Best Mobile App Development Companies

Best Chicago Mobile App Development Companies This Year

If you’re visiting this webpage, chances are you’re the CEO of a business looking for mobile app development agencies in Chicago.

We’re sure you don’t need any more convincing on the importance of investing in a professional during the mobile app development stages. With statistics revealing there are over 2.47 million apps on the Google play store and 1.8 million on the App Store, you have little chance of success without them.

A mobile app development company usually consists of several team members who will sit down with a client to listen to the client’s needs, share their expertise, and create a product that works for the client and that they can be proud of. In particular, this includes using innovative technology to create apps that are functional, that always keep user experience in mind, and that are flexible enough to remain competitive in the ever-changing landscape of mobile applications.

With hundreds of relevant companies in Chicago, however, finding the right one for you is a process that can take weeks if not months to get right.

This article will help you navigate the many companies populating the mobile app industry in Chicago. Instead of frantically searching several websites on the internet and choosing a less than ideal company, you’ll find the best options available to you in just a few minutes of reading through our list.

With award-winning companies covering many different industries, it’s impossible for you to leave this article without at least one app development company, regardless of your varied requirements.

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Digital Authority Partners

Digital Authority partners puts the client first, always. DAP specializes in creating transformative digital experiences for the client's users, empowering them to compete and grow in a digital-first world. Their data-driven approach encompasses a cutting-edge understanding of e-commerce, marketing analytics, and brand voice. The DAP team has decades of experience bringing success to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, as well as startups. The company’s main industries are healthcare, financial technologies, and government.

DAP has been named a winner of the 2019 Timmy Awards, as well as a top Digital Marketing Agency 2018 by Design Drizzle.
DAP’s signature digital experiences include a voice narration app for Dolby that generated 100k downloads in one month.
Top clients include Business Talent Group, athenahealth, and Kroger.

Expertise: Digital strategy, user experience design, analytics, and development.

Featured

Punchkick Interactive

The Punchkick Interactive team works with companies of all sizes to help them connect with their audience in the most authentic manner possible. They blend cutting-edge technology with creative design thinking to consistently wow their customers.

Top clients include Harley-Davidson, Microsoft, and Allstate.
The team prides itself on being proactive in industry best practices.
Punchkick is proud of being user-centric through and through.

Expertise: Mobile creative, and app development

Featured

Table XI

Table XI is known in the mobile app industry for its collaborative way of working. Viewing your business' success as their own, they will strive to blow their competition out of the water. Not only that, but Table XI will teach your employees how to troubleshoot minor issues themselves.

Table XI have been leveraging 'tech done right' for 16 years.
The company also releases podcasts to spur conversation about technological innovation.
Top clients include Rice University, AccuWeather and Tyson Foods.

Expertise: User Experience Design, Mobile App Development

Dom & Tom

Dom & Tom was originally created to develop apps for the then up-and-coming iPhone in 2009. A twin run business, the company has seen significant growth in the past few years.

Dom&Tom was founded in an apartment in Queens, NY!
Their team is spread across Chicago and New York.
The company was ranked in Crain's Best Places to Work from 2014 to 2018.

Expertise: iPhone and Android Mobile Development, Emerging Technologies

Simpalm

Simpalm was founded in Washington DC in 2009, by a group of young business and technology professionals. Since then, the company has grown into a reliable provider of mobile and responsive web solutions. They work with enterprises, non-profits, and startups alike.

Simpalm has won recognition from Clutch, GoodFirms, and Softwareworld.
The company boasts a 95% returning customer rate.
Simpalm has completed over 250 projects in over 10 years.

Expertise: Native App Development, Hybrid App Development

Red Foundry

Red Foundry was actually started as a side project. Since then, the group has evolved into a team of experienced mobile app developers and engineers who are capable of developing applications at below-market rates.

Red Foundry's AppCare Maintenance Program means your app is healthy in the ever-changing world of technology.
The company has been featured in TechCrunch, WSJ, and other large publications.
Top clients include Expedia, Random House, and Reader's Digest.

Expertise: iOS and Android Mobile Design and Development

Eight Bit Studios

Eight Bit Studios is "on a quest to to help apps reach new levels". Their purpose is to spread empathy to shape a better world, doing so through the development of mobile apps and websites. Their values include operating inclusively, working honorably, playing seriously, and leading humanly.

The Eight Bit team has published books, founded meetups, and even taught classes.
Eight Bit Studios have won have won UpCity’s Top Mobile App Developer award.
Top clients include New Balance and Hasbro.

Expertise: Mobile App Development, UX Interface Designs

Magora

Magora's team comprises of 150 members spread across three worldwide offices. There's a distinct advantage to working with a large company -- depending on your app's needs, Magora can divert one of their many experts to your cause. The company works with both B2B and B2C apps.

Their online app cost calculator can give you insights into the up-front cost of a project.
Their projects are often of a premium level: in their view, the higher quality is worth the higher cost.
Offering range from simple web apps to custom solutions.

Expertise: Mobile App Development, UX Interface Designs

ORA

A projekt202 company, ORA is centered around emerging technology and innovation. The company boasts full-service capabilities, ranging from experience strategy and design to engineering and brand building.

ORA has created over 250 apps in less than a decade.
The company fosters long relationships with clients, with engagements lasting up to 6 years.
Their staff includes over 50 digital experts.

Expertise: iOS and Android Mobile App Development

Codal

Codal has worked with some of the largest brands around, but gives the same care and attention to their smaller clients as well. The Codal team works round the clock to make sure you're heavily involved in the ideation, design, and development process.

Codal has worked with over 160 clients and millions of end users.
Their backgrounds range from design gurus to a former Army engineer!
Top clients include Contap, a social networking app.

Expertise: Mobile App Development, UX Design

Ethervision

What makes Ethervision unique is that you'll always deal with the same people when you work with them. This means that nothing is lost in translation, and the company knows the fabric of your organization. Talk about personalization!

Ethervision developed three of the first fifty apps on the Apple app store.
They've created over 185 apps.
They focus on larger companies.

Expertise: Native App Development

Hashrocket

Hashrocket focuses on Ruby on Rails, Elixir, React, and React Native development. The team, more technical than the average agency's, is close-knit, and have significant experience collaborating to build large scale apps for top-tier clients.

They've implemented a number of different solutions from dashboards to eCommerce apps.
The team has brought hundreds of applications live since 2008.
Clients include Adobe and Vegas.com

Expertise: Mobile App Development, User Experience Designs

TangoCode

TangoCode is a women-founded company, formed in 2015. From their inception, they've grown into a company of software engineers, QAs, and solution owners who specialize in leveraging cutting-edge technology to build solutions.

TangoCode has extensive experience working with machine learning and AI.
They also have locations in Uruguay and Ecuador.
The company is woman- and minority-owned.

Expertise: Custom Software, Mobile App Development

Proof Works

Proof Works, previously SnapMobile, are obsessed with getting results. They claim that most businesses excel in building "wrong thing really well". In contrast, Proof Works leverages a data-driven approach to constantly validate your idea, and uses experiments to ensure your product is the best it can be.

A data-driven approach means a higher change of business success and ROI.
Proof Works also pays attention to user behavior, allowing you to iteratively improve your product.
Top clients include Hilton, Mitsubishi, and BBVA Bank.

Expertise: Mobile App Design and Development

KitelyTech

Since KitelyTech's inception in 2009, it has grown to be an industry leader in web design, web development, branding, mobile application development, custom software, and SEO services. The company is founded on principles of transparency, customer service, efficient execution, and organization.

KitelyTech has offices in Chicago, New York City, Atlanta, Detroit, Austin, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Miami.
Since 2009, the company has been nationally ranked among development companies.
Top clients include Pearson Education and Rolls-Royce.

Expertise: Mobile App Development

Devvela

Another highly technical team, Devvela's staff consist of primarily business analysts, developers, and product owners. They specialize at creating products people will love, and that are a pleasure to interact with.

Devvela's team comprises over 30 people in two continents.
They've led over a hundred successful projects.
Top clients include Ricoh, Oracle, and Crowe Horwath.

Expertise: Digital Solutions, Mobile Design and Development

Rightpoint

Rightpoint is one of the larger companies on this list, with over 450 employees across 9 offices. They recognize that providing a top-noth user experience is now becoming a top priority for a number of C-suite executives, and specialize in creating positive human interactions that drive meaningful business outcomes.

Rightpoint has worked with over 250 Fortune 1000 companies.
The company has won multiple awards for being a top workplace.
Rightpoint's work has been recognized at the Webby Awards for best Charitable Organization/Non-Profit Website.

Expertise: Mobile App Development

Vault Innovation

Vault Innovation believes that a good team is greater than the sum of its parts. Their team of founders, operators, and visionaries has been methodically built up over the years to provide capabilities that exceed expectations.

Vault Innovation has offices in Chicago, Springfield, as well as Los Angeles, CA.
They've worked in a variety of industries from eCommerce to gaming.
Top clients include Gig Scout and the Chicago Tribune.

Expertise: Software Creation, Mobile App Development

NEXT/NOW

NEXT/NOW has a new-age unique selling point: their team specializes in 3D animation, virtual and augmented reality, and face recognition. Their team can bring your app to life in ways that not nearly all agencies can!

NEXT/NOW has been named a leading Event Management Company by clutch.co.
They were also named a Top B2B Company Worldwide.
Top clients include Intel and Under Armour.

Expertise: Creative User Experiences, Mobile App Development

Tandem

The employees of Tandem pride themselves on being people driven. They believe that given a common goal, a diverse team can create truly special experiences. Tandem focuses on bringing human-centered design that will engage your customers.

Tandem has worked with Motorola, the University of Chicago, and Groupon.
Tandem specialize in product definition, custom software, and software managed services.
Tandem projects are fully transparent, and you'll know what's going on at every stage.

Expertise: Digital Strategy, Custom Software, App Development

Alligatortek

If you're looking for experience, look no further than Alligatortek. Founded in 1993, the company combines old-school know-how with a modern understanding of technology. They are a fantastic choice if you know you need an app, but not much more.

The Alligatortek team has more combined years of experience than any other on this list.
The company was recently acquired by HealthChampion, meaning more resources and larger scale.
The company is a licensed Microsoft partner.

Expertise: Custom Software Development, Mobile App Development

2Base Technologies

2Base Technologies has offices in Chicago and in Cochin, India. The company is a good pick if you're prioritizing working on something more technical -- they have experience working with the Internet of Things as well as several technology stacks.

2Base portfolio comprises of international as well as American clients.
The team has a 60% repeated business rate.
2Base has successfully served over 250 clients.

Expertise: Internet of Things (IoT) Technology, Mobile App Development

LaunchPad Lab

LaunchPad Lab's specialty used to lie in web development, but they've now branched into mobile as well. They take a creative and agile approach to building client applications, and engineer them so it is easy to scale up.

Launchpad Lab has build over 106 client applications.
The team also has 38 open-source contributions under their belts.
Top clients include Whirlpool and MD Andersen Hospital.

Expertise: Mobile App Development, User Experience Designs

Born Techies Solutions

Born Techies Solutions specialize in eCommerce and everything that comes with it. With eight years of experience in the field, this team knows how to optimize your conversion funnel, create visually appealing apps, and give you a great shot of making your sales targets.

Born Techies Solutions is a Magento Partner company.
Top clients include Trailheads and Grand Western Steaks.
The company is skilled in Magento2, Shopify, BigCommerce, PHP, Technical Recruiting and Content Management Systems (CMS).

Expertise: eCommerce Store Mobile App Development

Lakeview Labs

Run out of startup incubator 1871, Lakeview Labs' small team of 5 has had a remarkable amount of success. The team has partnered with several high-profile clients over the last seven years. Read their 14,000 word app development manifesto to further understand what you're getting when you hire this team!

Lakeview Labs built the most profitable app store offering for education.
Clients include Groupon, 1871, and Cars.com.
The company has also filed multiple patents for its clients.

Expertise: Mobile and Web App Development

Doejo

Doejo is an innovation studio passionate about building brands, platforms, products, and experiences people love. Not only does Doejo boast an impressive portfolio in website development, but the company also handles UX strategy, photography, video, and branding collateral.

Doejo has been the recipient of the Best Digital Agency award.
They have an impressive portfolio in video and motion.
Top clients include Pandora, Wilson, and Groupon.

Expertise: Web Design and Development

Bright Bright Great

Bright Bright Great consider themselves designers first. Their strategies begin from the belief that good design can take a brand to the next level. BBG is a good choice if you're looking to maximize customer engagement. This team understands that designs should be as beautiful as they are functional.

Bright Bright Great has worked with Nike, Cards Against Humanity, and Lucasfilm.
The company was named among Top WordPress developers in 2020 by DesignRush.
Their three-part project approach -- Learn, Make, Sell -- has shown to be successful among a number of design-driven companies.

Expertise: Interactive design, web design, interface design, digital strategy, interactive marketing, social media.

Intersog

Intersog are particularly good at a couple of things: making sure your mobile app outlasts that of the competition, and making sure that you use the most up-to-date technologies. With twelve years of experience in the industry, the company is adept at maximizing clients' rate of return.

Intersog is adept at incorporating cutting-edge technology.
Their work has focused on the automotive, education, logistics, finance, healthcare, and retail industries.
Intersog has a presence in Israel, Mexico, Canada, Ukraine, and the United States.

Expertise: IoT Technologies, Mobile App Development

Vokal

Vokal has experience bringing digital newbies into the loop. If this sounds like your company, look no further for a mobile app development company. Even if you're not technologically minded, Vokal can help you build your back-of-the-napkin idea into a full stack solution.

Top clients include Bosch, Walkgreens, and Whole Foods.
Vokal was founded in 2009.
Vokal regularly publishes educational blogs and white papers.

Expertise: Mobile App Development

Cultivate

Cultivate works exclusively with business-to-business companies. Developing a B2B mobile application is a completely different ball game than a B2C app, and Cultivate knows exactly how to optimize an application based on your needs.

Cultivate has been published in Forbes and Ad Age.
The company was recognized as a 'Best B2B Service Provider in Chicago'.
Cultivate is an entry at the Chicago Build Expo.

Expertise: Branding Strategy, Mobile App Development

Interested in other digital agencies in Chicago? Check out our top list of firms in the following industries:

Consultancy Firms Healthcare Consultancy Firms
Creative Agencies
Managed IT Services Firms
Marketing Agencies