Android Studio is the official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Android app development, created by Google. It's based on IntelliJ IDEA, and bundles a code editor, the Gradle build tool, and the Android SDK. Android Studio was first announced in May 2013 and reached its first stable release in December 2014.
Key features include a flexible Gradle-based build system, a fast and feature-rich emulator, a unified environment for developing across all Android devices, code templates, and GitHub integration. It also offers an intelligent code editor with code completion, syntax highlighting, and refactoring tools. Developers can use the Layout Editor for UI design with drag-and-drop functionality and real-time previews. The Android Virtual Device (AVD) allows testing apps on various Android devices and versions. Performance profilers help track memory and CPU usage. Android Studio supports Java, Kotlin, and C++. Gemini in Android Studio is available in many countries and territories, with support for the English language. The latest stable release was on February 13, 2026.
Android Studio is available for download on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS. It is free to download and use for both personal and commercial purposes. Google provides it under a license agreement that allows developers to use it without upfront costs or recurring fees. While the software itself is free, the cost of development includes the expertise required to use the tools effectively, including hiring developers with hourly rates between $35 and $60+.
