iPhone owners have better salaries and spend more on in-app purchases, which describes their choice, according to statistics. As a result, today, for iOS app development we will compare React Native with Swift. Since monetization is the primary goal of any app development, it makes sense that businesses choose to create an iOS app first. While computer professionals discuss iOS app development, they are often mentioning Swift, a programming language that allows developers to build native iOS apps. Even though React Native is a well-known Javascript framework for building platform-independent mobile apps. In this blog, we’ll compare Swift and React Native for iOS development, know about their advantages and disadvantages, and their primary features and applications.
What is React Native Framework?
Native apps are designed for a single operating system. React Native is a Javascript framework to develop online applications that are both simple to use and powerful. Additionally, learning this language is simple, and various types of new tools have been made available since the first language was launched in 1995. You have to code for both android and iOS simultaneously, to create two native apps. React Native is a wonderful tool for creating complex cross-platform apps. When you are making large-scale and famous products, think about using React Native. It contains detailed documentation and excellent technical support. React Native is a good choice when you reuse code between desktop and web apps.
Advantages:
Time Management:
React Native is operating system agnostic, which significantly shortens the development cycle and time to market. This is achieved by writing a single piece of code that can be utilized for both platforms with several native changes.
Smaller group:
Instead of two separate development teams, one Javascript team is enough to work on iOS and android by making one software. While two teams work on two apps simultaneously, you will also avoid the time delays that often occur. Finally, eliminates complications with handling all work by a single team. And also while one of the team members is sick, their colleague can quickly work on it.
Library support is extensive:
React Native offers nearly 33,000 libraries and packages, but a similar search engine on the Swift website reveals only 3,800. It proves the community’s wish to participate, while the quantity alone doesn’t assure the language or the quality of the system. This loyalty is needed for any technology’s advancement.
High-level Automation:
Software development contains more than just writing code. It also contains testing, releasing, and bug fixing. Developers try to automate these operations to rush the process and decrease repetition. To do the hardest tasks, you may use third-party services like Bitrise, AppCenter, Amplify, and others with React Native.
The way to Nativeness:
You can use this cross-platform technology to create some app elements and save money, even though you can’t make a React Native iPhone app that is 100% native to iOS. While enabling React Native to low performance-impacting features, you can use native tools to build important components. In less time, you’ll be able to deliver a more cost-effective native app.
Disadvantages:
Performance:
Cross-platform solutions are always less than native programs when it comes to performance and speed. React Native applications are taking up more space on smartphones and giving the worst user experience to the customers. When talking about high-dynamic products like games, this issue becomes applicable.
Testing takes longer:
Testing in Native takes longer when compared to Swift, even though designing apps with React Native is faster due to a single code source. As mistakes are more likely to surface on both platforms, React Native apps demand accuracy and more effort when it comes to testing.
What is Swift?
Swift is a compiled programming language developed by Apple for creating native iOS apps. The language has quickly obtained familiarity in mobile app development, even though it is just seven years old. Swift was accepted by companies that previously used Objective-C for app development because of its convenience, accuracy, and simplicity.
The main goal of creating Swift is to attract more developers to develop iOS and macOS. Swift is significantly simpler than Objective-C, enabling developers to utilize native hardware features and create feature-rich, high-quality apps. By integrating camera, GPS, Bluetooth, and features, companies can design more advanced solutions using Apple software.
Advantages:
Speed:
Swift is 2.6 times faster than its predecessor, Objective-C, according to the official Apple website. Swift has a short syntax and utilizes the LLVM tool to directly arrange code to machine code. As the name of the language recommends, Swift boosts the development process.
Readability:
Syntax of the language is more clear and easier to understand, and it is more readable than others. Developers also require few lines of code to create functional software, which minimizes time to market.
Safety:
Since Swift Mobile development contains type-safe capabilities, it is less prone to mistakes. As developers type, this enables them to notice possible code problems and prevents them from presenting errors into code execution. Moreover, Swift describes all memory accesses automatically, protecting the program from crashing.
Stability of ABI:
ABI(Application Binary Interface) stability has been introduced by the Swift 5 version of the language. It addressed a significant issue. Several functionalities would break every time a new version of the language was released, without this capability. Developers tried to interconnect it into an existing application. This is blocked by ABI stability, which ensures that all language versions are convenient with one another.
User Encounter:
Swift applications take less time to install and demand less memory storage on the device, as they are less weight. To give developers broader access to the device’s functionalities, the language was created clearly for native iOS programming. As a result, you will be able to design apps that are more attractive to users and function better.
Xcode:
Swift is a programming language while Xcode is an integrated development environment(IDE) that helps you in great app development. Xcode is applicable for native iOS app development with Swift. Both technologies are working together to help you for creating apps for macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and iOS. To reach more users, you can also create Linux and Windows programs.
Disadvantages:
Swift takes a long way to make a strong community and valuable libraries and packages. Conversely, the language has obtained more recognition from the mobile app development community. It is defined as one of the best languages for app development. Even though if you select Swift, you may require to spend more time recruiting experienced specialists, mostly when comparing.
Which platform is the best? React Native vs. Swift
Cost-efficiency:
Two things that decide development costs are the developer’s compensation and the overall time of the development project. The average yearly compensation for a Javascript developer is around $80k but for Swift $100k. Based on the above compensation assumptions, to achieve equivalence cost-efficiency, Swift coding needs to be 23% faster than Javascript development. However, React Native has the advantage of building android and iOS apps using the same code. When comes to cost-effectiveness, React Native is the victor of an app project for android and iOS.
It’s market time:
When designing web apps, React Native uses Javascript’s power and simplicity. The language is easy to learn, and the resources of multiple developers are available online. All of these components combine to make React Native development faster. The resources are minimal to Swift developers. Most of the tries would have to start over. On the other side, since Swift is based on the well-known Objective-C programming, it is quick. As is easy to use, it is the most suitable solution for iOS app development.
Overview of programming languages:
The distinguished JavaScript programming language is used for creating React Native. Multiple frameworks, adding React, use JavaScript to make dynamic websites and web apps. On the other side, Swift was developed as a multi-purpose compiled programming language cooperating with the open-source community. Swift is the growth of Apple’s Objective-C programming language.
UI Evaluation:
React Native’s UI components look like those in native apps. Because React Native handles native details. so that, app components should be updated anytime the OS of the platform is upgraded. Moreover, this feature can crash the app’s UI when there is a mortal issue. If developers need to employ a consistent UI across all devices and OS versions, material design components should be accessed through third-party libraries.
The learning curve:
React Native uses the popular JavaScript programming language. As a result, JavaScript programmers may get started with React Native quickly. Apple created Swift as a strong and easy-to-learn programming language. New developers may quickly get up and running with Swift, thanks to Apple’s hallmark gorgeous UI and simplicity.
Performance:
React Native offers a technique to add native programming into apps because implementing graphical effects is inconvenient. This method allows the developer to make multiple types of assets and tools to support the product development process. Swift apps perform well when compared to apps built with frameworks. When Swift apps take more processor power, their performance is better than React Native apps.
Conclusion:
Finally, React Native is more excellent than Sift/native to develop iOS apps. The React Native development environment is less crowded and easier to work with compared to designing a native app using Xcode. In React Native, there is a library of pre-built and community-built components that more than the need, to build and control UI elements. It is easy to manipulate the layout with Flexbox rather than the selective and thick Interface Builder in Xcode. Additionally, It is preferable to use JSX for linking UI elements to application logic rather than manually pulling a reference from UI elements to a controller file in Xcode.
