Macs have long been considered to be the best at web development by professionals, but since the Mac OS has such a low overall market share, the number of people who had access to these stellar web development tools has been limited.
However, with the recent surge of sales for iPhones and iPads, the number of people using Apple products has grown exponentially – matched only by the number of new web development apps people have created that can be used by one or all of these platforms.
But with so much out there how can you know what’s really good and what’s just taking up space? Luckily, that’s what we’re here for. Below we present 10 of the best web development apps for iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.
Ego
A stat-tracking app for your iPhone that can summarize data from a number of sites such as Google Analytics, Feedburner, Ember, Vimeo, Twitter, Squarespace, and Mint. What kind of data can you see? How about visitor numbers, subscription totals for your feed, and the number of Twitter followers a particular account has. All of this can be yours for $1.99.
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Color Stream
The free version of Color Stream lets you put a palette of five colors next to each other to see how they look together and use a slider bar to choose different shades. Shell out $2.99 for the full version and you’ll be able to save palettes and even match colors perfectly from a photo or image to use in your next design.
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FTP On the Go
At $6.99, this is the most expensive iPhone app on the list, but it also might just be the most functional for web developers. As the name implies, it emulates desktop FTP clients on your phone, letting you log in even when you’re away from your desk. But even better than that is the option to edit text and make it live, as well as view, download, email, and upload common file types directly from your phone. Plus, FTP On the Go has a built-in browser to let you see changes live without closing the app.
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Geek the Navigator
In short, this iPad app is a browser that lets you see web pages’ source code while keeping links active so you can easily move from page to page. Perfect for a webmaster who is in the middle of building a site.
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Code Monkey Source Editor FTP
Line numbers and pinch zooming to help you quickly navigate large text files is great, but what really makes this iPad app stand out is the fact that it can keep whitespace formatting intact in text files by using a custom renderer.
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EditPad
Who hasn’t wanted an HTML editor that they can use on the go? EditPad is so easy to use that the core audience has expanded from professionals so that many hobbyists now use it, too.
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Coda
Anyone who has to code anything for a website should be using Coda because, quite simply, it makes your job easier. It supports all the typical languages and specializes in code editing.
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Photoshop
If you use digital images of any kind, you need to be using Photoshop. The image-editing tools it provides outclass anything else on the market.
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Panafont
You can have the best design and most beautiful color scheme, but if you choose a font that clashes, your site will immediately look like a mess. Panafont helps by letting you see all available fonts side-by-side on the page at once to make your choice quicker and easier.
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Icns Editor
Icons have always been important in web design, but with smartphones and tablets using them more and more, they have become vital. Icns Editor lets you easily create icons by dragging and dropping existing images and icons into the application.
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About the author
Amanda Gant is a seasoned tech vet with years of experience writing about the latest and greatest tech news and products.