There is an ongoing dilemma between React Native and Swift for iOS development. Both of them are two agile technologies that developers use to create mobile applications. Though Swift is generally the better choice for iOS development, and React Native is used for developing cross-platform apps.
But, still, in a few cases, React Native wins the competition of React Native Vs Swift, depending on the platform’s requirements. You can select React Native if you want cost-effective and quick mobile app development. Otherwise, you can go with Swift if you do not have budget constraints. However, here we have mentioned some parameters and factors that will help you to pick the most appropriate technology for iOS development.
An Introduction to React Native
React Native is a prevalent JavaScript programming framework that developers use to create native mobile apps for Android and iOS. It is straightforward to learn and highly portable, as React Native is built on JavaScript. However, if you are new to the technology, you must know there is a difference between React and React Native. So, do not get confused between the two.
It is a simple yet robust working tool for developing web applications. With the help of React Native, developers can write code for both iOS and Android platforms. It is one of the preferable choices for creating complicated cross-platform applications.
So, consider choosing React Native if you plan a popular, large-scale product. It offers high-tech support and extensive documentation. However, if you plan to reuse code for your web and desktop app, go with React Native.
An Introduction to Swift
Swift is a compiled and modern programming language that has gained popularity. Apple developed it, and the developers of the open-source community created iOS mobile applications for Apple devices. Swift is a general-purpose and multi-paradigm programming language. Developers can create iOS applications for macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and more.
The primary aim of this programming language is to get more attention from iOS mobile app developers. As Swift offers expressive and concise syntaxes, its programming interface is very interactive. Initially, it came to the market as an alternative to Objective-C, which was used to be a programming language for Apple. Hence, the process of developing code is convenient and has zero loopholes. It offers the easiest and most convenient way to build iOS apps.
Detailed Comparison Between the React Native and Swift
The main difference between React Native and Swift is that Swift is an excellent choice for developing iOS applications, while React Native is the perfect pick for cross-app development. However, there are other differences as well which we will discuss below. This detailed comparison will help you select the suitable one for iOS app development.
Performance
The overall performance of both Swift and React Native depends on several factors, such as CPU consumption, GPU factors, memory usage, etc. However, if we talk about the tests, React Native will beat Swift on GPU speed and memory usage.
On the other hand, Swift performs better in CPU consumption. Additionally, developers can use multiple tools for the tasks and embed the native codes easily in React Native applications. So, all in all, we can say that React Native performs better than Swift.
User Interface
The developers can effortlessly build visually appealing apps and incredible UIs for the iOS platforms using Swift. Moreover, with the help of SwiftUI, developers can deliver a fully native and improved user experience.
If we talk about React Native, this framework uses JavaScript libraries to create user interfaces. The experts can develop platform-centric components quickly to offer a native-like experience. With declarative UI and JavaScript, the components of React wrap the native code and interact with the native APIs. Hence, developing great UI with JavaScript is simple but challenging to cope with the updates and advancements in a native environment.
Speed of the Coding
JavaScript has been in the technology market for several years as it supports React Native. It is a programming language that has gained immense popularity because of its simple learning curve. It is a popular choice for developers as it also supports multiple tools. Therefore, the experts find it pretty straightforward to learn and develop a codebase in React Native compared to Swift.
However, Swift developers can create the native iOS mobile application conventionally. As Swift came into the market as an alternative to Objective C, it made the processor very smooth while reducing the drawbacks.
Stability
Swift powers each possibility of the platform to develop native mobile apps. It beats React Native when managing extensive visual effects and heavy tasks. Hence, Swift offers improved stability to the iOS platforms.
On the flip side, many developers do not prefer to use React Native for developing native applications. The main concentration of React Native is to make applications run smoothly using internal APIs and libraries. It indicates that there will be multiple layers in the development process which will make the application unstable.
Learning Curve
Experienced developers find it straightforward to develop iOS apps in React Native. But, the development process of a web application is different from app development. Hence, they often find it challenging to work with React Native. Though, it offers extensive libraries and multiple detailed documents that help the developers to learn the language.
On the other hand, Swift has a steep learning curve. Apple has already released official documents to help the experts to learn the language, its feature, and fundamentals. Besides that, Swift offers an outstanding feature named Swift Playground that will smooth the learning curve. So, now, experts with zero technical knowledge can learn the language.
Availability and Cost of the Developers
As JavaScript is one of the popular languages in the community of developers, it will be easy for you to find JavaScript developers. On the other hand, as Swift is comparatively new in the market, the chances of getting Swift developers are low.
However, hiring React Native developer will cost you less than Swift developers. There are a few Swift developers in the market, so you need to pay higher prices for them. So, if you do not have budget constraints, you can hire Swift developers for iOS app development.
Conclusion
React Native and Swift are famous and excellent technologies that you can use to develop iOS apps with advanced features. However, in a nutshell, hire React Native developers if you want to develop cross-platform apps and want a framework that will offer quick app deployment. On the other hand, go for Swift if you wish to develop iOS systems and create attractive and elegant UI/UX.
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