Android was the dominant mobile operating system worldwide in January 2021, with a 71.93% market share. However, its share was projected to decline slightly to 70.1% by the end of 2023. In contrast, iOS, its main competitor, had a 27.6% market share in January 2021, and was expected to increase to 29.2% by the fourth quarter of 2023. 

As a result, Android is facing a challenge to maintain its popularity among smartphone users. On the other hand, Android still offers affordability, user-friendliness, and compatibility with a wide range of apps. 

Moreover, people appreciate having variety and freedom in their mobile devices, which is why many mobile app developers prefer Android as the best operating system.

To develop an Android app, a developer needs to perform three main activities:

  • Editing source code
  • Building executables,
  • Debugging.

These activities can be done in a single place using an android ide, which is an application suite that provides various tools and features for android development. There are many android IDEs available in the market, and they are constantly evolving and improving to meet the needs and expectations of the developers.

Now, which android IDE will be the perfect pick for your project? What is the top android development IDEs available in the market right now? Let’s have a look.

Android IDEs for Developers:

  • DroidScript
  • Android Studio
  • AIDE
  • Visual Studio (Xamarin)
  • PhoneGap (Cordova)
  • CppDroid
  • NetBeans
  • Android Web Developer (AWD)
  • Python Suite
  • Java Suite
  • Eclipse
  • Arduino
  • Unreal Engine
  • Corona

Let’s explore all these Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) one by one and find the best for your development project.

DroidScript

Are you looking for an Android IDE to enhance productivity and pace up development ten times better than other tools? Then DroidScript is your answer. It is a JavaScript IDE that runs on Android devices for coding, testing, and building apps to run on Android. You can work with DroidScript from anywhere, as it doesn’t need any internet connection or cloud.

DroidScript supports various languages, operating systems, and user preferences. Here are some of the details:

  • Languages used: JavaScript
  • Target OS: Android
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Linux
  • User preferences: Beginners
  • License Type: Free

DroidScript has many advantages, but also some drawbacks. Let’s take a look at them:

DroidScript Pros:

  • It is easy to use, and even a beginner can easily handle it.
  • Many extensions and plugins are available for experienced users.
  • It is free
  • DS uses JavaScript, which is easy to grasp.
  • The editors are concise and straightforward.
  • The UI is native. Still, the developers can have hybrid CSS/HTML applications with device access that is much more powerful than PhoneGap or Cordova.

DroidScript Cons:

  • A small error in writing code can stop the rendering of the entire app.
  • It doesn’t support multiple inheritances.
  • The programmers find it tough to detect the problems.

Android Studio

Well, now it’s time to tell you about Android’s official IDE. Google has developed this software suite with all the tools built to create a top-notch android app. This android IDE works excellent when you need to speed up the development process without reducing the quality.

Android Studio is the ideal fit for beginners. You will find numerous app-building tutorial videos on it. So, it will be easy for you to grasp mobile expressions for enterprise and android programming with ease.

  • Languages used: Kotlin, C, C++, Java, XML
  • Target OS: Android
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Linux
  • User preferences: Advanced users
  • License Type: Free

Features of Android Studio:

  • Lintelligence- 365 various links checking on the android application
  • Apply changes – You can implement in-app changes without restarting the app.
  • Testing tools and frameworks- Run tests on an emulator or device.
  • Sample apps and code templates- Collect templates from similar projects.
  • Feature-rich and fast emulator-Android studio lets you install fast and test apps for different android systems.
  • Code editor- It will suggest you better code.

Android Studio Pros:

  • You get built-in support for Google cloud.
  • It provides you with an emulator for android versions and its own devices.
  • Android Studio offers the users an interface on all systems such as the clock, television, tablets (except the smartphone).
  • It has ready-made templates and Github integration.

Android Studio Cons:

  • RAM usage is high.
  • This android IDE offers limited language support.
  • Android is the only target OS.

AIDE

AIDE is a complete app itself. You can build real Android apps on an Android system directly using this android IDE. 

Google recommends this development tool. It offers you several high-level features that boost the work of the programmers.

AIDE has 4.0 user ratings and 50,000 reviews on Google Play Store. It is the most popular IDE java compiler for C++ and android programming. If you are a newcomer, you can buy in-app courses on Java development, Android programming, and game development.

You can connect your Bluetooth keyboard with AIDE and type more comfortably. It has an intelligent syntax. So, you can scale the window and focus on a specific part of a code. This android development IDE comes with a rich text editor. And, the best part is: here you get almost all the main features in the free version.

  • Languages used: HTML, XML, C, C++, CSS, Java, JavaScript.
  • Target OS: Android, and Web.
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Linux
  • User preferences: 
  • License Type: Proprietary
  • Cost: Free/ In-app subscription

AIDE Pros:

  • You can easily edit and compile.
  • The developers can build a demo application with one click.
  • You don’t need root permission.
  • It gives the users unlimited redo and undoes.
  • It performs real-time error checking.
  • You get an automatic error corrector as well.
  • AIDE offers a set of code colors based on the code type.

AIDE Cons:

  • It doesn’t have abundant plugins.
  • You don’t get Turkish language support.
  • AIDE only supports Android OS.
  • It is not as powerful as any other android IDE.

Visual Studio (Xamarin)

Do you want to fix bugs fast and increase the app speed? Then, Visual Studio is your go-to android IDE. You can consider this Microsoft product the best-integrated programming environment.

Since Xamarine has integrated with Visual Studio, it has been the first choice of all android developers. It provides you with tools for testing several functions and swift coding.

  • Languages used: Visual, Basic, JavaScript, PHP, C, C++, C#
  • Target OS: iOS, Android, Windows, Cross-platform
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Linux
  • License Type: Free

Visual Studio (Xamarin) Pros:

  • The developers can write codes for cross-platform apps.
  • It gives you better speed than Gradle-based systems.
  • It is a free and open-source platform.
  • .Ne developers can write android applications here.

Visual Studio (Xamarin) Cons:

  • The file size is too large.
  • It consumes a lot of the internet.
  • If it gets interrupted in the middle of downloading, you have to download it again from scratch.
  • You have to invest lots of time to use the libraries.

PhoneGap (Cordova)

Adobe and Apache support PhoneGap.Android app developers hugely use this android IDE. They love it because it lets them connect their devices and see instant changes as they type code.

Moreover, PhoneGap is an open-sourced suite with fast debugging. It also offers an extensive plugin library, a large community, and multiple third-party tools.

  • Languages used: CSS, JavaScript, HTML
  • Target OS: Android, iOS, Cross-platform
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Linux, Windows Phone, Android
  • User preferences: Web developers
  • License Type: Apache 2.0 License
  • Cost: Free

PhoneGap (Cordova) Pros:

  • Fast testing is a great advantage here.
  • You can learn Cordova quickly.
  • PhoneGap supports in-app purchases on Play Store and App Store.
  • It is free and open-source 
  • You can build an android application with JavaScript, CSS#, and HTML.

PhoneGap (Cordova) Cons:

  • You don’t get enough UI widgets here.
  • You can’t blindly rely on graphics-intensive applications.

Eclipse

It is a free android IDE. Developers use it to boost android app development. Earlier, the developers used Eclipse for Java only. Later it started supporting Cobol, Perl, C, C++, C#, Python, etc. Now, the Eclipse Foundation runs the project.

  • Languages used: Java, JavaScript, C, C++, C#, Python.
  • Target OS: Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, macOS
  • Available OS: Every OS that supports Java
  • License Type: Eclipse Open License
  • Cost: Free 

Eclipse Pros:

  • It has a fast compiler.
  • It is an entirely free and open-source android IDE.
  • Eclipse is the quickest suit.
  • You can test quickly.
  • Eclipse supports multiple programming languages.

Eclipse Cons:

  • The user interface is not that good.
  • Well, it provides you with many plugins, that’s true. But, none of them is always reliable.

Komodo

This android development IDE is an open-source text editor that you can use without spending a penny. It works for dynamic coding languages written by ActiveState. An embedded Python interpreter has originated the features of the Komodo Android IDE.

  • Languages used: HTML, Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, etc.
  • Target OS: Cross-platform
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Linux
  • License Type: Komodo Edit Mozilla Public, Proprietary
  • Cost: (Ultimate) From $394 + (Community) Free

Komodo Pros:

  • It is free.
  • It supports many languages.
  • Komodo offers cross-platform support.
  • You get integrated debugger support.
  • You can write code in almost all web languages.
  • Here you can explore a Document Object Model viewer.

Komodo Cons:

  • Komodo doesn’t provide enough attachments.
  • It doesn’t support the Turkish language.
  • Your machine can get strained.
  • It is slow.

NetBeans

It was the year 2000. The company named Sun microSystems developed a successful open source project. And, that android IDE ended up having an unbelievably large user base and a vast community. Now it has more than a hundred partners across the globe. As a cherry on the cake: Netbeans is entirely free, and it gives you no restriction on how to use it!

  • Languages used: HTML, C, C++, Java, JavaScript,PHP, etc.
  • Target OS: Cross-platform
  • Available OS: macOS, Windows, Solaris, Linux
  • License Type: CDDL 1.0 and GPL2
  • Cost: Free

NetBeans Pros:

  • NetBeans is free.
  • You can work on the Turkish language with it.
  • It provides you with a fantastic storage feature.
  • You get a customizable interface.
  • NetBeans offers SFTP/FTP synchronization.
  • You can get the benefit of Sass Compiler.

NetBeans Cons:

  • Sometimes you might face slowdown issues.
  • It consumes excessive memory.
  • This android IDE doesn’t support HDPI on the Linux version.

CppDroid

This user-friendly and straightforward android development IDE mainly works on C/C++ coding. CppDroid is easy to learn as it features valuable examples and tutorials. It is the go-to IDE for beginners because when they use it for the first time, CppDroid downloads required libraries. Along with that, it creates a “Hello World” application.

You will also get a highly customizable editor that comes with intelligent syntax highlighting. A real-time diagnostic included in CppDroid will let you work with ease. You can work offline because of the built-in computer that comes with CppDroid. 

CppDroid Pro:

  • one standard code to maintain for two platforms.
  • It can be faster than Java and even Objective-C.

CppDroid Cons:

  • It is neither iOS or Android default language; it will be harder to integrate. 
  • Debugging harder.
  • Standard code but still one more language to maintain, and that language might not fit that well on either platform.

Android Web Developer (AWD)

This android IDE can turn a device into an amazing box. It supports JS, CSS, JSON, HTML, and PHP. AWD is the most massive one when it comes to characteristics. It supports all prime web languages and formats. The users can access their files from anywhere using SFTP, FTPS, FTP WebDAV.

Some exotic features of AWD are code completion, code highlighting, fast navigation, integration, hardware keyboard support, etc. The only disadvantage of AWD is most of the features are premium features.

AWD Pros:

  • Longer run time.
  • Can work offline.
  • It is safe and secure.

AWD Cons:

  • Expensive to maintain.
  • It may prove challenging to get a native app approved by the app store.
  • The cost is comparatively high.

Python Suite

Python is mainly used for AI and app development. Python consists of several IDEs for developing android apps. But, Pydroid 3 is the most appreciated one among them. It is the most accessible and most robust Python IDE.

This robust android development IDE comes with prebuilt packages and libraries. Cython, PyQt5, Numpy, Matplotlib, Pandas, Scipy, etc., are some of them. You are also getting a full-featured Terminal Emulator that involves redline support. You can also call it “educational IDE.”

Java Suite

Java was first released in 1995. Developers utilize this programming language as a general-purpose one. It helps the software developers to develop android apps easier than others.

JAVA gives the best option for developing mobile applications based on Android, as Android holds its own APIs and JAVA libraries. So, for Android applications, you use android APIs and JAVA to write code for Android apps. So, you can understand that the Java suite is beginner-friendly and robust enough for experienced developers.

Java Suite Pros:

  • It is easy to learn.
  • It is easier to compile and debug than other programming languages.
  • It is an object-oriented language.
  • It enables you to create modular programs and reusable code.

Java Suite Cons:

  • It takes a much longer time to run.
  • The cost is comparatively high.
  • There is no support for low-level programming in Java Suite.

Arduino

Arduino works as an open-source electronics platform. It involves user-friendly hardware and software. You can use Arduini boards to read inputs and turn them into an output. The users can tell their board what to do by sending instructions to the microcontroller. Arduino android IDE is used to accomplish this activity.

You will find thousands of android app development projects built up based on Arduino. The open-source platform intrigues a global community of android developers that includes students, coders, artists, hobbyists, and so on. Their contributions have added a considerable amount of practical knowledge. This helps both the freshies and masters incredibly.

Arduino Pros:

  • It has a large user community.
  • It has a wide range of libraries.
  • It has relatively low-cost components.

Arduino Cons:

  • The user has to work in a relatively small space.
  • In the case of multi-purpose projects, it requires third-party sources.
  • In some cases, errors remain persistent.

Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine works best in complex high-level game development. Unreal Engine is your go-to android IDE if you are a newbie game developer. It is easy to learn and apply. Unreal Engine is also an old game engine with many tutorials and guides on the internet. It provides the developers with a user-friendly interface to test the game thoroughly.

Unreal Engine Pros:

  • Amazing graphic quality.
  • Usability of the program is in demand
  • Good user interface.

Unreal Engine Cons:

  • You need a licensed copy for working on the Unreal Engine.
  • You have to pay additional tax after your game is profitable.
  • Not suitable for simple games.
  • Not suitable for short-term tasks.

Related:- Best iOS App Development Tools

Comparison Table For Android Ideas For Developers

IDEProgramming Languages SupportedCode HighlightingIntellisenseLive PreviewPlugins/ExtensionsPricing
Android StudioJava, Kotlin, C++, XMLYesYesYesYesFree
AIDEJava, Kotlin, C++, XMLYesYesYesYesFree/Paid
Visual StudioC#, F#, Visual Basic, XML, Java, KotlinYesYesYesYesFree/Paid
PhoneGap (Cordova)HTML, CSS, JavaScriptYesNoYesYesFree
CppDroidC++YesYesNoYesFree/Paid
NetBeansJava, HTML, CSS, JavaScriptYesYesNoYesFree
Android Web Dev.HTML, CSS, JavaScriptYesNoYesYesFree
Python SuitePythonYesYesNoYesFree
Java SuiteJavaYesYesNoYesFree
EclipseJava, C++, PHP, Python, Ruby, PerlYesYesNoYesFree
ArduinoC, C++YesYesNoYesFree
Unreal EngineC++, BlueprintYesYesYesYesFree/Paid
CoronaLuaYesYesYesYesFree/Paid

Concluding Lines: Which android IDE is best?

As you already know, there are so many IDEs available for you. And, picking the right one is tricky. All of those IDEs have specific merits and demerits. The developers also have their preferences and needs. So, choosing an android IDE as the best one becomes a subjective job.

A developer likes and uses specific features more than others. The same programmer might prefer some other IDE for a different project. Sometimes they even start a project with an IDE and finish with a different one.

The main motto of free and premium android IDE is getting the android development project done faster without decreasing the quality. So, the more IDEs are available, the more challenging competition it means, and the better the IDEs will be to rule the market.

And, nothing can be more exotic for the developers. Picking the IDE that caters to their requirements and enhances productivity will be a breeze, for sure!

About Samriddhi

Samriddhi is a storyteller and content marketing professional at Invedus. She writes engaging and data-driven content on outsourcing trends and technology strategies. She has skills in content writing, social media marketing, graphic design, and business analysis. She loves to visit scenic tea shops in the green hill stations.

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