos, maps, links to social media and many others.
5. NativeScript
NativeScript is one of the best free Android app builders. It is an open-source framework that lets you build cross-platform mobile apps with JavaScript, TypeScript or CSS. NativeScript compiles JavaScript into native code so you get high performance and native experience. It’s the only framework that lets you build native apps that look and feel like they were built for each platform without writing platform specific code.
Highlight Features of NativeScript
- Access to Native APIs: The ability to directly access native APIs offers the advantage of developing applications with numerous features taking the device capabilities into consideration.
- Strong Types: It offers a comprehensive TypeScript development experience with strong types that enhances reliability of the codes written.
- Framework-Agnostic: Compatible with well-known frameworks such as Angular, Vue.js, React, providing ability for developers with varying preferences.
Progressive Web App (PWA) vs Native App: Which Suits You Better?
6. Flutter
As a Google product, Flutter enables the creation of stunning desktop, web, and native mobile Android apps using a single codebase. This free, open-source framework leverages the Skia Graphics Engine, Dart, C, and C++. Compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows, it supports iOS, Android, and Google Fuchsia. Flutter’s intuitive interface and fully customizable widgets make developing native apps quick and seamless.
Highlight Features of Flutter
- Open Source: Fully free and open-source with support for Skia Graphics Engine, Dart, C, and C++. Free of licensing.
- Cross Platform: Runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Google Fuchsia.
- Single Codebase: Using a single codebase, create applications for desktop, web, and native mobile android.
- Hot Reload: Results of change in the code can be viewed instantly, hence fastens the process of development and testing.
7. Ionic
Ionic is an open source SDK built with JavaScript for hybrid mobile apps. Licensed under MIT, it requires Node.js to install and creates apps that run on web and native code. The platform has a UI with access to over 100 native functions and pre-built components to build Android, iOS and web apps with a single codebase. Plus, Ionic has a strong community support to help with design and development.
Highlight Features of Ionic
- 100+ UI Components: Serves a plethora collection of pre-made UI elements, typeface, and major themes.
- Light & Dark Mode: Includes light and dark modes for better user interface experience.
- Framework-Agnostic: Compatible with framework such as Angular, React, Vue; or use it with modern JS and CSS frameworks.
- Built with Web Technologies: Supports HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; and is therefore suitable for web developers.
- Adaptive UI: Components adjust and tailor to the operating system they are working on to provide a native experience.
8. AppMySite
AppMySite transforms existing websites into mobile apps using a user-friendly platform that requires no coding or development skills. With this platform, you can create native apps for both Android and iOS, customizing them to align with your brand’s identity and visuals.
AppMySite’s online app maker allows you to create an app for free in just minutes, with the option to upgrade to a pricing plan to publish it. The entire process can be completed by following a straightforward three-step launch.
Highlight Features of AppMySite
- Beautiful app icon and splash screen
- Establish distinct color schemes for various sections of the application.
- Customize header text, banner images, buttons and more using the AppMySite settings.
- Integrate the CMS web pages with the application to entertain and inform the users.
- Include a workaround to create and add a blog section for the users.
- Showcase sale products, highlight product spots, new arrivals and so on in the home screen.
- Link the inventory usability of the app along with the app functionality so that the users are able to enjoy their shopping experience smoothly.
9. Android Studio
Android Studio is the official IDE for Android app development, with a full suite of tools to design, develop, build, test and publish apps. It can be installed on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux and Chrome OS so it’s available to developers on all operating systems. The design process is streamlined with drag and drop to complete project layouts. The intelligent code editor has code completion for Java, C, C++ and Kotlin to speed up coding.
Highlight Features of Android Studio
- Benefits a robust code editor along with code completion, refactoring features, and navigation tools for Java, C, C++, and Kotlin.
- A drag and drop layout editor that cuts down on programming time.
- Access to the most recent Android SDK and NDK tools.
- Comes with advanced tools for debugging and app profiling.
- There is a build system which allows building multiple APKs for different screen sizes’ configurations.
10. Glide
Glide makes it possible to convert data residing in spreadsheets and databases into a fully ready app within no time. Glide allows you to upload large volumes of data from different sources, for instance, Google sheets, excel, and Airtable to enhance your operational efficiency.
More that, over 400 templates are available on the Glide platform depending on the purpose, while the app development process is made simple thanks to the drag-and-drop feature.
Highlight Features of Glide
- More than 400 ready-made templates available with much customization for different scenarios
- Seamlessly connects with leading applications such as Slack, Stripe, Gmail and makes use of APIs to enhance app functionality.
- Create complex applications on a well known spreadsheet like environment while fetching data from spreadsheets / databases or even from a clean slate.
- Append custom parameters to your App using Actions.
A Guide to Selecting the Ideal Open-Source App Building Software
With numerous options available, each offering unique features and benefits, it’s crucial to find the one that aligns perfectly with your needs. So, how do you choose one and ensure it meets your needs for developing the app you want?
- Consider Software Architecture: Define your app’s core functionalities, identifying which are easy and which are difficult to implement. Then, check which open-source app builder supports the architecture you need.
- Support and Maintenance: Make sure that the system has sufficient support and sustenance features to correct errors and assist with your product after it is released.
- Developer Experience: Seek developer recommendations and reviews by other users. How long did it take them to adapt to the system? What is their proficiency on developing new functionalities or adding external modules?
- Integration Capabilities: Learn about the tool’s ability to integrate with external and third-party apps and tools essential for your workflow.
- Business-Level Compatibility: Assess if the app creation software is an all-in-one solution with other applications in your organization that would be part of the business technology ecosystem.
- Security: Verify that the app design software has a certificate of safety and meets compliance standards. Does it deploy robust authentication and authorization methods?
- Consider Your Audience: Determine whether to develop an iOS or Android app based on your target audience’s geography and other demographic factors. This decision will narrow down your choice of app development software.
- Review the Features: Each mobile app development platform has proprietary features. Consider how these features will limit or enhance your final product.
- ROI: Evaluate the pricing structure of the system, along with the ability of this particular supplier to provide services in the long run.
Wrapping Up
That’s all our list of the 10+ best free Android app builders. They all have user-friendly interfaces, pre-built templates, and vast libraries of features that will streamline the development process. Furthermore, you can use many of these app development programs with no coding knowledge.
Conversely, if you’re unsure about developing an app on your own, contact us as soon as possible. Our professionals can deliver a top-notch product tailored to your business needs.
Thanks for reading!