What Is the Best Mobile App Development Company?

Updated Oct 21, 2024 • 16 min read

Mobile apps are a great way to reach practically any group of customers. They are the key to a successful digital transformation and the most potent channel to deliver the value of a new product. However, quality mobile development requires advanced skills, which are scarce. That is why we decided to help you with choosing the right tech partner and app developers for your mobile project, including the list of the world’s best teams.

Why you should build a high-quality product?

The world has gone mobile. More than half of the time spent online by US Internet users is mobile. There are over four billion mobile phone users globally, according to April 2019 data. The youngest and fastest developing regions of the world (Asia and Africa) are already mobile-first with the highest mobile Internet traffic rates registered in Nigeria, India, Ghana, and Kenya.

While the first version of the App Store offered 500 apps, in the first quarter of 2019, there were 2.6 million Android and 2.2 million iOS apps available for the users.
The number of downloads in Google Play rose by over 10% year-to-year.
According to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, there were 20 million registered iOS developers globally in 2018, who made $100 billion in revenue per year.

While the app universe may seem to be a wild west waiting for your product to come in, it’s not like this. The vast majority of the time and spendings go to global leaders. While on average, a smartphone user has more or less 80 apps installed, they would use only nine of them daily.

That’s why smart mobile app development is so essential. Everybody is fighting for the same limited attention of the users, and to win it you need a high-quality product. Which means that you need a top-skilled development team, including the best mobile app developers.

Internal development vs. hiring an agency

High-skilled mobile design and development specialists are difficult to hire. At the same time, a talented and experienced remote team can work very efficiently. These factors convince more and more companies to reach out to external teams.

The most prominent companies use this model of cooperation to focus on their core business while leveraging the expertise of mobile app developers. Of course, if mobile app development is going to be your core business, you should consider building your own team. Especially, if you already have a tech lead in your team or a tech co-founder for your startup.

At the same time, even if you want to do the development internally, reaching out to some of the best mobile development companies can help you make the right strategic choices, as you will get a lot of feedback from external consultants during the process. It is always possible to combine external and internal development in order to gather more knowledge and build a better product.

How to choose the right mobile app development partner

First, define your business needs. Next, do your market research. See what applications are used in your sector, and what the trends among your target audience are. What value can you offer to them?

It’s a good idea to ask around. Approach your business partners, companies from your sector, or even competitors to ask about their experience.

Then do a little research and get in touch with mobile app development agencies as soon as possible. Why is that so? Because quality software agencies will give you some valuable advice for free during the introduction process. Many of our clients have gained some valuable insight into their products before the kickoff.

While there’s nothing wrong in googling the answer, we recommend going directly to one of the two top software development companies ranking sites: Clutch and its list of top mobile application developers or TechReviewer with their list of top 30 mobile development companies

That notwithstanding, we have prepared our unique list, that should give you some original angle, since we are making a list of our competitors. Here’s Netguru’s list of world’s top mobile app development companies.

Top mobile app development companies

Netguru

We proudly represent Central Europe, a region that has quickly become a go-to place for companies looking for a tech partner that combines the highest quality of consulting, design, and engineering.

Netguru is a leading software agency in Poland, with its headquarters in Poznan, and nine offices in the biggest local tech and academic centers. Founded in 2008, we have managed to grow to over 600 developers, designers, and consultants.

We are an all-around software agency building digital products for top startups, Fortune500 companies as well as private individuals. Our clients' applications have been featured in TechCrunch, Business Insider, Product Hunt, as well as App Stores "Best of 2018" list.

We are a full-stack software agency with more than ten years of experience in designing, developing, and scaling mobile applications. We specialize in delivering machine learning solutions that can power your app.

We offer a wide range of services. At the earliest stages of product development, we offer ideation and evaluation, where we plan and evaluate the essential features during workshops that will help your product achieve the business goals. We perform complex product design projects, develop native (iOS and Android) as well as hybrid apps using the React Native and Flutter frameworks.

Netguru works primarily with companies from the US, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. We cooperate with the largest brands in the world, such as Volkswagen, IKEA and Keller Williams, as well as fast-growing startups in the financial (solarisBank), education (Babbel).

Check out our mobile portfolio to read what clients say about our mobile design and development services.

Founded: 2008
Team size: 400+
Head office: Poznan, Poland
Services: Ideation, Product Design, Backend and API Development, Mobile Development, Web Development, Machine Learning Solutions, Growth Strategy, Digital Transformation.

Willow Tree

An established iOS app development company with over a decade of experience and offices in Charlottesville (Virginia), Durham (North Carolina), and Brooklyn (New York). They started building apps on the day the first version of iOS SDK was released in 2008. Their extensive experience ensures the success of any app development project they undertake.

With over 300 hundred full-time employees, they have already made more than 500 products – apps, websites, and bots. Willow Tree boasts a 77% Net Promoter Score and high team satisfaction.

They have built apps for National Geographic, Credit Union, Domino’s, Pepsico, TimeWarner, Nestle, American Express, Johnson and Johnson, and many other US corporate clients.

They offer sophisticated solutions that include creating a mobile strategy for a brand, product design, growth marketing solutions, custom app and web development, and prototyping.

You can learn more about them from their website

Founded: 2008
Team size: 300
Head office: Charlottesville, VA
Services: Mobile strategy, Growth strategy, Product Design, Web Development, Mobile Development, Emerging Tech

Openxcell

A mobile development company with its headquarters in Ahmedabad in western India. Openxcell has over 11 years of experience, hires more than 300 people, and has realized more than 1000 software products for more than 800 clients worldwide.

Mobile app development is just one type of the services they offer. They also have built two successful Software-as-a-Service products as internal projects: a multichannel inventory management system Orderhive, and a team chat app Workhive. They cooperated with Google on at least one project.

You can expect from Openxcell the best remote team experience with a fresh, innovative, energetic, and highly-motivated staff. Of course, keeping its development center in India help the company to offer competitive prices. Their innovative approach ensures a streamlined app development process from start to finish.

Founded: 2008
Team size: 300+
Head office: Ahmedabad, India
Services: Mobile Apps, Software Solutions, Web and e-commerce, Testing and QA, Real-Time Solutions, Chat Bots, Cloud

Utility

Another mobile developer from the US with offices in the two biggest cities – Los Angeles and New York. They offer a wide range of services – iOS and Android app development, UX, and UI design. They also specialize in mobile game development.

When hiring Utility, you may be sure they will do in-depth research before kickstarting the project. They will run the competitor analysis for you, perform stakeholder interviews, and gather user feedback and validation. The Utility Team will use the research to come up with the right strategy, which includes product planning, feature list development, and user flow definitions.

Utility designed and developed the mobile app for the annual Airbnb Open conference. They have built mobile solutions for Coca-Cola, Samsung, NBA, and others.

Founded: 2013
Team size: 50-249
Head office: New York, NY
Services: Research and Strategy Consulting, Brand and UX/UI Design, Backend and API Development, Mobile App Development and Mobile Platforms, QA Testing and Analysis

Fueled

A mobile development company founded in 2007 in New York. They also run offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, and London. Fueled position themselves as experts in digital transformation. If you want to partner with a team that will treat your mobile product as a part of broader digital strategy and return-on-investment (ROI) planning, they may be the right choice.

Fueled have experience in opportunity analysis, business analytics using data science, customer experience, and marketing automation as well as governance, risk, and compliance.

They have designed and built iOS and Android apps for Verizon, 9GAG, Crunchbase, and MGM Resorts International. You can find out more about their projects on their website.

Founded: 2007
Team size: 50-249
Head office: New York, NY
Services: Digital Transformation Analysis and Consulting, Customer Experience and Marketing Automation, Business Analytics and Data Science, Mobile App Development, Web Development, Design and Branding

Cubix

A software development company from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, specializing in mobile apps, games, and enterprise software. Founded in 2008, they have vast experience working with a variety of clients ranging from individuals, to startups, to big corporations.

The team consists of talented and engaged scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Apart from mobile development, they develop games, blockchain solutions, business intelligence systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning solutions.

They have worked for Sony, PayPal, Heineken, Suzuki, Canon, Tissot, Nintendo, and others. Take a look at their impressive portfolio.

Founded: 2008
Team size: 50-249
Head office: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Services: Mobile App Development, Web Development, Design, Testing, AR/VR Development, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain

Indianic

A digital product agency that specializes in solutions for enterprise clients. With over 400 engineers and managers, and more than 20 years of experience, they build a wide range of products, including mobile applications. For corporate clients, they prepare a mobile strategy, help introduce enterprise mobility, and provide consulting, taking into consideration scenarios, policies, and current systems. They also help brands build scalable mobile application solutions.

They operate from Ahmedabad in western India, Beverly Hills, California, and Melbourne, Australia. They can cover the full development process, from strategy, prototyping, to iOS, Android, or hybrid development, distribution and management.

They have worked for Adidas, BCG Consulting, McDonald's, Cisco, Vodafone, BestBuy, and others. Check out their site for more.

Founded: 1998
Team size: 400++
Head office: Ahmedabad, India
Services: Mobile App Development, Web Development, UI/UX Design, Mobile Games Development, VR App Development, IoT Solutions

Sneakers Agency

A full-service development agency from New York City, founded in 2014. They focus on innovations with the use of mobile applications. Their working framework consists of four significant steps: strategize, launch, grow and retain. Their culture underlines progressive thinking, as they are very proud of their HQ based in the trendy Soho district.

If you are looking for a creative team hooked in the center of one of the most important cities in the world, Sneakers Agency is the mobile development team for you. However, this will probably come with a high price tag. You can have a taste of their look and feel by visiting their website.

Founded: 2014
Team size: <50
Head office: New York, NY
Services: Business Analysis, Market Research, User Research, User Journey Mapping, System Architecture, Product Design, Mobile App Development, Web Development

ArcTouch

A Silicon Valley company. ArcTouch is a ten-year-old mobile and voice apps developer based in San Francisco, California. They focus on mobile and blockchain. They build native iOS, Android apps, as well as a hybrid apps with Xamarin. As for voice apps, they specialize in Alexa skills, so if you want to include them in your product, contacting ArcTouch may be a good idea.

They have worked for 3M, Hawaiian Airlines, Audi, HP, CBS, Yahoo, and others. The team is about 250 people, and they have completed more than 500 projects, which include chatbots, voice assistants, smart TVs, smart cars, wearables, and mobile applications, of course.

Founded: 2009
Team size: 250
Head office: San Francisco, CA
Services: Mobile App Development, Web Development, Chatbots, Voice Assistants, Smart TVs, Smart Cars, Warables

hedgehog labs

A London-based mobile development and design team with offices also in Newcastle (UK), Boston (Massachusetts) and Hyderabad (India). Hedgehog labs offer a wide range of services related with creating digital products. They divide their services into four stages: discovery (research and insight, product strategy, design sprint, and innovation lab), design (branding, prototyping), development, and scaling (support, growth, analytics, and DevOps services).

The company creates mobile and web applications. They also specialize in Artificial Intelligence solutions and Immersive technology that includes Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Hedgehog labs focus on mobile devices. They work mostly with enterprise clients from different industries, including health care and medical, hospitality and leisure, as well as financial services. They have built web and mobile applications for Santander, Microsoft, AkzoNobel, and other companies. Check out their website to find out more.

Founded: 2007
Team size: 50-249
Head office: London, UK
Services: Visual and Brand Design, Prototyping, Web and Mobile App Development, AI Solutions

Which mobile dev team is best for you?

It all depends on your needs.

Take a look at the examples above, make your own shortlist, and reach out to them. It's never too early to start talking with your potential tech partner. Use the experience of some of the world's best companies offering mobile app development services to improve your product strategy before even making the final choice.

If you go for a company with a wide spectrum of services you can always tap any talent you need. That's why you may consider looking for a partner that offers extended services that include:

research and analysis
digital product strategy
UX and graphic design
wireframing and prototyping
great coding
Q&A and testing
deployment
feedback gathering

It's not all about programming. Start a conversation to see if you like the company's culture and project management. Remember that you are going to spend a lot of time with the team you choose, make sure you go for a software solutions provider that you trust.