Swift VS React Native – Differences to Know

One of the most prevalent and challenging questions for a business entering the Mobile Application market is “whether to go with native mobile app development or cross-platform mobile app development?” Native mobile apps require the development of a single app for a single target platform. For example, iOS applications need to be built using Swift, while Android applications need to be developed using Java. Cross-platform applications use an intermediary language like React Native and are deployed to the iOS and Android platforms. Although Android has more than 70% of the market, Apple has 1.5 times as many applications as Google Play. And the reason for that is that iOS Application owners earn more than Android Application owners. And that’s why here we are comparing the Swift and React Native platforms for mobile applications.

What is Swift

Swift is an Apple-created compiled programming language designed exclusively for developing iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and Apple-powered devices. Although the language is just 7 years old, it has already gained significant interest in iOS app development. Businesses that previously developed apps in Objective-C migrated to Swift to take advantage of its flexibility, conciseness, and simplicity. Swift’s major purpose is to increase developer interest in iOS development services. The programming interface is interactive because Swift has simple and expressive syntaxes.

The Advantages of Swift

Speed

According to Apple’s official website, Swift is 2.5 times quicker than Objective-C. Swift features a precise and clear syntax that compiles code directly to machine code using the LLVM tool. As implied by the name of the programming language, Swift speeds up the app development process.

Scalability

Swift developers may add any new functionality quickly. Consequently, these apps are often easier to scale than React Native apps. Moreover, Swift 5 brought Binary Interface stability to the programming language and resolved a major challenge. Without this functionality, if a new version of the language was released and developers attempted to incorporate it into an existing application, some functionalities would crash. This is prevented by ABI stability, which assures that all language versions are compatible with one another.

User Experience

Lightweight Swift programs require less time to install and use less storage capacity on the device. The language was also designed with native iOS development in mind, offering developers greater access to the capabilities of the native device. Therefore, Swift-powered applications will appear and perform better.

Speed and Performance

Swift was developed to replace the Objective-C programming language, and its essential factors include improved performance and increased safety. In fact, Swift was first marketed as having 40% more performance, and several studies have supported this statement.

The Limitations of Swift

Limited Talent

Despite Swift’s rapid expansion, the language has a very small number of developers compared to other programming languages. It might be challenging to hire a Swift developer.

Only available on Apple OS platforms

Since it is a native platform, Swift can only be used to develop native applications for Apple devices. Therefore, if someone wants to develop a mobile application for both iOS and Android, they need to develop two separate applications.

Popular Swift Applications

Slack

LinkedIn

WhatsApp

What is React Native

Facebook built React Native as an open-source framework for developing native iOS and Android mobile applications with JavaScript. Live reloading is a fundamental feature of React Native. It allows developers to make dynamic and rapid modifications. The React Native framework provides a native experience since it integrates seamlessly with the current codebase. Furthermore, developing cross-platform applications is less expensive and faster, allowing you to enter the market sooner.

The Advantages of React Native

Require a smaller team

By developing a single application for both iOS and Android, you can use a single JavaScript team instead of two native development teams. One can also avoid the timing conflicts that frequently arise when two teams create two applications simultaneously. Having a single team perform all the work minimizes problems when a developer has any unavoidable circumstances, as his or her colleagues can readily pick up the slack.

Community Support

React Native contains almost 10 times more libraries and packages than Swift. Though the quantity alone does not ensure the quality of the language or structure, it does demonstrate the community’s dedication and willingness to participate. This dedication is essential for the advancement of any technology.

Easy to update Live Application

React Native makes adding new functionality to existing apps very simple. It is sufficient to inject the UI components into an existing application without changing the complete application. This feature is useful for extending an app’s functionality without totally rebuilding it.

Cost

Even though you cannot develop an entirely native iOS app using React Native, you may save money by developing portions of the app utilizing this cross-platform technology. Using React Native, you can design critical components with native tools and less performance-impacting features. This allows you to offer a native application in less time and at a lower cost.

The Limitations of React Native

Dependency on Native

To develop functions not supported by React Native, developers must still return to native modules. The native modules integrate the native code with the React Native code. When developing a React Native app, you must continue to know native code. If not, you will require the help of a native developer.

Performance

Cross-platform solutions are usually inferior to native applications in terms of speed and performance. React Native applications require additional storage on the device and, on average, provide a poorer user experience. However, this issue is only significant when considering highly dynamic applications such as video games.

Popular React Native Applications

Facebook

Instagram

Walmart

React Native VS Swift

The key distinction between React Native and Swift is that React Native can build mobile applications for several platforms, including iOS and Android, whereas Swift is exclusive to Apple devices. Therefore, if you are only developing an application for Apple devices, Swift may be your best option. It offers you access to the most recent technological advancements and allows you to better use client devices and operating system characteristics. Nevertheless, it might be challenging to find Swift developers.

Performance

While comparing performance, Swift is in the lead because native development is nearly always preferable to cross-platform development in terms of performance. Swift has a significant advantage over its competitors, especially in dynamic and graphic effects-heavy apps. Since building graphical effects with React Native is difficult, the framework provides a means of integrating native code into apps. This methodology enables the developer to produce a variety of assets and tools for development activities. Swift Apps take a pretty significant amount of CPU power, although their performance is superior to that of React Native apps.

Cost-efficiency

Two elements that affect development expenses are the developer’s rate and development time. By comparing the hourly rates of React Native developers and Swift developers, one can easily conclude that mobile applications built using React Native are cost-efficient. Moreover, it significantly reduces the development time as JavaScript code can be used for both iOS and Android applications.

User Interface

Swift was created by Apple Inc. for developing native applications on its own platform. Therefore, it utilizes UX concepts and merges iOS User Interface designs effortlessly. React Native UI elements resemble those of native applications. As React Native manages native components, app components must be upgraded anytime a platform’s operating system is upgraded. The disadvantage of this functionality is that the application’s user interface may crash in the event of a fatal error.

Learning Curve

React Native utilizes the well-established programming language JavaScript. Therefore, JavaScript developers may easily start developing apps with React Native. Apple designed Swift to be a powerful and easy-to-learn programming language. It uses Apple’s trademark attractive UI and simplicity, allowing new developers to immediately become creative with Swift.

This competition between Swift and React Native may be viewed as a conflict between cross-platform and native development. Both languages are capable of enabling the development of iOS applications with outstanding features. The decision between React Native and Swift is influenced by a variety of criteria, including the type of application, the duration of the project, and the budget. Your project’s needs are an essential factor to consider when choosing the appropriate development platform. For instance, if you have a limited budget or need to develop an application with a quick turn-around time, you can choose React Native. While, if you are looking for dynamic application with visual effects such as gaming applications, you must choose the Swift. Consult Appsvolt for your Mobile Application idea, and our experienced consulting team will help you choose the best platform for your application.