Android Studio - 2026 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives

Android Studio is an integrated development environment specifically designed for Android app development, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for developers to create, test, and deploy applications. The software features an intelligent code editor that provides code completion for Kotlin, Java, and C/C++ programming languages, enhancing productivity, and reducing coding errors. The Live Edit feature allows developers to see code changes reflected immediately when working with Jetpack Compose, streamlining the development workflow and enabling faster iteration on user interface designs.

The platform includes Gemini in Android Studio, an AI-powered coding companion that assists developers by generating code, fixing issues, and answering questions about Android development. Design capabilities are enhanced through Compose Design Tools, which enable the creation of dynamic layouts with previews available for various screen sizes and built-in inspection tools for animations. The flexible build system, powered by Gradle, allows developers to generate multiple build variants for different Android devices from a single project, while the Build Analyzer helps identify and resolve potential performance issues.

Android Studio provides extensive testing capabilities through its emulator, allowing developers to test applications across a wide range of devices including phones, tablets, foldables, Wear OS devices, Android TV, and ChromeOS devices. The platform includes optimization tools such as the Android App Bundle and APK Analyzer, which help developers inspect and refine their application size before publishing. These tools allow for detailed examination of manifest files, resources, and DEX files, as well as comparison between different app versions to track size changes.

The software is available for multiple operating systems including Windows, MacOS, Linux, and ChromeOS, with specific versions optimized for different hardware architectures such as Mac with Apple chip and Intel chip. Android Studio is complemented by extensive documentation, training courses for various skill levels, and command-line tools for advanced development workflows. The platform supports development for diverse form factors including adaptive applications, Android XR, Wear OS, and Android TV, making it a versatile solution for creating applications across the entire Android ecosystem.