Today’s mobile application development world is incredibly diverse. You can find an app for everything, from healthcare services to food delivery. That also means that there are countless ways to build an application. It would be difficult to count all the frameworks, languages, and architectures available to modern-day developers. However, there is no use in denying that this world is ruled by two mobile app development giants— iOS and Android. That means that if you want to enter the world of mobile development, you will probably need to familiarize yourself with the inner workings of those operating systems, including the programming languages used to create applications for both of them. {{ "title": "Write ChilliCode", "description": "To help you acknowledge your business needs and decide whether IT services will work for you, I’ve sorted out a list of cases.", "buttonText": "Contact us" }} Today, you will learn everything you need about Swift and Kotlin, two languages that took the app development world by storm. This article will compare Kotlin vs Swift to help you choose the language that best fits your needs. Kotlin: The Concise Language Kotlin is an open-source programming language that replaced Java as the official language for Google and Android app development. It was created by a group of developers at JetBrains in 2011, who set the goal of meeting the newly emerging demands of the expanding world of mobile application development. Kotlin was designed to combine the speed and features that other programming languages at the time lacked. While Java remains a trendy option for app development, Kotlin is used just as widely. Kotlin is a statically typed, object-oriented programming language that supports the functional programming paradigm. Compared to Java, it has several improved features, such as an easy-to-read syntax, type inference, and null safety. That said, Kotlin is perfectly compatible with Java and other languages that run on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Kotlin is also suitable for server-side and full-stack web development and data analysis. In addition, this language can also be compiled into JavaScript due to the latter’s dynamic typing. Kotlin: Advantages Readability With Kotlin, you will not need to deal with syntactic redundancy. Reducing boilerplate allows developers to increase their productivity and decrease the time spent writing repetitive code. Interoperability One main feature that drives developers to Kotlin is its compatibility with Java. Kotlin code can be accessed by Java quickly and seamlessly because they both run on the JVM. For example, Kotlin classes can be called from Java and vice versa. Kotlin code can also be compiled into JavaScript to spot errors before running it, which helps decrease coding time significantly (this practice is often called just-in-time compilation). Safety and Security Kotlin has enhanced null safety, a fundamental characteristic of object-oriented languages. An object reference with a null value can lead to severe errors and complicate debugging. While Java famously suffers from this issue, Kotlin managed to avoid it. Unlike its precursor, where any reference can have a null value, Kotlin only has one specific kind of reference that can be null. In addition, this programming language has safe call operators that prevent the execution of an action when a reference has a null value, making dealing with references that could be nullled easier. Resources Android has various tools to help developers make the most of their code. For example, Android Jetpack is a collection of tools, libraries, and frameworks explicitly tailor-made for Android developers. In particular, Android KTX, which is a library that is a part of Android Jetpack, offers a set of extensions that make the already concise Kotlin code more efficient. Community While still a relatively young language, Kotlin has a robust and active community of developers who contribute to its development and popularization. Kotlin developers talk to each other on platforms like Slack and Reddit, teach courses, write books, and present their innovative solutions at conferences worldwide. Kotlin is a language not going anywhere anytime soon, with an estimated five million programmers worldwide. Learning curve While Kotlin has many things that differentiate it from most other programming languages, it is easy to learn for the first time. Plus, someone with a background in Java development will probably have an effortless and fun time mastering Kotlin. Kotlin: Disadvantages Compilation time While Kotlin was initially designed to achieve Java's compilation speeds, many believe it does not compare. Compiling larger projects can take Kotlin a significant amount of time. Integrating Mobile App Development Tools With Kotlin Here are some mobile application development tools you can integrate with Kotlin. Android Studio Android Studio is the leading integrated development environment (IDE) for Android app development. Since it is specifically tailored to the needs of Android developers, it offers features like built-in support for the Google Cloud Platform and templates of commonly used designs that developers can reference when creating mobile apps. IntelliJ Idea IntelliJ Idea is another popular IDE. Like Kotlin, it was created by JetBrains. It supports a large number of languages and frameworks, offers coding assistance, and has a variety of embedded tools. Eclipse IDE Eclipse IDE is the second most used integrated development environment for Java development and supports various programming languages, including Kotlin. The built-in Kotlin plugin enables developers to work on their Kotlin projects within the Eclipse environment without any issues. Android KTX As we said before, Android KTX is a set of tools in Android Jetpack. It offers extensions specifically created to make Kotlin development more efficient. Jetpack Compose Jetpack Compose is a toolkit developed by Google to help Kotlin Android developers design native user interfaces (UI) with less boilerplate code. Swift: The Safe Language Apple created Swift in 2014 to replace Objective-C as the golden standard for macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and iOS development. Like Kotlin, Swift's source code is available online for free. Swift is an object-oriented language with functions that allow developers to implement the functional programming paradigm. Swift became the most popular option for developers creating applications for Apple devices soon after its release because of its concise syntax and wide variety of features. LinkedIn, Lyft, and WordPress are some of the most well-known apps written in Swift. Since anyone can contribute to developing this programming language, it constantly improves and gains new features. One of the main features of Swift is its emphasis on safety and security. Features like automatic memory management, void safety, and bounds checking are responsible for forestalling crashes and preventing errors. Swift is flexible and can become a powerful tool in the hands of an experienced developer. It has all the features necessary to build apps of any complexity without exhausting the resources. Swift: Advantages Development speed Swift is one of the highest-performing programming languages, making creating an iOS app incredibly easy. Apple states that developing with Switch is 2.6 times faster than developing with Objective-C, its forerunner. Safety and Security Another way Swift achieves high performance levels is by implementing innovative security measures. For example, it makes initializing a variable and checking arrays and integers before use is straightforward. Thanks to its impeccable error-handling support, Swift takes care of potential exceptions at run time, letting developers throw, catch, propagate, and manipulate errors. In addition, objects in this programming language cannot have a null value (or be ‘nil,’ as they are denoted in Swift), and the Swift compiler will not hesitate to remind you of that. Community Swift continuously ranks as one of the most used iOS languages. The community of developers who use the Swift programming language is constantly growing, with new tools and solutions appearing regularly. Playgrounds Playgrounds is a unique feature of Swift that lets developers run experiments without inflicting fundamental changes to their main code and see results immediately. Memory management As mentioned, Swift uses an automatic memory management system called Automatic Reference Counting (ARC). Swift developers do not have to worry about their app’s memory usage because this built-in feature does it for them. Interoperability The Swift programming language is highly interoperable with Objective-C and specific features of C++, meaning files written in Swift code can be effectively used together with files in other languages within one project. For example, a developer can code an iOS app in Objective-C and switch to Swift anytime to add more features. Learning curve Swift is the perfect language for beginner programmers. Its legible syntax can be an excellent option for people who want to embark on their first journey into iOS development. Swift: Disadvantages While Swift is a reasonably popular language, due to its young age, there are still not as many third-party tools available for it. Backward compatibility The backward compatibility issue is one of the main differences between Kotlin and Swift. Since the Swift language has so many contributors, it has to be frequently updated to include their additions. While many Swift developers find this exciting, it can also be an inconvenience. Developers often encounter problems when trying to reuse their old Swift code for new projects. Interoperability and support While Swift is compatible with languages like C++ and Objective-C, there is still a long way to go. In addition, Swift could be better for cross-platform development and lose to other languages in that regard. Integrating Mobile App Development Tools With Kotlin Swift has a variety of tools to assist programmers with the development process. Here are some of them: SwiftUI SwiftUI is a declarative formatting tool that can be used to build native Apple apps with dynamic user interfaces. SwiftLint SwiftLint is a tool that helps automatically check Swift code for style and conventions to maintain its quality and readability. Sourcery Sourcery makes the jobs of Swift developers easier by generating boilerplate code in places where it is necessary. BartyCrouch Named after a multilingual Harry Potter character, BartyCrouch is a localization tool for adapting applications to different regions and languages. Kotlin vs Swift: Differences and Similarities We have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Swift and Kotlin programming languages. If for some reason Swift doesn’t seem like a worthy alternative to Kotlin for you, you can always dive deeper into Kotlin’s and Flutter’s comparison. Speaking of Kotlin and Swift specifically, we need to compare them to understand which language is better suited for your specific project. Language Swift Kotlin Developers Apple JetBrains Release date 2014 2011 Official IDE Xcode Android Studio Virtual Machine No virtual machine needed Java Virtual Machine (JVM) Interoperability Limited interoperability Highly interoperable Language type Statically typed, compiled, object-oriented, functional Statically typed, object-oriented Primarily used for Native development for Apple platforms Android app development, server-side development, web development Price Open-source Open-source Community Active community of contributors Active and growing community Safety and security Enhanced safety, optionals, automatic memory management with Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) Enhanced safety, safe call operators Examples Airbnb, Linkedin, Uber, Slack Coursera, Pinterest, Duolingo, Uber, Slack Now that we have compared Swift and Kotlin, the differences between the two languages are apparent. They primarily lie in which platforms they are best used for, how they interact with other programming languages, and how they handle code execution, memory management, etc. Still, these languages share many similarities, making choosing one or another for your project difficult. Conclusions: Choosing the perfect language for your application In this article, we have discussed the differences and similarities between Swift and Kotlin. Now, it is time to decide which one you should choose for your project. The question of Kotlin vs Swift has to be approached responsibly, as it will determine the future of your application. When selecting between Swift and Kotlin, you have to consider the future of both languages in mobile app development, their performance, and the features they offer. Kotlin and Swift have a robust community of developers who work together to improve the language. In addition, Apple proudly calls Swift its official language and actively promotes it. Kotlin does not hold the same role in the Android app development community. While there is no denying its growing popularity, Kotlin still loses to Java, considered the staple language for applications that run on the Android operating system. When choosing between Kotlin and Swift, you need to consider which features offered by these languages your project will require. Both Swift and Kotlin have concise syntax and allow developers to minimize the need for boilerplate code. Kotlin and Swift's languages also have advanced automated memory management systems: Kotlin uses the Garbage Collection Approach (GCA), while Swift opts for Automatic reference counting (ARC). In terms of error handling, Kotlin and Swift demonstrate impressive efficiency. For example, both have enhanced null safety, significantly reducing errors and accelerating development. sub Kotlin and Swift can help you make your application available on many platforms. However, Kotlin is considerably more well-versed in that regard. It is also compatible with more programming languages, meaning developers can use code they have previously written in other languages to be more productive and efficient. As you can see, Kotlin and Swift offer several features necessary to create high-performing mobile apps. Both Swift and Kotlin have great potential for growth and future improvement. When considering the benefits of using Kotlin and Swift for your project, you must remember your goals and specific requirements for your future application. Feel free to ask professional mobile app developers for advice when in doubt.
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