The Best Languages to Use for Custom iOS App Development
Apple has got a tradition. Every January they would disclose multiple statistics to show how well the iOS apps and the App Store is performing.
- Presently, there are 2.2M apps in the App Store.
- On average, Apple releases 2540 apps on the App Store.
- In 2020, people spent almost $72.3bn on in-app purchases, premium apps, and subscriptions from the App Store.
When it comes to custom iOS app development, Apple has stringent policies that need all apps to be top-notch before they make it to the App Store. The best part is that still developers prefer developing iOS apps because of the popularity of the Operating System and better earning potential. According to StatCounter data, amongst all the global mobile devices connected to the internet, 27% of them are connected through iOS devices.
The Best Coding Languages for Custom iOS App Development
To get past Apple’s scary approval guidelines, custom iOS app development needs you to maintain a quality threshold set for iOS apps. If you choose the right coding language, things can get a lot easier. On that note, let us take a quick look at the best coding languages for custom iOS app development.
#1 Swift
It doesn’t matter how new you are in the world of iOS app development, the first language that will come to your mind is Swift. This is one of the most important languages in shaping the future of custom iOS app development. Released in 2014, Swift is one of the most popular coding languages for iPhone app development.
Swift is a general-purpose programming language that you can use to develop great native apps, especially for iOS. It’s also designed to work perfectly with frameworks like Cocoa & Cocoa Touch. The best features include scalability, interoperability, and fast development & it’s also open source. Swift app development also offers data security, and it comes with an automatic memory arc.
#2 Objective-C
After Swift, this programming language was developed as the extension of C – the object-oriented programming language. It has similar properties. Even though it was developed in 1984, it is still compatible with iOS and Mac OS. It was even the primary iOS coding language before swift came in.
This is a comparison between Objective-C and Swift considering coding, readability, code maintenance, execution time, and more. However, the only problem with Objective-C is its unavailability as an open-source language. Also, there is limited functionality & lack of updates.
Also Read: Custom iPhone Application Development Is a Must for Brand Transformation
#3 Flutter
This is a popular coding language developed by Google in 2015. This is an open-source and versatile development kit. It is used for creating apps like Android, Mac, iOS, Windows, Linux, and Google Fuchsia.
Flutter helps developers in creating aesthetically attractive & intuitive cross-platform apps. Thus, it is so much popular amongst both android and iOS developers. However, Flutter too, comes with a set of pros and cons.
The pros include:
- Flutter is time-efficient
- Offers full customization capability
- Comes with a lot of widgets
- Is an open-source language
#4 C#
This was created in response to Microsoft’s Java language. C# is a general-purpose, high-level, object-oriented programming language. It is one of the coveted programming languages that is identical to Microsoft app development just as Objective-C is for Apple.
Also, according to a survey by StackOverflow, C# is one of the most versatile coding languages ranking 5th in the Tiobe August 2021 Index. Coming to the pros of C# in custom iPhone apps development, C# is an open-source language that makes it easy to develop iOS apps even for intermediate developers.
Also, it has a vast talent pool, and it supports cross-platform app development. It comes with a rich library, offers better integration, and has a better cost-benefit than other coding languages. However, it also comes with a few downsides like a poor platform GUI, and it is tough for beginners.
#5 HTML5
When it is about custom iPhone app development, a lot of app developers use HTML5 along with CSS and JavaScript. Did you know almost 88% of websites use HTML5? The pros of HTML5 include cost-effectiveness, multi-platform support, multi-browser consistency, offline browsing and it also enables a good page ranking.
Yes, indeed, HTML5 is not as preferred as native apps, but hybrid apps will offer excellent browser control and use the combination of HTML5 & CSS to render pages. You will also find some other cons like it works only for the hybrid app development and has limited functionality.
Taking the 5 best custom iOS app development languages into account, we have come to the final verdict that Swift is the best of them all.
Why Swift?
The main reason to say Swift is the best of all the iOS app development languages is Swift can help you create a loyalty-worthy application. You should choose Swift because of its intuitiveness to create native apps. Also, Swift is faster than other available languages. Even if you consider the security front, it is better than the others. The only downside of Swift is the small talent pool.
Closing Words
We have listed the top 5 iOS app development languages for you. Swift is the best among them. However, creating a custom iPhone app development will depend a lot on your priorities. If you want a quick hybrid app, it will be HTML5, and for a multiple-platform app development that includes Microsoft, you can opt for C#.
As far as Apple and custom iOS app development go, Swift still leads the chart. Thus, if you want any help with the iOS app development services, then it is better to take the help of a custom app development company like us to help you with your project.
