Mobile Development
Technologies
2022-08-19
7 min. read

iOS
iosdevelopment
programming
languages

Best iOS Development Language to Create iOS Apps

Best iOS Development Language to Create iOS Apps

contest-blog-list-mobile

Contents

Choosing the right programming language is always a big challenge. There are many different languages on the market; however, you must never forget that the choice of language must be preceded by a thorough analysis of the application's goals and the needs of its users. Only then will it be possible to choose the best language for your project. In our article, we will introduce you to some of the most popular iOS app development languages and suggest what to pay attention to.

What do you need to know before developing iOS apps?

According to StatCounter statistics, iOS devices are used by 27% of all internet-connected mobile devices. Apple's latest figures show that over 2.22 million iOS applications are available in the AppStore. In addition, developers love to create iOS apps due to the popularity of the operating system and greater earning potential.

Apple's guidelines for approving applications before introducing them to the AppStore are very restrictive, which is why some people fear creating iPhone apps. However, choosing the right iOS development language will make it easy to create a quality application per Apple requirements.

Best programming language for iOS App

What are programming languages used to create iOS applications? Which iOS programming language is best for your iPhone application? Swift and Objective-C are the two main programming languages used to develop iOS apps. However, there are more solutions to building an iOS app.

Swift

Swift

Apple launched Swift in 2014 as a replacement for its previous official language, Objective-C, which became an open-source software program in 2015. Swift may be used to develop apps for the iPhone, desktop computers, servers, and various other platforms.

Swift is a universal programming language to create the highest quality native applications, specifically for iOS. It was designed to work with platforms such as Cocoa Touch and Cocoa.

If you want to develop an application quickly and scale it quickly, Swift is your best bet.

Advantages of Swift

Swift is the most popular iOS app development language. It is not an ideal language (because there is no such language ;-) But if you are considering choosing this language, pay attention to its advantages.

  • Official language of Apple
  • Easy to learn for developers
  • Scalable
  • Interoperable (especially with Objective-C)
  • Full-stack capabilities
  • Open-source
  • High level of data security
  • The fastest programming language for iOS.

Objective-C

Objective-C

Objective-C is a programming language created as an extension of the C object-oriented programming language with comparable features. Developed in 1984, it is still a general-purpose programming language compatible with Mac OS and iOS, and it was the primary code encoding for iOS before Swift debuted.

Some iOS app developers feel it is a bit outdated at the moment due to security issues, limited functionality, and missing updates.

However, it is a language that is seen as stable and mature. It works great as an iOS programming language when you want to create or update apps for older versions of iOS that Swift doesn't support.

Advantages of Objective C

The main advantages of this programming language are:

  • Proven language
  • Stable performance
  • Compatible with C ++
  • Easy API connection.

Flutter

flutter

Google began developing Flutter, a popular application code language, in 2015 and formally unveiled it in 2017. It's a very flexible open-source development kit that may be used to create apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Linux, Windows, and Google Fuchsia.

Because of Flutter's flexibility and power, it is frequently utilized to create cross-platform apps.

Advantages of Flutter

The main advantages of this programming language are:

  • Easy to learn
  • Lots of cool features
  • Enables cross-platform app development.

C#

csharp.png

C# is a popular, object-oriented programming language created by Microsoft in 2000. It has been used to develop several successful iOS applications, including Facebook and Twitter. It is one of the most common application development languages. C # is a fantastic place to start for beginners because it is simple to learn and has a large developer community that can help.

It's a high-level, general-purpose, object-oriented programming language. It may be argued that it is one of the most requested programming languages available.

C # is one of the most comprehensive programming languages in the world, according to a StackOverflow poll, which ranks it 5th in TIobe's August 2021 index.

Advantages of C#

Perhaps C # isn't your first choice among the iOS languages. However, it is worth paying attention to its advantages:

  • Open source code
  • Easy to learn for iOS developers
  • Large talent pool
  • Extensive library
  • Interesting and numerous functions
  • Provides better cost-effectiveness and integration.

HTML5

html5

HTML5 is used in iOS apps as a programming language in combination with JavaScript and CSS. In fact, according to W3techs, nearly 88.5% of all websites employ HTML5.

HTML5 is a good choice if you want to develop hybrid apps. Because HTML5 has restricted functionality and might cause fatal issues with the project's speed, it may only be used to create a mixed application.

However, hybrid applications, while not as preferred as native applications, still provide excellent browser control and use a combination (HTML5 with CSS) to render pages.

Advantages of HTML5

The main advantages of this programming language are:

  • Multi-platform support
  • Profitability
  • Huge Compatibility
  • Offline Browsing.

Which is better?

Many distinct programming languages may be used to create iOS applications. Some, on the other hand, are more popular than others. In our article, we've covered the best programming languages ​​for iOS app development. Swift is by far the most popular language among developers. It is due to the several benefits of this programming language. Swift's popularity stems from its simplicity and ability to create native applications. Furthermore, Swift has been carefully designed to be faster than Objective-C, which was previously available. When it comes to security, it's one of the better options.

However, due to the wide range of benefits offered by different iOS languages, StackOverflow found that they might be ranked above Swift. However, it all depends on your needs and goals. You need to know them precisely to match the programming language to the needs of your project.

There is no universal iOS coding language

iOS application development companies know there is no one-size-fits-all solution for iPhone application encoding. Of course, choosing a technology stack is essential. It can impact application performance, scalability, cost, and long-term support and maintenance.

Furthermore, depending on the company's existing application code bases, selecting a language that does not need an entirely new IT skill set may be more advantageous.

Is it worth knowing iOS languages?

Is it worth knowing iOS languages

Sometimes project owners want to very carefully control the actions of developers and the effects of their work so far. However, this is not possible without knowing the coding language in question. Therefore, sometimes the project owners think about learning to program, and thus the selection of the appropriate language is related. They also chose Swift as today's most popular programming language for iOS apps. However, our over 12 years of experience show that instead of wasting time learning something that is not necessarily your destiny ;-), it is better to find a trusted technology partner who will not only advise you on the choice of the best technology but will be able to introduce even a layman to technological project aspects. In our next article you will find all the information on how to find the best partner for building an application.

The biggest challenge in creating an iOS App

Choosing the best iOS app development language, developing and keeping these projects up and running, further scaling, and so on are always challenging. The development of applications for iOS and other versions of product design has a variety of characteristics. If the application's memory is filled with functions and choices, it will become much more heavy or complex. As a result, the project may be significantly harder.

The biggest challenge is to create an application that will be compatible with all versions of operating systems, as Apple devices are updated regularly. It means that you will have to update the application and enter new parameters regularly to avoid functional problems.

Different iPhone and iPad versions also have various properties influencing proper usage. As a result, the development process should include provisions for considering all variables involved in ensuring that all iOS applications are compatible with every Apple product.

Conclusion

You can use several languages and different environments to build an iOS application. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages because, as we mentioned earlier, there is no perfect programming language. If you need a consultation with a company that has been creating mobile applications, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to help you choose the best language for your iOS app.

About the author
Peter Koffer - Chief Technology Officer

With 13 years of experience in the IT industry and in-depth technical training, Peter could not be anything but our CTO. He had contact with every possible architecture and helped create many solutions for large and small companies. His daily duties include managing clients' projects, consulting on technical issues, and managing a team of highly qualified developers.

Piotr Koffer

Share this article


Contents


mDevelopers logo

Software development company

Clutch mDevelopers

We’ve been in the business for over 13 years and have delivered over 200 mobile and web projects. We know what it takes to be a reliable software partner.


Cookies.

By using this website, you automatically accept that we use cookies.