In recent times, the world has seen growth of various DIY (Do-It-Yourself) tools or tips for mobile app development without any programming skills. If you are a small business of just a creative person who wants an app to be developed to gather some fame as well as money, then, it is better for you to try any of the top mobile app makers or websites that help you in application development without any technical coding requirements.

Till couple of years back, a creative mobile app idea could be converted into an actual mobile application by assigning the task to a smartphone app development firm or perhaps a freelance mobile app developer found on LinkedIn or Elance or Freelancer websites. People didn’t even explore the option of creating the app themselves due to the high level of coding skills required in app development, unless they had prior programming experience. Also, only those who could afford spending a huge amount were able to get mobile apps created by hiring relevant Android app developers or iOS app developer. This is because mobile app development is many times more expensive than website development.

In this article, we shall browse through top Android app and iOS app development tools (makers) with no coding pre-requisites. Reviewing the DIY app creator tools would help us understand how easy it has become to design mobile applications, submit it to a play store and reach out to a large customer base. It is possible to earn money by displaying ads within the app or by making the apps available for download at a minimal price.

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   1. AppMakr (for iOS and Android app creation)

   
   This free DIY app making tool enables users to design apps for Android or iOS devices with a simple drag and drop interface. Now you can turn your brilliant app idea into reality using this app creation platform without having to code any program lines. Using AppMakr’s iPhone app maker, you can create the iPhone mobile app (without having access to any Apple device), get it approved through Apple review process based on the AQI (Apple Quality Index) meter display that indicates the chances of your app getting rejected by Apple. Once the iOS app is approved, you can also upload it to iTunes store under your own name (account) as your brand and or under AppMakr’s name (based on the AppMakr pricing plan you choose). The users of your native iOS app would be able to load everything locally to their mobile phone and won’t need internet connection to use your app (after it has been downloaded successfully). Similarly, you can also upload your Android app (created by AppMakr’s Android app creator) to Google Play store and make it available for download by millions of Android users.

   

   As per App Basics pricing plan (at just $1 per month), you can design your own native Android app to be published as a HTML5 mobile website. In this case, your app gets published under AppMakr brand (for install / download by their mobile & desktop accessible Monkey Market) with features like good email support, Live Stats reporting (to monitor downloads), no contract with cancellation at any time, no restriction on number of users, free updates to created app as many times as you want, alert messages within app for users, image gallery creation, user conversations as well as Click-to-Call functionality for anytime user support, etc.

   The other premium plan is App Pro one (at $9 per month) which provides all the features of App Basics plan plus some more. In this plan, you can design your native iOS app in addition to Android app and get them both published on the corresponding play stores under your own name (developer account). You can place ads inside the app and charge for your app to earn money through it. Further details about this tool can be obtained on the official site of AppMakr.
   

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   2. App Press (for creating Android as well as iOS apps)

   
   This tool empowers you to design code-free native mobiles apps for iOS (6.0 or later) and Android (2.2 or above). You need not worry about learning programming skills to handle custom development for getting the perfect features for your app. App Press allows full design control with a clean as well as intuitive interface so that you build your type of app and even update / edit it whenever required from a browser. The developer-friendly visual tools can be used to preview or test the app anytime from your mobile phone to get an idea how it would look in real-time i.e. support for simple app deployment. Some key features included for this app creation process are drop-in graphics, photos, content or videos. If you wish, you can even add HTML and JavaScript functionality to your app.

   In no time and with few simple steps, you can prepare a native app of your choice using App Press platform. You are the brand name behind the app and there is no indication of App Press being the creator. It is even possible for you to distribute ‘Share Links’ (App Press URL that connects to your app project). Built-in tracking support with Google Analytics is provided for your app. For timely improvements to your app and understanding the app users behavior, you can trigger push notifications to the users based on the real-time measurement of mobile user engagement. This helps you to share new updates and build trust as well as connections.

   With the ‘Personal’ pricing plan, you can deploy the app to App Press now using ‘Share Links’, while with the ‘Designer’ pricing plan, you can deploy the Android app to Google Play Store and iOS app to Apple iTunes store with the help of App Press team. For both plans, you get 5 GB bandwidth and 10 GB storage space. So, what are you waiting for? Get full control over your app design with App Press tool available here.
   

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   3. BuildFire (for making Android app or iOS app)

   
   You can use this DIY mobile app maker to create your own custom and handcrafted application using ‘Click and Edit’ dashboard with no coding technology. On the ‘Click and Edit’ platform, you (the app creator) can try out various colors, designs, layouts, etc. as per your choice. Alternatively, you can also get the entire app development done by BuildFire developer. All you will have to do is share your website’s URL with BuildFire team and their developer would create the required app within couple of business days. In both scenarios, you are not supposed to do any technical programming and thus you can get your preferred app created without any coding skills. This tool is suitable for small businesses as it provides easy features like video streaming, selective push notifications, scheduling notifications for future through push notification scheduler, getting your mobile website (important now with Google’s Mobile Friendly Algorithm), calendar integration, Live chat support or direct call support, m-commerce as well as e-commerce (for your Shopify store) to boost product sales, etc.

   

   You can build a high-quality app having the BuildFire brand name or get the white label feature that gives the app your own business name. It is vital for some businesses to get their brand name promoted everywhere and the white label feature would be ideal for most of them for better brand recognition and better control over the final design of the app. If you do not wish to spend any money, you can create HTML5 Web app for free using BuildFire app making tool. However, a better option is to create your preferred app for Android or iOS devices and get free submission to the app stores with the premium plan of about $49 per month ($44 per month if you pay for the entire year at once or $39 per month if you pay for two years at once). BuildFire support team representative would guide you through the app publishing process and make it as easy as possible for you. You can scan through more details at BuildFire official website.
   

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   4. iBuildApp (for making iPhone app, iPad app or Android app)

   
   If you can create your app without any coding by using a intuitive app design tool like iBuildApp and then sit back till their team gets the app submission process completed, then, you (or your business) would be encouraged to turn more app ideas into reality. To satisfy your DIY wish for any of the app ideas you may have, you can use iBuildApp’s intuitive and user-friendly editor. From among thousands of fully customizable templates, you can select one for your app. Then, you can change the app layout, choose colors of your choice, get buttons wherever necessary, insert images, etc. In short, the complete look and feel of the app can be edited by you till you are completely satisfied with the end result. Based on the type of app being designed, you can add features like Google calendar integration, Google Maps, e-commerce product catalog, your Facebook business page fan wall, image gallery, sync contacts, etc.

   To get several built-in features, one needs to log-in to the iBuildApp account. Once logged in, you can get mobile app analytics to keep a check on the number of app downloads or number of users who visited your mobile site in the past. You can also avail the built-in notification feature to reach out to a large audience base in order to deliver timely updates, reminders, share deals or coupons, etc. You can monetize your app by activating ads for it and start earning money every time some user accesses the app. To increase your chances of earning as well as to build your brand reputation, you may want to promote your app using tools like social networking channels, QR codes, etc. To understand the latest pricing plans like Basic (no white label feature), Business (white label feature), Enterprise, etc. you can visit the iBuildApp website.
   

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   Como (for Android app or iOS app creation)

   
   This easy-to-use mobile app creator (previously known as Conduit Mobile) can boost sales and brand awareness for small businesses by making quality custom apps in no time at all. Similar to the other ones discussed above, this tool also can design apps for wide range of devices like iPad, iPhone, Android phone, Android tablets, etc. One stand-out feature is its ability to create apps for Amazon marketplace (Kindle Fire devices). You get fully customisable features with this tool so that you can get the color, logo, layout, theme, etc. of your app in sync with your look and feel of your brand online. Apart from this, a single control panel offers full control with regards to creation, updation and management of the app created by you. Your task doesn’t end once the app is created as you also need to get it published, promoted and track how it is performing with its target audience. The Como tool assists you in every way to fulfill all these activities.

   The unique auto-discovery technology of Como app maker can build smartphone apps quickly by accessing your existing online content or website. Once the app is created, Como App Simulator can be used to preview and test the app on your mobile in real-time. This tool empowers better user engagement by sending across alerts, various offers as well as latest updates utilizing geo-targeted push notifications. Marketing Genie of Como offers various promotional tools for online as well as offline promotion of your app through Facebook page ad campaigns, QR codes, window stickers, etc. Como provides great monetization options for your app in the form of loyalty programs and cards, discount offers and coupons, secured mobile commerce product purchase, in-app table reservation using platforms like UrbanSpoon or OpenTable, etc.

   This tool offers a 6-months success guarantee which means if you don’t get desired results in first 6 months, you would get this tool’s service free for following 6 months period. The mobile app premium plan is available at $33 per month (if you pay for the entire year at one) or $39 per month (one month at a time) or $29 per month (if you pay for 2-years at once). If you are still not convinced about using this tool, you can start at: Como App Maker Website.
   

For all the app creation tools discussed above, you need to bear in mind the additional costs to be borne to get your app published as the Apple iTunes store charges an annual developer fee of $99, whereas Google Play store charges a one-time fee of about $25. With such ready-to-use tools that enable you to create Android and iOS apps in minutes, you can get different variety of apps created for yourself or your business and earn brand reputation as well as money from the same. The charges involved in using these tools are nothing when you compare the cost of getting a mobile app developed from an app development firm. Have you tried any of the app making tools before?