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Swift vs Objective-C: What is the Best Language for iOS Development?

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Vlad Dm
Swift vs Objective-C: What is the Best Language for iOS Development?

Swift and Objective-C comparison: Which one and when to apply it in projects?

There is a big scope of factors developers should pay attention to when selecting a programming language. However, remember that a lot depends on your coding preferences, experience, and the project itself.
 
 
So, you should delve into the peculiar requirements of your project, as well as its size and deadline. Never underestimate the challenges you may be faced with and always consider your experience, preferences, and team.

Deadline

Writing an app in a new or unfamiliar language also involves some risks. Mainly, they are connected with the quality of the final product and the time needed to implement it. That being said, if you have a very tight deadline you should think twice before choosing Swift language if you and your team is not experienced enough working with it, as well as consider Swift disadvantages.
Talking about those projects with the adequate timeline or even without any set deadlines, you should definitely take advantages of Swift programming language. This language has only existed for about three years but has already been recognized by world-known companies and developers over the globe. So, projects with ample time for development are the perfect chance to start applying Swift and get a lot of practical experience.
The point also is that Apple will not stop Swift development. It will be get better and better with every single update.

Teamwork

In case you are not working on a project alone, it is reasonable to ask your teammates for their opinions. For example, if your team consists of strong Objective-C developers and not all of them are good at Swift, there are no reasons to start applying iOS Swift code to projects before they improve their skills.
Even if it seems like the perfect moment for starting to code a Swift app, disagreements inside the team may lead to serious consequences that will not be beneficial for anybody. Not to mention technical issues.

Project size

Why Swift language is appropriate for small projects? Due to the fact it is a new coding language, even change to minor versions can bring a necessity to adapt the current Swift code to some new idioms and syntaxes that were added to the new version. So in small projects, in contrary to big ones, the changes in code will be minimal.
Of course, Xcode provides developers with tools that are able to convert the code of an older Swift version to the new one. However, the tools cannot trace everything and in many cases, automatic conversion is impossible or incorrect due to the lack of code knowledge.
Why learn Swift: Popularity
Popularity of Swift is rising

Technical points

One of Swift disadvantages from a technical point of view is the absence of C++ import into the files written in Swift. So, you have to get through Objective-C or Objective-C++ wrapper classes creation. This way, if you are going to use a lot of C++ libraries, Objective-C will meet your needs better.
 
Another unpleasant reality concerning Swift is that it only supports iOS 7 or higher, Mac OS 10.9 or higher along with all watchOS and tvOS versions. So, if your project requires the support of lower platform versions - welcome to the Objective-C world.
 
Objective-C vs Swift comparison
Swift vs Objective-C comparison graph
 
Read why you should learn Swift in full article What is the Best Language for iOS Development?
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