Which Language to Choose For iOS App Development in 2022?

Generally, Swift and Objective-C are the major programming languages for iOS app development. But other options can also make your iPhone app development more rapid and effective.

Choosing the language and tech-stack is one of the important steps in the app development life cycle. Your mobile app partner picks the suitable language in the planning phase when you hire them for iOS app development services. 

Still, knowing which language would be an excellent option for your app development project is a good idea. Here, we have gathered a list of languages you can choose for your app development project. Take a look.

Swift

Swift was launched in 2014 by Apple Inc. as the successor of Objective-C. It is the primary programming language for iOS, macOS, iPadOS, WatchOS, and tvOS applications.

Swift can compatible with Cocoa and Cocoa Touch Frameworks and the extensive codebase written in Objective-C. As per a survey by Stack Overflow, Swift is the 17th most preferred programming language, used by 5.9% of developers.

Pros of Swift for iOS app development

• Open-source language

• Faster development process

• Chance of scalability

• Easy to use

• Stable language

• Automatic Memory Counting

• Interoperability

• Safety and performance

• Regular Updates

Cons of Swift for iOS app development

• Limited talent pool

• Insufficient cross-platform support

• Lack of support for earlier iOS versions

• Not a reflective language

When you should pick Swift

Swift is a great option when you want to build an app quickly that you can scale later on. The language is relatively easy to learn and supports a faster development process, writing safe and reliable code. And as it is regularly updated, you can easily make changes to your applications.

Objective-C

Objective-C is a programming language created by Tom Love in the early 1980s. The language serves as an extension of C programming languages with Object-Oriented capabilities.

Objective-C is the general-purpose language primarily used for Apple’s OS X and iOS app development. It used to be the sole language for App development, but its popularity has been declining since Apple launched Swift.

Pros of Objective-C for iOS app development

• Dynamic Language

• Stability

• Well-built programming language

• Works seamlessly with private APIs

• Compatible with C++

Cons of Objective-C for iOS app development

• Hard to learn

• Low-security level

• Not an open-source language

• Limited functionality

• Lack of new updates

When you should pick Objective-C

You should only use Objective-C for iOS app development when you want to build an app for older versions of iOS, which Swift does not support. But, as Objective-C’s popularity is declining, it might be a challenge for you to find and hire an iOS app developer with Objective-C knowledge.

C#

C# is a high-level, object-oriented programming language created by Microsoft for creating Windows applications. The language is tightly bound with the .NET framework.

Although the language primarily helps build Windows apps, it is possible to develop apps for any platform, including iOS.

Pros of C# for iOS app development

• Automatic garbage collection

• High performance

• Scalable and updateable

• Cross-platform support

• Rich library

• Easy iOS development

Cons of C# for iOS app development

• Not a flexible language

• Hard to learn for beginner programmers

When you should pick C#

C# is a perfect choice for iOS app development if you have a C# developer in your team. Or you also want to build mobile applications for Android development. What is more, it uses Mono, an open-source implementation of the .NET platform. The Mono runs on every OS, making iOS app development seamless.

Java

Java is the most popular programming language for Android app development, but it can also support iOS app development. It is an open-source, object-oriented programming language used to build scalable, enterprise-level apps.

Currently, Java is a robust programming language used by 9 million programmers globally, making this the 5th most preferred language globally. 

Pros of Java for iOS app development

• Suitable for both native and cross-platform development

• Flexible language

• Scalable and updateable

• Automatic garbage collection

• Most secure language

• Open-source

• Large talent pool

• Huge community

Cons of Java for iOS app development

• Complex code

• Type heavy language

• Poor performance

• Requires significant memory space

When you should pick Java

If you already have a mobile app for the Android platform developed in Java, you can choose the same programming language to build its iOS version.

HTML5

HTML5 is the fundamental language for frontend web development, but you can also use it to build iOS apps. Tools such as Apache Cordova and Visual Studio for Mac makes it possible to build mobile applications for iOS using HTML.

Pros of HTML5 for iOS app development

• Cost-effective development

• Multi-platform

• Allows to create of offline apps

• Wide talent pool

Cons of HTML5 for iOS app development

• Cannot build native apps

• Limited functionality

• Media licensing issues

• Responsive design issues

When you should pick HTML5

HTML could be an ideal option if you want to create an application that you can access offline.

Wrapping up

Apart from the technologies listed here, other cross-platform frameworks like React Native and Flutter can help you build a robust iOS application. But before choosing whatever language or technology for your iOS app development, you should be well-aware of your project requirements and how your preferred language will help you achieve them.