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It is no surprise that the number of smartphone users increases year by year. Hence, it is beneficial for your business to have a mobile app. Ideally to have both iOS and Android apps. This will help you target and capture more customers instead of just iOS or Android users. If you are tight on budget, you may want to consider iOS app development first.
Generally, iOS apps have a shorter development time. Compared to Android apps, they are cheaper to build and maintain.
In this article, we will discuss about iOS-dedicated, general, and cross-platform languages. We hope this helps you to choose the best language for your iOS app development.
1. Swift
Swift is a programming language you can use to create applications for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It was introduced in 2014 by Apple as a substitute for Objective C. Since then, Swift has been popular with iOS developers.
Swift will be a great option if you want to relatively develop an IOS app quickly and scale it later. The language guarantees a quick development cycle and the ability to produce safe, dependable code. Additionally, Swift is frequently updated. In other words, you can easily make any changes to your IOS app.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Fast development process
- Available as an open-source project
- Easy to use (especially for beginners)
- Stable
- Good Scalability
- Regular updates
- Safety and performance
- Automatic Memory Counting (ARC)
- Interoperability (especially with Objective-C)
Cons for iOS app development:
- A limited number of Swift developers
- Relatively new with limited resources and support compared to Objective-C or Java
2. C#
C# is a high-level, object-oriented, and all-purpose programming language. It was developed as Microsoft’s solution to Java. C# is closely integrated with the.NET platform, which serves as both a framework and a runtime environment.
C# is frequently used to create apps for Windows platforms. However, since the.NET framework was made available for Mac and Linux operating systems, it is now possible for you to create native applications in this language for almost any platform, including iOS apps.
The creation of the Xamarin platform for developing Android and iOS apps were crucial for mobile C# development. It makes use of Mono, an open-source.NET platform implementation that is compatible with all of the main operating systems.
C# will be a good choice for you to develop an iOS app if you have a team of experienced C# developers and you intend to develop Android apps as well.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Easy iOS app development
- Open-source
- High performance
- Fast Speed
- Scalable and Updateable
- Automatic Garbage Collection
- Cross-Platform Support
- Rich Library
- Huge Pool of C# developers
- Popular
Cons for iOS app development:
- Not as flexible given it is based on Microsoft .NET framework
- Relatively hard to learn for beginners
3. Objective-C
Objective-C is the predecessor of the Swift language. It was built as an extension of the object-oriented programming language C with similar properties. It was developed in 1984 and is currently a general-purpose programming language that is still compatible with Mac OS and iOS, serving as the main iOS coding language before the release of Swift.
There has always been a comparison between Objective-C and Swift in terms of readability, coding, execution time, code maintenance, and so on.
Objective-C is a mature language that might perhaps be a little outdated (the last version was released in 2016). You may notice that it can be difficult for you to find developers who can program in this language because its declining use.
When it comes to IOS app development, you should only give Objective-C a thought if you want to build an app that can run on previous versions of iOS that Swift doesn’t support.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Stability and Maturity
- Dynamic typing
Cons for iOS app development:
- Relatively low development process
- Unavailable as open-source
- Hard to learn
- Low Security
- Limited functionality
- Lack of new updates
- Limited pool of Objective-C developers
4. Java
Java is a general-purpose, class-based, object-oriented programming language. What’s important, its code can run on every platform without needing to be recompiled.
Java is widely popular for creating Android apps. Furthermore, you may also use it to create cross-platform applications thanks to its flexibility.
But, Java is not a popular option for iOS app development. If you already have an Android mobile application created in Java, you might want to think about using it to develop the iOS version as well.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Suitable for both native and cross-platform development
- Open-source
- Flexibility
- Functionality
- Secure
- Scalable and Updateable
- Automatic Garbage Collection
- Wide Pool of Java developers
Cons for iOS app development:
- Complex code
- Type-heavy language
- Poor performance
- Requires significant memory space
5. HTML5
HTML5 (HyperText Markup Language 5) is the fifth and currently the last major HTML version. You can use it to create website by defining the meaning and structure of the content.
It is commonly used in conjunction with CSS and JavaScript, and these 3 are collectively known as the “big three of frontend” among developers.
Interestingly enough, using tools like Apache Cordova or the aforementioned Visual Studio for Mac makes it possible for you to develop iOS apps as well.
If you want to quickly develop a straightforward iOS app that can also be used offline, HTML5 is the best option. If you have HTML5 experts on your team who can create this kind of application, it would be wise for you to take this option into account.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Cost-effective
- Multi-platform
- Able to create offline apps
- Large consistency across several browsers
- Provide a good page ranking
- Wide pool of HTML5 developers
Cons for iOS app development:
- Does not allow to build native apps
- Limited functionality
- Media licensing issues
- Need modern browsers to access
- Problems in Responsive design
6. Flutter
Flutter is a full-featured Software Development Kit (SDK) for mobile apps that comes with ready-to-use widgets and features. Google created it in 2015, and it was launched formally in 2017.
Using just one codebase, this tool makes it simple for Flutter developers to create aesthetically pleasing, natively-compiled mobile, web, and desktop applications.
It’s important to consider Flutter, especially if you want to develop not just an iOS and Android app but also a desktop and web version.
What’s more, as this tool is built on the Dart programming language, it will be the best option for your business if your team members are familiar with it.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Time efficient and cost-effective
- Fast development process
- Free and open-source
- Easy to maintain and develop new features
- Has its own widgets
- Requires only one codebase for both applications
- Architecture based on the popular reactive programming
- Able to build pleasing design and custom UI
Cons for iOS app development:
- A small number of libraries
- Relatively big app’s size
- Insufficient guidelines for standard development
- Limited pool of Flutter developers
7. React Native
Meta launched the cross-platform React Native technology in 2015. It is currently one of the most popular cross-platform tools. You can build native applications using website technologies through JavaScript. Brands like Meta, Snapchat, and Instagram all use it, so you know you can put your trust in it.
If your team consists of JavaScript or React Native experts and you want to develop a mobile app for iOS and Android at the same time, React Native is your best option. This solution will help you save time and money, and you can be confident that it works because it is one of the most widely used smartphone apps in the world.
Pros for iOS app development:
- Fast development process
- Time Efficient and Cost Effective
- Fast refresh
- Simplified UI
- Allows to work on image and video editing
- Provides for interpreting the source code and quickly converting it to native elements
- Enables developers to write modules in languages such as C, Swift, and Java
- Allows frontend developers to build cross-platform mobile apps with a need to learn backend programming language
- Large pool of React Native developers
Cons for iOS app development:
- Lack of some components
- Compatibility and debugging issues
- Risk of low quality and performance
Closing Words
The success of your mobile app development may greatly depend on your decision regarding the ideal programming language for iOS. Therefore, you should specify your requirements and expectations before deciding on the best course of action.
If you are looking for a trusted partner for iOS app development, look no further.
Being an award-winning mobile app builder in Singapore, TechTIQ Solutions is comprised of a team of experts that have effectively helped many SMEs and Fortune 500 to launch their mobile apps within their budget.
Whether your mobile app development project is for iOS, Android, or Cross-Platform applications, we would be more than delighted to assist you.
Contact Us today for a friendly discussion.
