Top 10 Mobile Application Development Platforms for business

Important news about Mobile Application Development Platforms for business

2023. Modular app-building platform Builder.ai raises $250M



In a universe not entirely unlike ours, but with perhaps just a touch more programming wizardry and occasional digital flair, Builder.ai—an ambitiously quirky startup—has recently sidled up to the technological behemoth Microsoft, donning a metaphorical space suit of collaboration to launch their "Natasha" AI onto Microsoft Teams. In a display of financial enthusiasm that would make even the most stoic accountant twitch with glee, they've managed to bag $250 million in Series D funding. Builder.ai, you see, has cracked the rather complex code of helping both minuscule and galactic-sized businesses craft web and mobile applications with a modular flair, sort of like Lego bricks but for the digital cosmos. Along their interstellar journey, they've forged partnerships with the likes of JP Morgan & Chase, Etisalat UAE, and a constellation of other tech and financial titans. The universe, it seems, has taken note: they’ve been listed among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2023 and, as if that weren't shiny enough, were crowned "Scale Up of the Year" at the 2022 Europas awards.


2022. Thunkable raises $30M for its no-code mobile app development platform



Thunkable, which offers a suite of “no-code” tools — no programming or developer skills needed — for creating apps, has secured $30 million in a Series B funding round. There are several platforms available (and more being developed) for creating mobile apps without requiring coding expertise. These include well-funded initiatives like FlutterFlow and AppyPie, Builder (which raised $100 million just last week), Universe (also venture capital-backed), Kooply (still in stealth mode and focused on gaming) and others. Even major companies like Amazon are entering the space. Thunkable, however, believes it has found the solution to this challenge.

2021. Wix launches a no-code app builder for $200 per month



Wix has unveiled a new product for business owners called Branded App by Wix, which enables users to create native apps without writing code. Wix offers tools for individuals and businesses to manage their online presence, but it’s best known for its drag-and-drop website builder. Now, the platform is broadening its user-friendly approach by allowing anyone to develop an app without needing to learn how to code. Priced at $200 per month, Branded App by Wix is a significant investment; users will also need to pay an annual $99 fee to be on the App Store and a one-time $25 fee for Google Play. However, according to Wix, native mobile apps can ultimately help businesses increase sales.


2020. AWS launches Amazon Honeycode - no-code mobile and web app builder



AWS introduced Amazon Honeycode, a new, fully managed low-code/no-code creation tool that aims to simplify the process for anyone in a company to design their own applications. All of this, naturally, is supported by a database in AWS and a web-based, drag-and-drop interface creator. Like similar tools, Honeycode offers users a range of templates for common use cases such as to-do list apps, customer trackers, surveys, schedules and inventory management. Developers can create applications for up to 20 users at no cost. Beyond that, they are charged per user and for the storage their applications use.


2017. Xamarin now lets run and test iOS apps directly from Windows



Until now, Microsoft’s Xamarin had the mildly inconvenient requirement of a Mac to build and test iOS applications, as though the universe just couldn’t resist sprinkling a bit of chaos into a developer's workflow. But lo and behold, enter the Xamarin Live Player, a device so brilliantly simple that it lets you deploy, run, test, and debug iOS apps directly from your Windows PC running Visual Studio—no Mac in sight, and presumably no cosmic mischief either. To unlock this wondrous new capability, developers simply install the Xamarin Live Player app on their iOS device, pair it with their PC via a quick scan of a QR code, and voilà! With this, Microsoft appears to have cracked the enigma of developer convenience, taking one decisive step closer to its grand ambition of making Windows 10 the ultimate hub for cross-platform development—or at least, the part of the universe that doesn’t involve improbable tea-related mishaps.


2016. Microsoft launched its no-coding app builder



Microsoft launched the new service PowerApps, which enables anyone to create basic business apps without needing to write any code. These apps can operate on the web and on mobile devices (through the PowerApps apps for iOS and Android). Building apps in PowerApps is primarily a drag-and-drop process. Although the service provides an online dashboard, the design work is conducted in a Windows 10 desktop application. It also offers several templates for common use cases. Generally, creating new apps from scratch is relatively straightforward—though perhaps not as simple as Microsoft's marketing might suggest.


2016. Microsoft's development platform Xamarin integrates with Visual Studio



Xamarin, the cross-platform development platform recently acquired by Microsoft, released updates to nearly all of the core features of its platform. Xamarin is open-sourcing its SDKs for Android, iOS and Mac under the MIT license. These SDKs include the command-line tools for building applications, as well as Xamarin’s cross-platform Xamarin.Forms UI framework. However, the Xamarin IDE (for Mac) will remain proprietary for the time being. Much of the new functionality is integrated with Microsoft’s tools, particularly Visual Studio. For example, iOS developers who wish to code in C# can now utilize Xamarin’s iOS Simulator directly from Visual Studio on Windows (although the simulator itself still operates on a networked Mac, with Visual Studio essentially establishing a remote connection to it). Additionally, Visual Studio/Xamarin users can now deploy apps to iOS devices connected to the Windows machine’s USB port directly from Visual Studio.


2016. Microsoft acquired mobile development service Xamarin



Microsoft acquired Xamarin, the service that enables developers to create fully native applications across multiple platforms from a single shared code base. Microsoft and Xamarin have collaborated closely since a global partnership was announced in 2013 to simplify the process for mobile developers to build native apps on platforms within Visual Studio. This acquisition will enable Microsoft to significantly enhance its suite of developer tools and boost the creation of mobile and Universal apps for Windows 10 devices. The integration of Xamarin, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Team Services and Azure will offer a comprehensive mobile app development solution—everything needed to develop, test, deliver and manage mobile apps for any device.


2016. OutSystems raises $55M for its app delivery platform



OutSystems, the platform that assists enterprises in swiftly creating mobile business apps, announced that it has secured $55 million in funding. Utilizing the company’s platform, enterprise developers can rapidly build applications that integrate with various third-party business applications. These include major platforms such as SAP, Salesforce.com, Workday and others. The essence of the service is a visual development tool. Developers can use the code generated by this tool and modify it, but for many scenarios, OutSystems users don’t need to interact with any code.


2015. Bizness Apps launched a new white-label App Builder



Mobile apps creator for small businesses Bizness Apps is introducing Apex, a complete overhaul of their app creation platform. The new platform was developed with the aim of reducing overall development time and will integrate design, app development and marketing into a single web-based solution. Essentially, Apex includes everything a web professional needs to swiftly create interactive apps for clients. Apex stands out by enabling developers to easily incorporate interactive modules such as loyalty programs, ordering systems and advanced location-aware features. The platform also lets developers customize the appearance of their app, including specific fonts and colors. Apex additionally manages the submission of the app to both iOS and Android app stores and provides features like push notifications and engagement tracking after approval.