Best Mobile Dev IDEs: In-Depth Benchmarking of VS Code, Android Studio, JetBrains Fleet
As mobile app development continues to evolve across platforms like Android, iOS, and cross-platform stacks such as Flutter and React Native, the choice of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) can significantly impact productivity, code quality, and debugging efficiency. In this review, we benchmark and compare three of the most prominent IDEs in the mobile development space: Visual Studio Code, Android Studio, and JetBrains Fleet.
We evaluated them across performance, plugin ecosystem, language support, mobile tooling, UI responsiveness, and real-world project experience.
IDE Overview
1. Visual Studio Code
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Footprint: Lightweight, highly extensible
- Mobile Focus: Primarily supports cross-platform frameworks via extensions (e.g., Flutter, React Native)
2. Android Studio
- Publisher: Google
- Footprint: Heavyweight, Android-first tooling
- Mobile Focus: Deep integration with Android SDK, AVD manager, Gradle, and profiling tools
3. JetBrains Fleet
- Publisher: JetBrains
- Footprint: Lightweight, next-gen IDE with collaborative features
- Mobile Focus: Still evolving; supports Kotlin Multiplatform and Jetpack Compose
Benchmark Methodology
We tested each IDE using:
- A Flutter app with Firebase integration
- A native Android app in Kotlin with Room DB
- A React Native project
System Setup:
- OS: Windows 11 + macOS Sonoma (dual testing)
- CPU: Intel i7 / Apple M2
- RAM: 32GB
- SSD: NVMe Gen 4
Benchmark categories:
- Cold Start Time
- Memory Usage (idle + active debugging)
- Build Time for Android APK
- IntelliSense & Linting Speed
- UI Responsiveness During Code Edits
- Extension/Plugin Ecosystem
Benchmark Results
Cold Start Time
| IDE | Avg Cold Start (Win) | Avg Cold Start (macOS) |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | 2.3 sec | 1.9 sec |
| Android Studio | 12.4 sec | 9.7 sec |
| JetBrains Fleet | 3.1 sec | 2.6 sec |
Memory Usage (Active Debugging Flutter App)
| IDE | Idle RAM | Debugging RAM |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | 250MB | 650MB |
| Android Studio | 1.1GB | 2.8GB |
| JetBrains Fleet | 450MB | 1.2GB |
Build Time (Android APK – Kotlin Project)
| IDE | Initial Build | Incremental Build |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | 1m 05s | 22s |
| Android Studio | 54s | 15s |
| JetBrains Fleet | 1m 20s | 30s |
IntelliSense & Linting
- VS Code: Fast and lightweight, but reliant on plugins like Dart/Flutter or ESLint.
- Android Studio: Rich and deeply integrated with Android SDK and Jetpack libraries.
- Fleet: Kotlin and Compose-focused; feels faster than IntelliJ but lacks maturity.
UI Responsiveness During Edits
| IDE | Live Preview | Input Lag (Complex Projects) |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | With Plugins | Low lag |
| Android Studio | Built-in | Noticeable lag at scale |
| JetBrains Fleet | Limited | Very low lag |
Plugin Ecosystem
VS Code
- Huge marketplace (React Native Tools, Flutter, Firebase, GitLens)
- Ideal for cross-platform workflows
Android Studio
- Tight integration with Android ecosystem (ADB, Profilers, Emulator, Jetpack)
- Excellent for native Android devs
JetBrains Fleet
- Growing support for JetBrains plugins
- Still maturing; strong for Jetpack Compose and Kotlin Multiplatform
Developer Experience (DX)
| Feature | VS Code | Android Studio | JetBrains Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collaboration Support | Extensions only | Basic (pair) | Built-in |
| Git & VCS Integration | Strong | Excellent | Excellent |
| Testing Integration | Plugin-based | Built-in | Limited |
| UI Design Tools | Limited | Advanced | Basic (WIP) |
| Debugging Experience | Fluent | Best in class | Decent |
| Code Intelligence | Fast | Rich context | Smart but evolving |
Final Verdict
Best for Cross-Platform Developers: VS Code
If you’re working across React Native, Flutter, and Firebase, VS Code’s lightweight performance and massive plugin ecosystem make it ideal for modern mobile stacks.
Best for Native Android Developers: Android Studio
Still the gold standard for Android devs, with deep tooling support, Android Emulator, and performance profilers built-in.
Best for Kotlin Multiplatform Explorers: JetBrains Fleet
Fleet is a promising IDE for those leaning into Kotlin Multiplatform or Compose. It’s not fully matured yet but shows strong potential for the future of unified JetBrains development environments.
TL;DR
- VS Code is fast, flexible, and great for cross-platform mobile projects.
- Android Studio delivers the richest native development experience for Android.
- JetBrains Fleet is the rising player with smart editing and collaboration features.
Stay tuned with Hitech Trends as we continue to benchmark and review the tools that power tomorrow’s mobile applications.
Which IDE do you prefer and why? Share your thoughts or workflow tips in the comments below!
