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Swift and React Native are both new mobile application development technologies. These two technologies are very different from each other. The most important difference is that React Native is a framework based on the JavaScript programming language and Swift is a standalone programming language. If you are developing an app for iOS, you are probably wondering which of the two to choose between. React Native or Swift? In this article, we will compare Swift and React Native and examine the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Swift and React Native Comparison

Which to Choose for Mobile App Development?

Apple and its products do not need to be introduced. The brand started competing with mobile phone manufacturers in 2007 with the introduction of its first model of iPhone. As a powerful and high-quality smartphone, the iPhone was a huge commercial success for Apple. In 2020, Apple accounted for nearly 23% of global mobile phone sales. This mobile phone has a powerful operating system called iOS behind its curtain.

Apple has invested heavily in the development of this operating system and over time has designed various technologies and frameworks for its operating system. In the following, we will separately describe the advantages and disadvantages of Swift and React Native so that you can have a good comparison on both.

What is Swift?

Swift is a new, versatile, open source programming language developed by Apple since 2014. In fact, Apple replaced the company’s previous programming language, Objective-C, with Swift. Objective-C dates back to the early 1980s and was a kind of obsolete new programming language. With the unveiling of Swift, Apple gave its platform developers more leeway and power. With this programming language, you can write programs for various Apple brand products such as macOS, Apple Smart Watch’s and tvOS.

Benefits of Swift

Free and available

Unlike most Apple products, which are free and sometimes expensive, the company’s programming language is completely free and open source.

For the iOS platform

Since the Swift programming language is for Apple family products, it has great performance in using all the hardware capabilities. You will not have this flexibility in React Native.

It has a high coding speed

Swift is designed with a focus on high efficiency. This programming language uses simple syntax that speeds up the programmer’s coding.

Coding is optimal with it

with Swift, not only will your code write faster, but you will also write less code. You usually need less code to write a specific task in Swift than React Native.

It has a good future

Swift is a forward-looking language and with its strong development team it can well expand in the years to come and meet new needs. In addition, Apple’s support will not be ineffective in the success of this programming language.

Error management is easier in this language

Swift uses a powerful error management system and informs the developer of various errors.

Disadvantages of Swift

Applies to the Apple family only

The biggest drawback to Swift, (and indeed a big drawback!) Is that you can only use Swift to program Apple products. Unlike languages ​​like JavaScript, Java, Python, etc. that are for different platforms.

It is still young and young

it is true that this can not be a drawback, but for example JavaScript has been on the market since 1995 and Swift since 2014. However, Swift as a The programming language is younger than other languages.

The community of developers and supporters is small

According to a poll on the popular Stack Overflow site, only 6.6% of the 87,000 developers say they use Swift. So we are on the side of a smaller community, and fewer people can come to the rescue when a problem arises.

What is React Native?

React Native is a solution and framework for designing and building mobile applications without operating system dependence. Normally, if you want to have a mobile application for Android and iOS, you have to create two separate applications with different technologies. For example, use Java and Android Studio to develop Android applications, and use Swift and Xcode to build iOS-based applications. React Native is made by Facebook and has tried to make it easier. This framework is based on the JavaScript programming language and helps you to get output for different platforms such as Android and iOS with one design and coding.

Benefits of React Native

High speed code writing

One of the major benefits of React Native is the use of a large number of ready-made components, which greatly reduces the development time of the final product. In one experiment, they built two very similar applications with Swift and React Native, and the result was that React Native developed 33% less time than Swift. So using React Native greatly speeds up the process.

Output for multiple platforms

With the help of React Native, you can output for Android and iOS. This saves running costs for the project, as you can use a React Native programmer instead of hiring multiple developers to build Android and iOS apps.

It has high and good execution speed

Most people believe that using React Native instead of Swift can reduce the efficiency of the application in the iOS version. It is true that using JavaScript is not as fast as writing in Native, but in most cases there is not much difference between the output. In complex applications, you may experience a drop in performance, which is a solution. You can use Native modules in these sections.

It has a large community of developers

React Native is an open source framework based on the JavaScript language, and different people play a role in enlarging it. If the programmer has a problem, he can discuss the issue with other programmers and find a suitable solution. In 2020, according to Stack Overflow statistics, about 50,000 React Native developers are present in this system and are eager to help solve various problems.

Continuous and regular updates

React Native regularly updates the components and fixes bugs and errors. Of course, this is sometimes considered a weakness. Because the developer has to update his application regularly and it will take a lot of energy and time.

Disadvantages of React Native

Complexities and problems with debugging: Since React Native is a relatively new framework and its developer community has not yet grown to the size of PHP, for example, it may be difficult for programmers to troubleshoot some of the operations in this framework.

App Store Publishing Problems

You must meet certain standards to publish your React Native app in the App Store. Otherwise your application will not be published. Undoubtedly, there is no such problem in Swift, which is made by Apple.

Design complexities

Both Android and iOS platforms have different recommendations for designing applications in their operating system. That’s why building a good quality user interface in React Native is a bit difficult.

Documentation Swift and React Native

Both Swift and React Native are backed by the world’s tech giants and used by leading brands. Swift was created by Apple and React Native was created by Facebook. Given the powerful builders behind the two platforms, we expect strong documentation that this is what has happened. At the beginning, programmers can start learning in a simple way by visiting the manufacturer’s sites. For this reason, it will be relatively easy to learn the basics and begin with these platforms.

Are apps designed with Swift always better than React Native?

React Native is powered by a flexible programming language called JavaScript. The final output of your work with React Native will not be a Native application. In other words, this framework prepares application logic with the help of various APIs and libraries. For a better understanding, you can consider React Native as an interface between the JavaScript language and your application.

On the other hand, Swift builds a Native application for you and uses all the capabilities of the operating system in the best possible way. As we said a while ago, sometimes working with Swift is much more efficient and the output is better. For example, when working with graphic effects or doing heavy and complex processing. So we can conclude that for large and heavy projects the choice of Swift can be more logical. Of course, we reiterate that the abilities of the programmer play a vital and important role. Think about what percentage of Swift developers are professional enough to design the app in the best and most optimal way possible.

Is Swift programmers paid more or React Native?

Saving costs and reducing them is one of the most important concerns of businesses. Definitely, after choosing the desired platform, you would like to see which one costs you less. According to various surveys of recruitment sites, we found that the income of Swift and React Native developers is almost the same. Of course, the scales weigh a bit on Swift, and Swift programmers earn a little more.

Of course, do not forget that this estimate is quite limited and a programmer’s income is determined by various parameters such as his technical and soft skills, work experience, strong resume and many other issues. If you have a personal or small project, you will not feel much difference in cost with choosing Swift or React Native. But if you are building a complex application with a lot of manpower, using React Native will probably be cheaper for you.

A real example of a comparison between Swift and React Native

Usually between beginner programmers and sometimes intermediate and professional programmers, the question arises which programming language is better? Or which framework is the best? Although these questions are fundamentally problematic and should be asked in a different way, to compare the two technologies (programming language, framework, tools, etc.) it is better to go to the services with which they were built. To compare Swift and React Native, we went to the Facebook version of Facebook and the iOS version of LinkedIn.

Both introduced applications (Facebook and LinkedIn) are crowded social networks with a large amount of information and data and perform heavy processing. These two programs have many similarities. For example, both are responsible for displaying content, messaging and messaging, display ads, and so on.

In the reviews, LinkedIn is slightly weaker than Facebook in terms of processing and analysis. It is also less visually appealing than Facebook. Of course, this is more about UI and user interface design than server-side technologies and programming. Design is also a matter of taste. But LinkedIn performance is slightly different from Facebook in terms of processing. In this example we can conclude that JavaScript-based technologies perform better than Native languages ​​when we want to display multiple contents.

Concluding remarks comparing Swift and React Native

Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives. One study found that about 80% of people check their cell phone up to 15 minutes after waking up. Even before watering or brushing their face! That’s why businesses and developers are more interested in building mobile apps than ever before.

The JavaScript programming language has been active in the field of web for more than twenty years and helps to animate web pages. Over the years, JavaScript has grown exponentially and entered many fields. Today, it is safe to say that a JavaScript programmer can build almost any tool he wants. React Native is one of the most powerful and attractive derivatives of this programming language, which is a solution for developing mobile applications.

There are many benefits to using Swift. This programming language leaves the developer completely free to use all the features of the iOS operating system and greatly increases the efficiency of work. On the other hand, React Native is cheaper and is a common platform for Android and iOS operating systems. Perhaps one of the most important advantages is that the developer can get output for both iOS and Android. A feature not available in Swift.

Because mobile application development is expensive and has its own challenges. It is better to get familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of Swift and React Native technologies before starting the design and programming of iOS-based applications. In this article, we compare Swift and React Native from different dimensions such as implementation speed, efficiency, support, developer community, and development costs. What do you think as a programmer and developer? Did you have experience working with these two technologies? Which do you recommend to your fellow programmers? Swift or React Native?