Tools for mobile web development and design
1. Adobe Dreamweaver
First created by Macromedia in 1997 and officially acquired by Adobe Systems, Adobe Dreamweaver is a web design application for web development and design. This mobile web development tool works on both macOS and Windows operating systems. Through multiple upgrades, the current version of Adobe Dreamweaver supports standard web technologies like CSS, JavaScript, etc. Server-side scripting languages and frameworks can also be used on this tool. Developers must pay for monthly or yearly subscriptions to use Adobe Dreamweaver.
Several remarks of Adobe Dreamweaver are:
- Code editor with syntax highlighting and support for syntax highlighting languages like Action Script, Cold Fusion, EDM, HTML, Java, JavaScript, Wireless Markup Language (WML)
- HTML5 support and code hinting;
- Integration of PhoneGap Build and jQuery Mobile;
- Multiple screen preview;
- Available in multiple languages.
G2 Rate: 4.1/5
Pricing: $20.99/mo
2. Microsoft Visual Tool
Microsoft Visual Tool, or Visual Studio, is one of the tools for mobile web development, like websites, web apps, web services, and mobile apps. Since it is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Windows, it works on Microsoft software like Window API, Windows Forms, and so on.
Although Visual Studio doesn’t support any programming languages or solutions, it still supports coded functionality known as VS Package. These functionalities, when available, will become Services. There are three types of services: projects and solution enumeration (SVsSolution), windowing and UI functionality (SVsUIShell), and registration of VSPackages (SVsShell).
Microsoft Visual Tool is a freemium software with its basic edition of Community. Developers can unlock more features by making an in-app purchase.
Some outstanding features of Visual Studio are:
- Code editor with support for syntax highlighting, code completion, code bookmark for navigation, multi-item clipboard, code snippets, and code refactoring;
- Source-level and machine-level debugger;
- Host of visual designers for application design, namely Window Forms Designer, WPF Designer, Class designer, data designer, and mapping designer;
- Multiple supporting tools: Open Tabs Browser, Properties Editor, Object Browser, Solution Explorer, Server Explorer, etc.;
- Integrated with comprehensive testing tools like unit testing, Test Explorer, Fakes, Live unit Testing, etc.;
- Comprehensive testing tools for code writing and testing, namely Unit testing, IntelliTest, UniTesting, Text Explorer, and Fakes;
- Extensive capability from free and customized extension writing.
- Available in 13 languages.
G2 Rate: 4.5/5
Pricing: Free for basic. Around $45/mo for professional
3. Blisk
Released in 2016, the Blisk browser is a Chromium-based web browser focusing on improving quality by offering a wide range of tools. These mobile tools are used for web development and testing on multiple mobile devices like phones, laptops, etc. Similar to Visual Studio, Blisk is also a freemium product.
Blisk stands out thanks to these features:
- Minimalistic user interface with a side-by-side view and core functions stacked neatly on a single page;
- Easy selection between Browsing mode or Developer mode across different tabs for improved speed of web browsing or web apps testing;
- Development mode with extended features for web development and testing, additional elements and controls, and even a Chrome-like desktop view;
- Device emulation for testing and rendering interface for multiple devices without testing on the real devices;
- JavaScript-based page errors monitoring and well-categorized error notification;
- Easy-to-use screen-capturing options: screenshot, screen recording, along with easy upload, image editing, and saving to the system;
- Scrolling is simultaneously synchronized on both project and the emulated devices;
- Blisk DevTools helps edit the pages and detect problems quickly with smaller mobile web app development tools;
- Automation of local code tracking and according page refreshing for easier development;
- Integration with other web browsers and with Command line for Blisk launching and custom device set;
- High privacy with Incognito mode for private browsing.
G2 Rate: 4.6/5
Pricing: from $8.99 to $9.99 based on the number of users
Tools to test web and web app on mobile
Once the development stage is finished, developers need to put their project into test. Here are the best mobile web development tools for testing process:
1. Lighthouse
Developed by Google, Lighthouse aims to bring developers the best open-source and automated web page quality measurement tool. It provides developers with the necessary reports, which can be useful for web page quality improvement. Lighthouse might be pre-installed if you already have Google Chrome.
There are some features of Lighthouse that you want to keep in mind:
- One of the open-source mobile web application development tools;
- Works on both public and authentication-required web pages;
- Examines web page performance, accessibility, and search engine optimization;
- Capable of testing sophisticated web applications for standard compliance.
Pricing: Free
2. BrowserStack
BrowserStack is one of the mobile web development tools for advanced emulating testing. To use BrowserStack, developers must pay a subscription to test mobile usability, responsive website design, and mobile development. It is deemed a suitable tool for developers and non-developers like testers, marketers, and salespeople. This is one of the best tools for mobile web development, as developers can test projects on multiple devices and screen types directly on the browser.
BrowserStack is well-known for such features:
- “Live” mode service creates a virtual environment of the targeted devices and browsers to test on;
- Can run local host server of developers in BrowserStack;
- Allow testing of the project on any device or browser from the developers’ local environment;
- Diversified functionality: “Screenshot” of over 700 browsers; “Responsive” mode for setup on multiple devices, testing, and showcasing on a screen simultaneously;
- Low control over network bandwidth and accelerometer emulation for users.
G2 Rate: 4.6/5
Pricing: From $129 to $399/mo
3. Android emulator
Android emulator provides a virtual environment of Android devices on the computer. This allows developers to test their application on multiple devices and Android API level without an actual device. Android emulator usually comes with Android Studio by default; therefore, developers don’t need to install it manually.
Android emulator brings such advantages to the table:
- Able to stimulate multiple devices and Android API levels;
- Android emulator provides such flexibility with predefined configuration for various Android phones, tablet, WearOS, and Android TV devices;
- High fidelity with most Android devices’ capabilities is provided, simulating phone calls, network speeds, rotation, and other hardware sensors.
- Fast and easy virtual testing compared to physical testing. For example: transferring through USB.
4. Adobe Edge Inspect
Adobe Edge Inspect is a part of Adobe Edge tool, including Edge Code, Edge Reflow, Edge Animate, and Edge Inspect. It can help developers perform testing and debugging directly on iOS and Android devices. Adobe Edge Inspect includes different applications and delivers multi-device testing effortlessly.
Adobe Edge Inspect can connect to Adobe Creative Cloud services as it is a part of it. Free account allows developers to connect to one device, while premium allows simultaneous connection on multiple devices. Some features of Adobe Edge Inspect are:
- Screen shooting;
- Dynamic debug for HTML and CSS;
- HTTP authentication;
- Removing the cache of the device.
- Can’t be used for testing other browsers on the mobile device.
Adobe has stopped developing this tools since 2015. However you can still download it from other providers
5. iOS simulator
Unlike a simulator that provides hardware emulation experience, the iOS simulator develops a free simulation environment for the iPhone and iPad. It is excellent for seeing your website’s render and the code’s function. Developers can type the URL address directly with the keyboard. Since this is just a simulator, there will be no App Store available, neither pseudo-browser nor alternative browsers like Opera Mini or Google Chrome.
Tools to debug your web and web app
1. ChromeDevTools
Google Chrome is one of the biggest web browsers, with around 2.65 billion users worldwide. Thus, making your website or web apps compatible with the Chrome browser is a necessary criterion for every development process. And making it responsive to Mobile Chrome is even better.
To do this, developers can use the ultimate web development toolkits created directly by Google, the ChromeDevTools, as one of the mobile web and web app development tools. It can be embedded inside your web browser, making it convenient to use without switching tabs back and forth. Some of the main features of ChromeDevTools:
- Debug your web app
- Find styling errors
- View data storage
- Provide various page elements for editing, inspecting, and front-end development
- You can add breakpoints and monitor the network
- Developers can use this tool as a sandbox for testing website codes and styles
- Integrated web performance analytics that allow you to improve site speed immediately.
- ChromeDevTool uses JavaScript, HTML, CSS as its main languages. These are also the most common programming languages for web development
- Can work with both Android and iOS (Safari browser)
G2 Rate: 4.4/5
2. Safari Web Inspector
Safari Web Inspector is made exclusively for iOS mobile web development by Apple. It is the command center for web developers, making it easy to access the rich set of mobile web development tools across the Apple ecosystem.
This Web Inspector tool from Apple has pretty much the same function as ChromeDevTool, with some of the highlights are:
- View and inspect DOM elements
- Quickly identify and resolve the error, and bugs with the Console functions
- Build-in debugger with highlights to troubleshoot script execution flow
- View data storage
- Preview HTML5 canvas, JavaScript and CSS animations, CSS transitions
3. Weinre
You can use ChromeDevTools for Android, Web Inspector for iOS, but what about other devices? In this case, we have Weinre, a tool for mobile web & web app development that work perfectly with every device (iOS, Android, Windows, Firefox OS). You need to install Weinre on both the server and the page, which might be more complicated than the above-mentioned tools. Once you pass this, you can easily debug any device on any network, even iOS on Windows.
Yet the tools cannot be as functional as native web debugging tools, but it’s still a good substitute for small and not too-complicated web projects.
Wrapping up
To sum up, different mobile web development tools of the same category can serve different purposes with distinctive features. It is best for developers to carefully consider the top reliable mobile development tools based on the characteristics of their project. Pricing for the supplement tools should also be calculated to not cause severe financial burden to the business while the developers can utilize the best function of those tools. If you have any questions about the mobile web development tools, please feel free to contact us anytime.
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