Appscend, a web-based mobile app development tool, is offering users free access to its platform for a limited time.

Appscend incorporates in-app purchases, the Layar Augmented Reality Player, QR code scanners and many other interactive features into a easy-to-use interface. A built-in API that can be used to sync push and pull data from virtually any web service offers integration with third party services, such as YouTube, Picasa, Google Maps and Facebook.

It uses a drag & drop web builder named Ignite Markup to enable developers with minimum knowledge of XML to build a custom application rapidly. Other features include an ad server and in-app social monitoring tools.

“Our innovative approach cuts out countless hours of programming, and thousands of dollars spent on development by offering a comprehensive and powerful web interface that enables anyone to achieve amazing results,” says Appscend CEO, Sebastian Vaduva.

There’s more information about Appscend here.