The 8 Best Software To Develop iOS Apps in 2026

TL;DR: Choosing iOS development software depends on your coding skills, Mac access, native versus wrapped output, and post-launch maintenance needs. Every path requires a $99/year Apple Developer account, signed build, store metadata, beta testing, and Apple’s review.

If you want an iOS app that customers can download and that you can keep running as your business grows, the tool you build it with matters more than it first seems. A bad choice turns into weeks of rebuilding. When you need a feature your tool can’t support, you either pay a developer to bridge the gap or rip everything out and start over with something different.

Apple is picky about what it accepts: Its 2025 App Store Transparency Report shows more than 2 million rejected submissions last year alone, for everything from bugs to policy violations. Users also expect the same polish no matter who built the app. And building for iOS usually means combining tools from different companies, like Apple’s Xcode, Google’s Firebase, and open-source deployment tools like Fastlane.

This guide compares eight tools, including Xcode, Flutter, React Native, and Bubble, on how much code each one asks you to write, whether it needs a Mac, and whether it produces a native app or a wrapped website. You’ll also get a checklist for getting through Apple’s review and a plan for updating your app once people rely on it.

What to know before choosing iOS development software

The right iOS development software depends on whether you write code and whether you own a Mac. Developers who write Swift use Xcode, Apple’s free development environment for macOS, and teams that want one codebase for iOS and Android use Flutter or React Native, which usually still need a Mac for the final build. Builders who don’t write code can use a visual app builder like Bubble, which doesn’t require a Mac or Xcode, and every path ends with an Apple Developer account ($99/year), a signed build, and Apple’s review.

Code and Mac requirements for each path

Whether you need a Mac depends on how you build. Native development with Xcode requires a Mac, cross-platform frameworks usually need one for the final iOS build, and some visual app builders don’t need one at all.

Native development means writing Swift directly in Xcode, which gets you direct access to Apple’s frameworks and the newest iOS features the moment they ship. Xcode only runs on macOS, so you’ll need a Mac to use it.

Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter or React Native are the middle ground: You write one codebase in Dart or JavaScript that covers both iOS and Android. You’re still coding either way, and you’ll typically still need macOS and Xcode for the actual iOS build, though cloud Mac services can work around that if you don’t own one.

The third path uses AI, which lets you skip some of the up-front coding. Most AI coding tools still generate code you’ll need to be able to read, edit, and maintain yourself. Bubble is the only app builder on this list that skips both code and the Mac requirement: You describe your app to the Bubble AI Agent from any computer, then refine the design, data, privacy rules, and logic in a fully visual editor.

Team skills matter more than a feature checklist. If your team already knows JavaScript but not Swift, React Native is the more practical pick over Xcode, even though Xcode gets you deeper into iOS. The best tool is whichever one your team can actually ship with and keep maintaining.

Native apps vs. wrapped web apps

A native iOS app is built from the interface components iOS provides, so its screens, gestures, and navigation behave the way iPhone users expect. A wrapped web app is a website running inside a native shell, usually through a web view. Both can end up in the App Store, but they feel different the moment someone starts using them.

Native apps generally respond faster in long scrolling lists, animations, and screen transitions, and they get direct access to device features like the camera, location, and push notifications. A wrapper can work for simple content, but it often feels a step behind on scrolling and swipe-back gestures, and device features depend on whatever the shell exposes.

To tell which one a tool produces, check how it describes its mobile output. Xcode, Flutter, and React Native build apps that render native screens, while tools that load your website inside a container produce wrapped apps.

When in doubt, install a test build on an iPhone. These checks usually show the difference within a few minutes:

• Scroll a long list: Native screens stay smooth through long lists, while wrapped apps often feel a step behind your finger.
• Swipe back between screens: iPhone users expect a swipe from the left edge to go back, and wrappers don’t always handle the gesture the same way.
• Open the camera: Native apps reach device features directly, while a wrapper can only use the features its shell exposes.

Your path to publication

Your path to publication is everything between a finished build and a live App Store listing: signing, provisioning, metadata, beta testing, Apple’s review, and release. Weigh it alongside the build itself when you compare tools, because every tool has to clear these requirements:

• Signed builds: You’ll need a way to generate builds that are cryptographically signed, so Apple trusts them for distribution.
• Provisioning profiles: These link your Apple Developer account to your specific app, so it’s authorized for testing and release.
• Metadata and screenshots: The App Store won’t let people download your app without a description, screenshots, a support URL, and privacy details.
•  Testing with real users before you launch publicly helps you catch device-specific bugs and usability issues while you can still fix them.

With native or cross-platform tools, you piece together signing, provisioning, and distribution using separate software, and you have to keep it all in sync build after build. On Bubble, one platform handles signing, packaging, and uploading your build to App Store Connect.

The best software to develop iOS apps in 2026

Here are eight tools that cover the whole iOS development process, from writing code to shipping updates. Some build the app itself (Xcode, Flutter, React Native), others handle the backend (Firebase), testing (TestFlight), or releases (Fastlane). Most teams that code end up combining a few of these into their mobile app tech stack.

*Xcode still required for iOS builds and uploads.

1. Bubble: Best for building iOS, Android, and web apps you can see and change yourself

Bubble is a fully visual app builder for web and native iOS and Android apps, with no code required. The design, logic, data, and privacy rules behind your app are all visual and editable, so when a customer asks for something new, you can see exactly where the change goes and make it yourself.

You start by describing your idea to the Agent. It opens with a planning session, asking clarifying questions and drafting a blueprint with you before it builds anything. With native mobile app generation (beta), the Agent then builds your iOS and Android app from that plan.

As it works, the Agent shows what it’s about to do and explains what it built in plain language. Expect a learning curve the first time you open a workflow, but the logic reads as steps, like “When someone signs up, do this,” and most builders pick it up as they go.

Everything Bubble AI builds lands in the visual editor, where you can keep chatting with the Agent or edit by hand. AI coding tools usually let you adjust the screens visually, while the logic and backend stay in code. On Bubble, the business logic, database, and privacy rules are visible and editable too.

Your database, user authentication, API integrations, and hosting all live in one place, so there’s no separate backend to wire up. When you’re ready for iOS, Bubble packages your build and sends it to App Store Connect without Xcode, though Apple’s own store setup, review, and release steps still apply.

Bug fixes, text changes, and UI tweaks go out as over-the-air (OTA) updates, skipping app store resubmission. They land quietly the next time someone opens the app.

You can build on Windows, Linux, or Mac, and stay on the same platform from your first version through every update after launch. When you’re ready to publish, Bubble walks you through the remaining publishing steps: Apple Developer setup, App Store Connect, metadata, and review.

• Founders who want to understand how their app works: The Agent explains each change in plain language, and workflows read as steps. When a customer reports a problem, you can trace it to the exact step and fix it yourself, without a technical co-founder.
• Builders who want the app to match what they pictured: You can ask the Agent for a change or adjust any layer by hand, from a button’s spacing to a privacy rule on a single field. Small details stay the way you set them instead of drifting with each new prompt.
• Businesses that need iOS, Android, and web to grow together: Your native apps share one backend with your web app, so a change to your data model or business logic applies everywhere at once. You keep building on the same platform as you add users and features, without maintaining separate codebases.

Some deep native capabilities or edge cases may require plugins, integrations, or another native-development approach outside Bubble’s built-in visual tooling. The Agent can install plugins and set up API calls for you, but highly specialized device features may still call for a developer. Bubble supports offline read-only access, so apps that need to save new data while offline may work better with native tooling.

Getting started is free. On the Free plan, you test mobile apps with the Simulated device option, and you’ll need a paid plan to test on a real device with dev builds or to publish to the app stores.

Paid plans vary by platform and are billed annually:

• Web & Mobile: $59/month (Starter), $209/month (Growth), or $549/month (Team). One project covers web, iOS, and Android, with a shared backend.
• Mobile: Starts at $42/month, for iOS and Android apps without a web version.
• Web: Starts at $32/month as of October 20, 2026, for web apps only.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, with custom infrastructure, advanced security, and scale for larger organizations.

Build allotments vary by plan. Every plan includes a monthly allowance of AI credits for building and editing with the Agent, and visual editing doesn’t use AI credits. Bubble is SOC 2 Type II compliant, and security features vary by plan.

Adalo and FlutterFlow also build native mobile apps. On Bubble, your iOS and Android apps share one backend with your web app, and the logic behind all three is visual workflows you can customize completely.

2. Xcode: Best for deep native control over Apple platform features

Xcode is Apple’s official integrated development environment (IDE) for native iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS development. It gives developers direct control over every layer of a native app. That control extends to design, testing, and debugging, which live inside the same editor.

Most native iOS work runs through it for signing, builds, and App Store distribution, though tools like Fastlane can automate parts of that process. New Apple APIs and frameworks are often available in Xcode before third-party tools catch up.

Automated builds and testing run through Xcode Cloud alongside TestFlight. Apple Developer Program membership includes 25 free compute hours a month, with paid tiers starting at $49.99/month for 100 hours.

• Native teams that need full control over Apple platform features: Apps that need new iOS APIs on day one can use Xcode to reach beta SDKs and pre-release frameworks as soon as Apple ships them.
• Apps that use ARKit, Core ML, HealthKit, or other Apple-specific frameworks: Augmented reality experiences, on-device machine learning models, and health data integrations work with the native tooling these frameworks expect.
• Developers proficient in Swift or Objective-C who want maximum customization: Teams with iOS expertise can optimize performance at the metal level or implement custom rendering pipelines.

Requires macOS with no Windows or Linux support. Steep learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with Swift, SwiftUI, or iOS development patterns. Project setup, dependency management, and code signing certificates add complexity.

Free download from the Mac App Store. Publishing to the App Store requires an Apple Developer Program membership at $99/year.

VS Code is a lightweight alternative for editing Swift, but it can’t compile or code sign iOS apps. AppCode from JetBrains offered an alternative IDE for Swift development, but it was discontinued in 2022.

3. Flutter: Best for teams building iOS and Android from one codebase

Flutter is Google’s open-source framework for building multi-platform apps from a single Dart codebase, compiled natively for each platform. One codebase covers both iOS and Android, cutting down the duplicate work of building for each separately.

Flutter’s Hot Reload applies most code changes to a running app instantly, without a full rebuild, which makes iteration much faster. It also includes built-in UI components that adapt to each platform’s look and feel, though developers still handle plenty of platform-specific work by hand.

• Teams with existing developers building iOS and Android apps from one codebase: You build the same features for both platforms without maintaining separate Swift and Kotlin codebases, cutting the workload for teams who already code.
• Startups with small engineering teams: You can ship on both iOS and Android without duplicating the work or hiring separate specialists for each platform.
• Developers comfortable with object-oriented languages: Teams familiar with Java, C#, or similar languages will find Dart’s syntax accessible.

Native iOS integrations require writing platform-specific code in Swift or Objective-C through Flutter’s platform channels. Some specialized integrations may require evaluating third-party package maturity before you commit to them.

Free and open source. No licensing costs, no restrictions on commercial use.

React Native uses JavaScript instead of Dart, which can feel more familiar if you’re coming from web development. Microsoft has moved on from Xamarin to .NET MAUI, its current cross-platform UI framework, and older Xamarin apps can migrate there.

4. React Native: Best for teams with JavaScript and React experience

React Native is Meta’s open-source framework for building native mobile apps with React and JavaScript. If your team already builds with React on the web, that experience carries over directly to iOS and Android.

Screens render as native UI instead of a web view, though real-world speed still depends on how the app is built. A big library of community packages covers common needs like camera access, push notifications, payments, and maps, though some are better maintained than others.

React Native’s Fast Refresh updates a running app quickly while keeping its current state, so small changes show up without a restart.

You can share most business logic, API calls, and state management across platforms, though you’ll still handle things like iOS navigation patterns or Android’s back button separately.

React Native ships new releases regularly, so check the current release notes for what’s supported before you commit.

• Teams with strong JavaScript and React experience building mobile apps: The same component patterns and state management approaches you already know apply here too, so there’s no new language to pick up.
• Projects that need extensive third-party integrations from npm packages: Plenty of community packages already cover things like payment processing and analytics, and you skip writing native bridge code yourself.
• Rapid prototyping where speed to market matters more than perfect platform fidelity: You can ship a working app fast to test demand, then go back and polish platform-specific details once you know it’s worth the investment.

Complex animations sometimes need extra work to run smoothly. Upgrading React Native versions can also break compatibility with some community packages.

Free and open source, though you’ll still need an Apple Developer Program membership at $99/year to publish.

Flutter and React Native take different architectural approaches, and which one performs better depends on your app’s specific needs and integrations. Ionic, by contrast, is built on web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) running in a WebView rather than native components.

5. Visual Studio Code: Best for editing code across multiple languages and platforms

Visual Studio Code is Microsoft’s lightweight, extensible code editor with support for Swift development through extensions. It can’t replace Xcode for compiling and signing iOS apps, but many developers use it as a text editor for larger codebases where Xcode feels sluggish.

The integrated terminal runs command-line tools, git commands, and build scripts without leaving the editor. VS Code’s Live Share feature lets multiple developers edit the same file in real time, similar to Google Docs.

VS Code’s extension marketplace covers many parts of the development workflow, from database management and API testing to deployment automation and code formatting. Database extensions let you view and edit records directly, while formatting extensions keep code consistent across a team.

• Editing Swift or React Native code when Xcode feels heavy or slow: VS Code offers faster search, find-and-replace, and multi-cursor editing on the same files.
• Cross-platform development where one editor handles multiple languages: If you’re writing Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android, and JavaScript for your backend, VS Code provides consistent tooling across all three without switching IDEs.
• Remote development and pair programming with Live Share collaboration: Live Share lets distributed teams edit the same file in real time, share terminal sessions, and debug together. It’s more interactive than screen sharing or asynchronous code review.

It can’t compile iOS apps, run simulators, or manage signing certificates, so you’ll still need Xcode for those tasks. It’s also no substitute for Xcode’s Interface Builder or visual debugging tools.

Free and open source, and most extensions are free too, though availability and pricing can vary.

Sublime Text offers similarly lightweight editing, though with a smaller extension ecosystem.

6. Firebase: Best for fast backend setup and real-time data sync

Firebase is Google’s backend platform. It includes authentication, a real-time database, storage, messaging, and analytics. Authentication supports email and password, phone numbers, and sign-in through Google, Apple, and other providers.

The real-time database (Firestore) syncs data automatically across devices, so when one person updates something, everyone else sees the change instantly. Server-side code can also run automatically in response to database changes, signups, or scheduled jobs.

Firebase tracks crashes and errors too, and monitors performance signals like network requests, screen rendering times, and traces.

On the compliance side, Firebase services have completed ISO 27001 and SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 evaluations, with some also completing ISO 27017 and ISO 27018 certification.

• Backend setup for user accounts and data storage: You can set up Firebase Authentication and Firestore quickly, which leaves more time for your actual app and less for login systems and database infrastructure.
• Apps that need real-time synchronization across devices, like chat or collaboration tools: Changes push to every connected device automatically, without you having to build custom WebSocket infrastructure yourself.
• Teams that want integrated analytics and error tracking: Analytics, crash reporting, and performance monitoring all come bundled into one SDK, with no need to stitch together separate tools.

Switching to a different backend provider later can be difficult. Costs scale with database reads, writes, and storage, so a sudden spike in users can mean a sudden spike in your bill. Complex business logic may still require custom backend services.

Firestore’s free tier includes 1GiB stored data, 50,000 document reads/day, 20,000 document writes/day, 20,000 deletes/day, and 10GiB outbound data transfer/month. Check Firebase pricing for Authentication limits and other services.

CloudKit is Apple’s iCloud-backed data framework for apps on Apple platforms, with web access options for some use cases. Supabase offers an open-source alternative with PostgreSQL instead of NoSQL. AWS Amplify provides similar functionality within Amazon’s ecosystem.

7. TestFlight: Best for beta testing with real users before launch

TestFlight is Apple’s official beta testing platform. You can distribute pre-release iOS apps to up to 10,000 external testers, who can then try the app and send feedback before launch.

Testers get an email invitation once a build is uploaded through App Store Connect, and the app installs directly on their device without connecting to a computer.

Internal testing with up to 100 team members happens immediately, with builds ready within minutes. External testing needs Apple’s Beta App Review to approve the first build in each group, though that review only checks for basic compliance and won’t catch every issue.

Feedback comes straight from the app, too: Testers can leave screenshots and written notes, and crash reports capture stack traces and device details automatically. The platform also tracks active testers, build usage, and which versions people have installed.

• Pre-launch testing with real users on real devices before App Store submission: You can catch device-specific bugs, like a layout issue on an iPhone SE or a crash on iOS 16, before they reach the public. It’s also Apple’s official beta channel, so it mirrors the App Store experience more closely than testing in development.
• Gathering feedback from beta testers without managing manual distribution: Testers install builds straight from a link, so you skip collecting device UDIDs, managing provisioning profiles, or emailing .ipa files around.
• Managing multiple beta versions and tester groups for different features: You can run separate beta tracks, so one group tests a redesigned onboarding flow while another tests a new payment integration, without the feedback or versions getting mixed up.

Apple ecosystem only, with no Android equivalent. External builds still require Apple review, which can delay urgent beta releases. Customization is limited compared to third-party beta platforms.

Free with an Apple Developer account. No additional cost beyond the $99/year program membership.

Firebase App Distribution offers similar beta distribution for iOS and Android. On Bubble, you can preview your app with the Simulated device option or test on your own phone with dev builds before you deploy, though dev builds need a paid plan and an app store connection.

8. Fastlane: Best for automating iOS build and release tasks

Fastlane is an open-source platform that automates iOS deployment tasks including screenshot generation, signing certificate management, TestFlight uploads, and App Store submissions. It turns tasks that would otherwise mean manual clicking through Xcode and App Store Connect into single terminal commands.

Its Match feature generates and stores signing certificates in a git repo and syncs them across the team, cutting down the setup time for new developers compared to configuring things manually.

Screenshot automation runs UI tests to generate screenshots across configured devices and languages. When the UI changes or a new device size needs coverage, Fastlane regenerates them instead of you capturing everything by hand.

Best for:

• Automating repetitive release tasks for frequent updates: If you’re shipping weekly or biweekly, this can save you hours of manual work in Xcode and App Store Connect, turning a long process into a single command.
• Teams managing multiple apps or maintaining consistent release processes: Every app follows the same build, test, and submission process, so nothing drifts between releases or team members.
• Integrating iOS deployment with continuous integration pipelines like GitHub Actions: Fastlane scripts run right in your CI/CD pipeline, building and uploading to TestFlight automatically whenever code merges to the release branch.

Limitations:

You’ll need to be comfortable with command-line tools and iOS signing concepts. Setup takes some time upfront, but it pays off on every release after that. If something goes wrong in an automation script, it can be trickier to debug than doing things by hand.

Pricing:

Free and open source, with no restrictions on commercial use.

Compare to:

Xcode Cloud is Apple’s own CI/CD service, though you’ll pay for compute time once you’re past the 25 free hours a month that come with an Apple Developer Program membership. GitHub Actions and Jenkins handle CI/CD more broadly, but you’ll need to set up more Fastlane configuration yourself.

How AI app builders handle iOS apps

AI coding tools have gotten millions of people building, and they get a first version up fast. Most let you adjust the screens visually, while the logic and backend stay in code that you change through another prompt or by editing it yourself. As of September 2026, Replit and Bolt build React Native apps with Expo, Lovable and v0 build web apps, and Base44 wraps a web app in a native shell.

The difference shows up after launch. An App Store app keeps changing as customers ask for things, and when the logic lives in code you don’t read, every fix goes back through the AI. Small misreads add up until the app drifts from what you pictured. AI also has limits as a debugger: A December 2025 study found that AI models’ debugging ability drops 60–80% after just two or three attempts.

On Bubble, the logic and data are visual too. When the Agent gets something wrong, you can open the workflow, see what it does, and fix it yourself instead of re-prompting.

Your native iOS and Android apps come from the same visual editor as your web app and share one backend, and you publish to both app stores from the editor. If you already work in Claude or Codex, the Bubble MCP (beta) connects them to your Bubble app, and what they build stays visual and editable.

Which iOS development software is right for you

Your best combination depends on your technical background and on how much of the app you want to change yourself once it’s live.

If you don’t write code and want to understand and change every part of your app, Bubble gives you the Agent, a visual editor, backend, hosting, and native build generation on one platform. Ask the Agent for a first version or a change, and edit any detail by hand when you want it exact. You’ll still need to set up an Apple Developer account, submit metadata, and go through Apple’s review before your app goes live.

If you want maximum control over native iOS features and you write Swift, start with Xcode. You’ll write more code and handle more configuration, but you’ll get access to every Apple framework the moment it ships.

If you or your team writes code and wants one codebase for iOS and Android, Flutter and React Native are your two main options. Flutter uses Dart, while React Native uses JavaScript and taps into a much larger ecosystem of existing packages. Both typically need macOS and Xcode for the actual iOS build, though you can do feature work cross-platform and lean on cloud build services when you need to.

If you’re building with Xcode, Flutter, or React Native, you’ll likely still need a few supporting tools: a backend service like Firebase for authentication and data, TestFlight for testing with real users, and Fastlane if you want to automate releases. On Bubble, the backend, hosting, and release builds are part of the same platform.

What you need to publish an app to the App Store

Building your app is only the first step. No matter which development path you took, getting it live on the App Store takes a few more things:

• Apple Developer account: You’ll need an active membership, at $99 a year, to submit your app for review and distribution.
• Signed build: Apple needs a cryptographically signed binary to confirm it’s really you and that the code hasn’t been tampered with.
• App Store Connect metadata: You’ll need to fill in store details like screenshots, a description, a support URL, and privacy information before anyone can download your app.
• Beta testing: Testing with real users, through something like TestFlight, helps you catch bugs before Apple’s review team does.

With traditional development, you manage signing certificates and provisioning profiles by hand, through Xcode or the command line. Bubble generates and uploads the iOS build to App Store Connect without needing a Mac or Xcode, though you’ll still handle Apple’s own developer-account setup, metadata, and review submission.

What to plan for after your app is live

Launch day is when customers start relying on your app and asking for changes, so plan for how you’ll update it before you ship. For most frameworks, major updates and native-code changes require a new build and another round of App Store review, which can take days to reach users. Some frameworks also support OTA updates for smaller changes, which skip resubmission.

You’ll also need to keep up with new iOS versions as Apple releases them, and act on user reviews and feedback before small complaints turn into bad ratings. Decide early who on your team can make changes and how you’ll test them before they reach users. An app only one person understands is an app that waits on that person.

On Bubble, OTA updates deliver supported minor changes without resubmitting to the App Store, the Agent shows what it’s about to do and summarizes what changed, and version control lets you roll back if an experiment doesn’t work out.

Start building your iOS app today

The best iOS development software is the tool that fits how you want to build and who will keep the app running. On Bubble, you get an iOS app that works the way you pictured it, and you understand it well enough to change it yourself after launch. The Agent can get you to a first version so you can start refining, and because it’s one platform for web and native mobile, you’re never rebuilding the same app twice.

If signing certificates and Mac requirements have held you back, Bubble clears both out of the way. You can develop on Windows, Linux, or Mac, whatever you already use, and Bubble handles the signing, packaging, and store-specific details for iOS and Android alike.

You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. Begin with a planning session with the Bubble AI Agent, and open the visual editor whenever you’re ready to fine-tune. Get started for free and build the first version of your iOS app today.

Frequently asked questions about software to develop iOS apps

Can I develop my own iOS app without coding experience?

Yes: On a fully visual app builder like Bubble, you describe your idea to the Bubble AI Agent, and with native mobile app generation (beta) it builds your iOS and Android app and explains what it built, so you can change the design, data, privacy rules, and logic yourself in the visual editor. Expect some learning along the way, and if you’d rather have someone build the app for you, you can hire a Bubble Expert or a professional Bubble Developer.

Can AI tools build a production-ready iOS app?

Yes, as long as you review and test what the AI builds before launch, though AI coding tools like Replit and Bolt keep the logic and backend in code, so later changes mean another prompt or editing code yourself. On Bubble, native mobile app generation (beta) lets the Bubble AI Agent build your iOS app with visual logic, data, and privacy rules that you can inspect, configure, and edit before your customers use it.

Do I need AI credits to build an iOS app on Bubble?

Building and editing with the Bubble AI Agent and generating images use AI credits, and every Bubble plan includes a monthly allowance. Generating your app, editing in the visual editor, and building through the Bubble MCP (beta) don’t use AI credits, so you can keep building by hand without depending on your credit balance.

Can I sell subscriptions in my iOS app?

Yes, but Apple generally requires digital subscriptions sold inside an iOS app to use its in-app purchase system, so check Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines for the current rules in your region before you plan your pricing. On Bubble, in-app purchases (beta) connect to App Store billing for monthly, annual, or tiered subscriptions, though one-time purchases aren’t supported.

Can I move an app I built with an AI coding tool to Bubble?

Yes, but there’s no code import, so you rebuild it by describing your existing app to the Bubble AI Agent in a planning session, and native mobile app generation (beta) can build the iOS and Android versions from the same plan. Once it’s rebuilt, you can see how every step of your app’s logic and every piece of its data works, which is often the reason builders make the move.

Do I need a Mac to develop iOS apps?

You need a Mac for native development in Xcode, and cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native usually need one for the final iOS build unless you use a cloud Mac service. On Bubble, you can build on Windows, Linux, or Mac, and Bubble generates and uploads your iOS build to App Store Connect without Xcode.

How much does it cost to publish an iOS app?

Publishing to the App Store requires an Apple Developer Program membership at $99 a year, whichever tool you use. Xcode, Flutter, React Native, and Fastlane are free, and on Bubble, getting started is free, with paid Mobile plans starting at $42/month billed annually.