Free App Development Software: What's Actually Free
The core app development software is free: Android Studio, Xcode, VS Code, Flutter, React Native with Expo, and Kotlin Multiplatform cost nothing to download and use. What costs money is publishing (Apple charges $99 a year, Google Play $25 once) and, as your app grows, the backend and build services around it. This guide lists the free application development software and resources worth using as of October 2026, what each free tier really includes, and where the paywalls are.
If you're choosing how to build (native, cross-platform or no-code) rather than looking for free software, read our companion guide on tools to build mobile apps.
Free app development software at a glance
| Software | What it's for | Runs on | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android Studio | Native Android (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose) | Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS | Free |
| Xcode | Native iOS/macOS (Swift, SwiftUI) | macOS only | Free |
| Flutter | One Dart codebase for iOS, Android, web, desktop | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free, open source |
| React Native + Expo | JavaScript/TypeScript apps for iOS and Android | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free; Expo cloud builds have a free tier |
| Kotlin Multiplatform | Share Kotlin logic (and UI with Compose Multiplatform) across Android and iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free, open source |
| VS Code | Editor for Flutter, React Native, web | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free |
All of these are real, production-grade tools used by large companies. None of them is a trial.
Free software for native Android and iOS
Android Studio
Android Studio is Google's official IDE for Android. The current release on the download page is Android Studio Rabbit (2026.2.1), and it ships with the emulator, profilers, layout inspector and Gemini in Android Studio, an AI assistant for writing and fixing code. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, so Android is the cheapest platform to start on: any recent laptop works.
Xcode
Xcode is free from the Mac App Store, but it only runs on macOS. That's the one hardware requirement you can't avoid for iOS: you need a Mac, a remote Mac, or a cloud macOS build service. Xcode 27 includes "coding intelligence" that works with models and agents from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI, and it can be extended with MCP tools.
You don't have to pay Apple to start. Apple's enrollment page says you can install apps on your own device with Xcode using a free Apple Account. You only need the paid program to distribute apps or use capabilities such as Apple Pay and iCloud.
Free cross-platform frameworks
Cross-platform frameworks let you write one codebase for iOS and Android. All three below are free and open source.
Flutter (Dart). Flutter 3.47 is the current stable release. You can develop and test Android and web apps on Windows, macOS or Linux; building iOS apps still requires a Mac with Xcode. A quick start:
flutter doctor -v # checks SDKs, toolchains and devices flutter create my_app cd my_app flutter run # runs on a connected device or emulatorReact Native with Expo (JavaScript/TypeScript). The React Native docs recommend starting new apps with a framework, specifically Expo:
npx create-expo-app@latestExpo's free plan includes up to 15 Android and 15 iOS cloud builds and 1,000 monthly active users for over-the-air updates (Expo pricing). Cloud builds matter if you're on Windows: EAS Build compiles your iOS app on Apple hardware for you.
Kotlin Multiplatform (Kotlin). Share business logic, networking and data layers between Android and iOS while keeping native UI, or share the UI too with Compose Multiplatform, whose iOS support became stable in version 1.8.0 in May 2025.
For a deeper framework comparison, see Flutter vs React Native.
Free backends for your app
Most apps need sign-in, a database and file storage. Two backends have free tiers big enough for a launch:
| Firebase Spark plan | Supabase Free plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Database | Firestore: 1 GiB stored, 50K reads and 20K writes per day | Postgres: 500 MB per project |
| Auth | 50K monthly active users | 50K monthly active users |
| File storage | Requires the paid Blaze plan | 1 GB |
| Server code | Cloud Functions require Blaze | 500K Edge Function invocations/month |
| Catch | Some products need a billing account | 2 active projects; paused after 1 week of inactivity |
Numbers are from the Firebase pricing page and Supabase pricing page as of October 2026. Compare them in detail on Firebase vs Supabase, and browse free APIs for data you can call from your app without paying.
Free app builders without coding
If you don't want to write code, these have free plans, with limits that matter:
- Google AppSheet: free to build and test with up to 10 users. Deploying to a team starts at $5 per user per month. AppSheet is the current Google app maker; the older Google App Maker product was shut down in 2021, so ignore tutorials that mention it.
- FlutterFlow: the free plan gives you the visual builder, templates, web publishing and up to 2 projects, but no code download, no APK download and no one-click App Store deployment. Those start on the $39/month Basic plan.
- AI app builders: tools that generate an app from a prompt usually have a small free credit allowance. They're good for prototypes; check whether you can export the code before you invest time.
Free design software for app UI
- Figma: the Starter plan is free with unlimited drafts, UI kits and templates.
- Penpot: an open-source design tool with a free, fully featured plan and a self-hosting option, if you want to own your design files.
Free build and CI services
- GitHub Actions: standard runners are free for public repositories, and private repos on GitHub Free get 2,000 minutes per month. macOS runners are billed at $0.062 per minute once you're past the free minutes (GitHub docs).
- Codemagic: personal accounts get 500 free build minutes per month on Mac mini M2 machines, enough to build and sign iOS apps without owning a Mac (Codemagic pricing).
Free resources for students and learners
The GitHub Student Developer Pack is the best single resource for app development if you're a student. It includes GitHub Copilot for verified students, free GitHub Codespaces at Pro level, JetBrains IDEs, $100 of Azure credit (age 18+), MongoDB Atlas credit, Clerk Pro and free mobile testing plans from BrowserStack or LambdaTest. Apple also waives the developer fee for accredited educational institutions.
For startups past the student stage, our perks page lists free credits from cloud and SaaS vendors.
What you'll still pay for
Free software gets you to a working app. These costs come later:
- Apple Developer Program: $99/year (Apple). Required to ship on the App Store or TestFlight.
- Google Play: $25 one-time (Google). New personal accounts must also run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 consecutive days before publishing to production (testing requirements).
- A Mac, or paid macOS build minutes, for iOS.
- Backend usage once you outgrow free tiers.
FAQ
What is the best free app development software?
For Android only, Android Studio. For iOS only, Xcode (on a Mac). For both platforms from one codebase, Flutter or React Native with Expo; pick Flutter if you're new to both, React Native if you already know JavaScript or React.
Can I build an app for free?
Yes. Every tool needed to write, run and test an app is free, and you can run your iOS app on your own iPhone with a free Apple Account. Publishing costs $99/year on the App Store and $25 once on Google Play.
Is there free app development software for Windows?
Android Studio, Flutter, React Native, Kotlin Multiplatform and VS Code all run on Windows. You can't run Xcode on Windows, so for iOS use a cloud build service such as Expo EAS Build or Codemagic.
Is Google AppSheet free?
It's free for building and testing with up to 10 users. Sharing an app with a team requires a paid plan from $5 per user per month, or the Core plan included in most paid Google Workspace plans.
Where can I promote a new app for free?
Many newsletters, podcasts and directories accept free submissions. Our list of places to promote a developer tool notes which ones are free and what the paid options cost.