Top mobile app development courses: free and paid

So you want to learn app development? We completely understand. App development is among the most rewarding industries to work in these days. With salaries higher than the national average and demand for people to fill app development positions skyrocketing, there’s never been a better time to learn mobile app development.

For budding developers, it’s time to hop aboard the gravy train. For current developers, keeping on top of your game in a rapidly growing industry is tantamount to a successful career. The question is, where do you start? This post aims to help answer those burning questions like “what courses should I sign up for to learn app development?” and “Should I teach myself app development?”

Obviously, it all depends on where your current level of knowledge and expertise lies, so, without further ado, here are some quick fixes and our top free and paid app development courses.

This curated list of online courses offers a world of possibilities for aspiring mobile app developers. Whether you’re a coding newbie or a seasoned pro, you’ll find the perfect course to fuel your passion.

From iOS to Android and beyond, these app development online courses cover a wide range of platforms and skill levels. Explore the offerings below and find the course that fits you!

Dee Aliyu Odumosu’s Mobile App Development course is ideal if you’re looking to break into iOS.

Learn how to create and customize 10 or more iPhone apps (using Swift and Xcode) with easy step-by-step instructions. This app development course begins with implementing of basic elements – UILabel, UIButton, UITextField etc. – Auto Layout and multiple-sized icons, with more advanced classes covering memory issues, storyboarding and displaying rich local notifications.

• Price point: $21.84
• Duration: 33 hours
• Level: beginner; ownership of a Mac is required

This is the ultimate Coursera Swift for iOS app development course, brought to you by Parham Aarabi and the University of Toronto.

Using XCode, Parham will teach you how to design elegant interactions and create fully functioning iOS apps, such as the photo editing app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The course also includes best practices to help you become proficient in functional Swift concepts.

• Price point: 7-day free trial, $49 per month thereafter
• Duration: 1 month
• Level: beginner; ownership of a Mac is required

AppCoda provides a comprehensive collection of free online courses designed to equip developers with the skills necessary to create applications for Apple’s iOS software. Catering to both beginners and intermediate developers, the platform offers a structured progression of tutorials that gradually increase in complexity.

In addition to the core curriculum, AppCoda features a valuable resource library consisting of 20 informative tip sections and specialized tutorials focused on specific app development niches, such as macOS, Apple Watch, and Swift programming. Whether you’re embarking on your coding journey or seeking to enhance your existing expertise, AppCoda offers a tailored learning experience aligned with your individual development goals.

This mobile app development certificate is taught through edX and is a fast track to mastering important concepts like debugging, data structure, algorithms and abstraction. It also provides a firm primer in important coding languages for mobile app development such as Python, JavaScript, SQL, React Native and many more.

• Price point: Free
• Duration: Self-paced
• Level: Beginner to intermediate

This iOS app development course taught on Skillshare by Zeph Cohen provides bite sized videos detailing everything you need to know about iOS development and Swift, in order to get you to become a paid professional with zero experience.

Warmups, class projects and exercises will help keep you on your toes and you can also check out some of Zeph’s coding tutorials on his Youtube channel if you’re unsure about any aspects of the coding used in the videos.

• Price point: 7 day free trial; $7 monthly; $92 annually. Value discounts are available for groups and organizations
• Duration: 3 hours, 28 mins
• Level: beginners

Ben Deitch’s app development course on Treehouse, Build a Simple Android App with Java, will help you build simple mobile apps for Android, without any prior knowledge.

Best-suited to budding Android developers, this app development course will explore programming in Android and some very basic concepts of the Android SDK. By the end of the course, you’ll have a working knowledge of how a basic app works, as well as how to use Android Studio.

• Price point: around $25 per month
• Duration: around 3.5 hours
• Level: beginner

Simon Allardice’s tutorials on iOS Fundamentals, available on Pluralsight, is an iOS app development course that teaches you, from the ground up, how to use Xcode and Swift to make apps for multiple devices.

You’ll write your first iPhone app code and learn about how to create apps with adaptive user interfaces in addition to learning how to implement navigation options and work with data-driven controls.

• Price point: around $29 per month
• Duration: around 4 hours, 22 minutes
• Level: beginner

This Udacity nanodegree is brought to you by none other than the tech giants themselves, the masterminds working behind the scenes of Google. It is designed to equip you with the skills to effectively manage data in iOS 17+ applications using Swift, SwiftUI, and SwiftData. Starting with the fundamentals of creating views and managing state, you’ll gradually delve into more advanced topics such as defining data models, implementing CRUD operations, and managing related data.

This short but sweet course teaches you how to handle data migrations to ensure flawless updates to your app’s data models. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, you’ll build several data-driven iOS applications, solidifying and owning your understanding of data management best practices.

• Price point: €768
• Duration: 4 months
  
• Level: Intermediate

Another one by the greatest of the greats, but this time, for free! Google Developers Training offers great Android app development courses all round, from level zero developer to hero. The topics offered on this site cover everything from creating your first app to nailing graphics, localization and performance.

Android Development for beginners is a free set of courses that not only get you creating your first app from lesson one, but also how to add functionality, databases and connecting to the internet.

• Price point: free
• Duration: varies according to course
• Level: all levels

Kodeco is a community of experts in the field of app development from around the world. It’s a fun and informative site for beginners through to advanced developers that offers a plethora of free tutorials and app development courses to increase your knowledge in the shortest timespan possible.

You can get free and instant access to professionally made, informative courses with videos ranging from topics such as iOS & Swift and Android & Kotlin to Unreal Engine (a cross-platform engine for game development) tutorials.

• Price point: free or pay $39.99 per month (billed annually) for access to more resources
• Duration: courses vary between a few minutes to several hours
• Level: all levels

This Udemy course offers a comprehensive exploration of programming paradigms, focusing on functional, imperative, and object-oriented approaches. Through hands-on experience with Java for Android and Swift for iOS, you’ll develop essential skills in mobile app development.

You’ll learn to use industry-standard IDEs, design intuitive user interfaces, handle user interactions effectively, and manage data efficiently using Google Firebase. By the end of the course, you’ll be well-prepared to create your own innovative mobile applications.

• Price point: 7-day free trial, $39 per month thereafter
• Duration: 7 months
• Level: intermediate to advanced

BrainStation brings you a comprehensive iOS Development course where you can learn to build apps from scratch using the Swift programming language and Xcode. This bootcamp is ideal if you want to specialize in iOS development in a quick and not so dirty way.

The program follows a structured learning path with practical projects, including career support services. Who wouldn’t want the word “Brainstation” on their CV?

• Price: Approximately $3,250 (price may vary).
• Duration: 10 weeks (part-time).
• Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate.

Designed for UX designers seeking to expand their iOS development skills, this top-rated Udemy bootcamp offers a thorough learning experience. With interactive coding exercises, design assets, and supplementary materials, learners can effectively grasp iOS development concepts.

The course curriculum has been recently updated to include the latest Apple technologies, enabling students to create modern and engaging iOS applications using Swift 5.1.

• Price point: $100
• Duration: 60 hours
• Skill level: Beginner

Nucamp offers a budget-friendly path to becoming a full-stack web and mobile developer. Their intensive program packs a punch, teaching you everything from HTML and CSS to JavaScript, React, and Node.js.

But here’s the real kicker: Nucamp’s curriculum is project-based. Instead of just learning theory, you’ll be building real-world applications from day one. This hands-on approach ensures you’re job-ready when you graduate.

• Price point: $99/month
• Duration: 22 weeks
• Skill level: Beginner to intermediate

Developer Bootcamp offers a comprehensive course covering both iOS and Android development. You’ll learn to wield powerful tools like Swift, XCode, and Xamarin, giving you the flexibility to create apps for any device.

The blend of online and in-person instruction ensures you get the best of both worlds. Learn at your own pace with our self-paced lessons, then solidify your knowledge with hands-on training in our classroom.

• Price point: 2-course track: $2,400 3-course track: $3,600
• Duration: Self-paced
• Skill level: Beginner to intermediate

Flatiron School‘s immersive Software Engineering program offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers both iOS and Android development. You’ll become proficient in Swift and Kotlin, the industry-standard languages for these platforms.

But that’s not all. The program also equips you with essential web development skills, ensuring you’re a well-rounded developer. And when you’re ready to take the next step, our dedicated career services are there to guide you. From resume reviews and mock interviews to job placement assistance, we’ll help you land your dream tech role.

• Price: $16,900 for the full-time program (pricing can vary).
• Duration: 15 weeks (full-time) or 40 weeks (part-time).
• Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate.

Looking to take your skills to the next level in a classroom setting? Here are some of the top in-class mobile app development paid courses available across the United States:

Washington University’s Certificate in Java Programming app development course sets out to lay the foundations of the most commonly used APIs along with how to know when and when not to use them.

They aim to teach you the most widely used tools in the industry for developing and testing applications built with Java, along with the best practices used for developing with this language.

• Price point: $1,142
• Duration: 10-11 weeks
• Level: beginners

If you’re looking for another one of those zero to hero app development courses that sets you up to both design and develop professional iOS apps, then NYU Stern’s iOS App Development Intensive: from Concept to App Store might be for you.

Like the name suggests, this app development course takes you from the ideation stage, right through to the finished product ready for publication. It’s beginner friendly and provides you with training in the latest iOS development and iOS SDK tools.

• Price point: $2,800
• Duration: 2.5 months
• Level: beginners; must own a Mac for homework

USC’s Mobile App Development course teaches you how to develop standards-compliant apps for both Android and iOS tablets and smartphones, in addition to innovation and design rationale for app development.

This course also teaches you how to build apps using the relevant libraries to process user input and obtain an authentic look and feel.

• Price point: $2,800
• Duration: 1 year
• Level: beginners

Stanford University’s free app development course promises to get you up to speed with the latest in iOS development. It teaches you all the tools and APIs necessary to successfully build apps for both the iPhone and iPad, for which you’ll use Swift.

Explore a treasure trove of educational resources used by Stanford students. Access homework assignments, demo code, and other valuable materials to enhance your understanding of the course content.

• Price point: free
• Duration: 32 hours
• Level: knowledge of C# language and object-oriented programming required

Harvard’s CS50’s Mobile App Development with React Native app development course, done through edX, picks up from the CS50 introduction to Computer Science, for which completion isn’t compulsory.

This app development course serves as a great introduction to JavaScript and JSX (an extension for JavaScript created by Facebook). You’ll work on practical projects using React, as well as design and develop your own app from scratch.

• Price point: free to audit, or $90 for a Harvard certificate
• Duration: 13 weeks
• Level: intermediate

With this Native Mobile App Development Certificate, offered by Rio Salado College, students will gain the in-demand skills needed to launch a career in coding, programming, and software development, specializing in iOS and Android mobile applications.

This certificate will set students up for success by preparing them for the App Developer with Swift Certification Level 1 and Associate Android Developer certifications.

• Duration: 18-21 credits
• Level: Beginner

Craving a hands-on experience in Europe instead? Check out these great in-class mobile app development paid courses.

The London App Brewery provides an app development course which promises to get you from zero to hero in little more than a weekend!

They offer in-person app development courses for to get you up to speed with Android and iOS development, with one-to-one tutoring and all resources provided. Or, for an extra $130, you can avail of the certification course that provides you with an accreditation and LinkedIn Badge.

• Price point: $655 for the in-person course, $787 for full certification
• Duration: one weekend
• Level: beginner

Learn Quest aims to help you master the fundamentals of iOS native app development with plenty of hands-on coding exercises using Swift. Their app development courses will teach you all the practicalities you need to build and run your first iOS apps, including the appropriate design patterns for the iPhone and iPad.

They offer a two-day app development course which covers the foundations of Swift 4.2, a three-day course which builds on the foundations for running apps and a five-day course that builds on everything learnt in the previous two.

• Price point: Starting at $1,573
• Duration: two, three and five-day courses available
• Level: intermediate – you’ll be required to know the basic concepts of logic, strings and variables.

Are you in Spain, looking to do an intensive app development course and become an expert in JS but not sure of where to find a reputable school? Look no further than Barcelona Code School, where you can avail of a nine week course, five days a week from 9:30am to 7:30pm. They give you the skills to start freelancing immediately after you finish your training.

Here, all the training, taught in English, is in-person and intensive. They’ll teach all the practical coding skills required such as JS, React Native, HTML and CSS, MongoDB and even some basics in UX!

• Price point: $6,375 (get a discount if you’re over the age of 40!)
• Duration: 9 weeks
• Level: beginners

CCT’s diploma in Mobile Application Development focuses specifically on Android native app development, and provides an introduction to the different types of approaches used in development today.

You can expect to learn everything on this app development course, from creating data storage solutions and data feeds, to accessing internal resources such as a device’s GPS and sensors.

• Price point: $1,093
• Duration: 11 weeks
• Level: beginners

The London International College introductory course offers a comprehensive overview of the exciting world of mobile app development. You’ll explore the significance of mobile apps in today’s digital landscape, understand their structure, and learn the steps to becoming a developer for both Android and Apple platforms.

The course delves into the foundational aspects of mobile app development. It will equip you with the necessary tools for app creation, including cloud-based platforms.

• Price point: $484.49
• Duration: Self-paced
• Level: beginners

Looking to sharpen your mobile app development skills in the vibrant Middle East or Asia-Pacific region? Here are some of the top in-class paid courses available:

AUB offers a variety of mobile app development courses to suit your interests. Whether you’re drawn to hybrid app development with PhoneGap (CMAD 200) or prefer the native experience of Android, iOS, or Windows Phone (CMAD 201, 202, 203), it’s got you covered. Each course guides you through the entire app creation process, from defining the concept to designing the user experience and building the app itself.

With varying levels of complexity and cloud integration, you can find the perfect fit, regardless of your coding experience. To embark on this exciting journey, you’ll need a foundation in web development technologies like Windows Azure, ASP.NET MVC, PHP, or Node.js.

• Price: Info provided on the website
• Level: Intermediate

Not only does this app development course cover the fundamentals of programming for both iOS and Android platforms, SAE’s Mobile Application Development Short Course also sheds light on both the App Store and Android Market business models.

This is one of those intensive app development courses that aims to cover everything from the ground up, and is essential for those with a business idea for an app but that aren’t sure how to go about designing or developing it.

• Price point: $2,181
• Duration: 4 days
• Level: intermediate; experience in C#, Java or other object-oriented language

NTUC’s Android Programming and App Development course teaches the full range of knowledge and skills needed to build an Android application from the ground up, and it does so with a special focus on the Java and Kotlin programming languages.

From day one students will be learning object-oriented programming in addition to techniques geared towards SDK, meaning you won’t waste any time (or money) on this practical course.

• Price point: $2,181
• Duration: 4 days
• Level: intermediate; experience in C#, Java or other object-oriented language

Looking for a great free app development course to take in Australia for developing cross-platform apps? You’re in luck!

Cross-Platform Mobile App Development by the Charles Sturt University introduces you to the open-source Phonegap, a framework that lets you write code only once and reuse it across multiple platforms.

The only downside is that, as the course was delivered in 2015, there are no longer certificates given on completion, though learning materials and exams are still accessible.

• Price point: free
• Duration: 5 weeks
• Level: intermediate

Master the art of crafting cutting-edge, scalable mobile applications. This comprehensive program brought to you by the University of Winnipeg equips you with a robust skillset, encompassing initial planning, architectural design, front-end development, and back-end solutions for both cloud and local server environments.

This app development course will teach you everything you need to know about designing, writing and testing apps with an IDE (integrated development environment).

• Price point: $15,700: Tuition includes UWSA and health insurance fees. Costs are subject to change.
• Duration: 1 year
• Level: beginners

If you’re a rookie coder or just starting out, it might be an idea to try app prototyping with our prototyping tool. When building an app, developers often have to work closely with design teams, usually in respect to prototypes delivered to them in designer handoffs.

Prototyping is a crucial aspect in mobile app development. Furthermore, creating prototypes will help you get the hang of app functionality (both for Android and iOS), before you even start to get your head around the code. It’s also a great way to visualize what you’ll be building further down the line.

On top of that, Justinmind’s integration with Phonegap also allows you to generate and share native apps from your prototypes on Google Play and App Store.

Developed by Google and maintained by MIT, the App Inventor is a great way for people with little-to-no experience creating apps to practice putting an Android app together. Packaging and Sharing is a feature that lets you download your apps and share them with your friends. You can also upload them to the Google Play Store.

There’s never been a better time to look into app development courses. It can be a very lucrative and rewarding career for those with both a logical and creative streak running through them.

It is, however, a very technical area and while there is always a certain amount you can teach yourself, for those starting out, taking some crash courses is the best way to make sure you’re fully prepared to enter the developer world.

For those who are already developers, it never hurts to take the occasional course to stay abreast of all the developments (pun intended!) in a rapidly growing industry.