Best Mobile Development IDEs in 2026
Updated
In short: Codename One is ranked #1 of 37 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Defold and Felgo. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Defold. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Codename One at $2.08/mo.
Choosing a mobile development IDE starts with the platforms and languages your project requires. Compared on mobile targets and supported languages, these tools can also be assessed for emulator or simulator support, app packaging, and visual UI design. Desktop platforms may matter if you want to work across devices; free plans and Paid from offer further points of comparison. Codename One, Defold, and Felgo are among the entries shown. Think about which parts of development you need the IDE to support, from interface work and testing to packaging, and compare the listed capabilities with your workflow.
37 mobile development IDEs ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
17 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Codename OneWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $2.08/mo | 6.8 | |
| 2 | DefoldWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 3 | FelgoWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 4 | Godot EngineWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 5 | B4XWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 6 | DroidScriptWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · Extension | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 7 | MonacaWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $22/mo | 6.7 | |
| 8 | Qt CreatorWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 9 | GameMakerWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $79.99/mo | 6.6 | |
| 10 | MobileTogether DesignerWeb · Windows · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $83.33/mo | 6.6 | |
| 11 | GeneXusWeb · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 12 | HBuilderXWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 13 | RiderWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $14.08/mo | 6.5 | |
| 14 | Solar2DWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 15 | Xcode CloudWeb · Mac · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $49.99/mo | 6.5 | |
| 16 | Visual StudioWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 17 | SmartfaceWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 18 | XojoWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 19 | WINDEV MobileWindows · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 20 | Cocos CreatorWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 21 | FoldCodeAndroid | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | RhoMobile SuiteWindows · Mac | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | Swift PlaygroundsMac · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 24 | Swift Stream IDEWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 5.3 | |
| 25 | Tizen StudioWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Mobile targets | Desktop platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Codename One | 6.8 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | Yes | 25 /user/mo | Android, iOS/iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2 | Defold | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Felgo | 6.8 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | Godot Engine | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | B4X | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | DroidScript | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, Amazon Fire, ChromeOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | Monaca | 6.7 | Free plan | $22/mo | Yes | — | Android, iOS, Windows | Windows, macOS |
| 8 | Qt Creator | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | GameMaker | 6.6 | Free plan | $79.99/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 10 | MobileTogether Designer | 6.6 | Free plan | $83.33/mo | Yes | — | iOS, Android, Windows 10/11 | Windows 10/11 |
| 11 | GeneXus | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | HBuilderX | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | Rider | 6.5 | Free plan | $14.08/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | Solar2D | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Xcode Cloud | 6.5 | Free plan | $49.99/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Visual Studio | 6.4 | Free plan | — | Yes | 45 /user/mo | — | — |
| 17 | Smartface | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 18 | Xojo | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, Android | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| 19 | WINDEV Mobile | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | Android, iOS | Windows |
| 20 | Cocos Creator | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 21 | FoldCode | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | RhoMobile Suite | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 10, Windows CE/Mobile | Windows, macOS |
| 23 | Swift Playgrounds | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, iPadOS | macOS |
| 24 | Swift Stream IDE | 5.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android | Windows, Linux, macOS |
| 25 | Tizen Studio | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Tizen Mobile, Tizen Wearable | Windows, Ubuntu, macOS |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which mobile development IDE is ranked first on Freedom251?
Codename One is ranked #1 of 37 with a score of 6.8. Defold is second and Felgo third.
How many of these have a free plan?
17 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 free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.