Swift vs React Native: Things One Should Know

By Alexander Joe

When it is necessary to develop an application for iOS, people tend to face the first issue – they need to decide which platform is better to choose. Even though Swift is regarded as the best option, they may opt for React Native in some cases. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the distinction between Swift vs React Native.

In this article, we are going to get acquainted with both benefits and drawbacks of the two platforms, along with other valuable information.

Swift: Description, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Swift was developed by Apple, and it is an intuitive programming language. Since its launch in 2014, it has been working with Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks.

The platform also supports the Objective-C code, which was developed for Apple devices, including iPadOS, macOS, etc. Swift is the best thing you can find for projects, the infrastructure of which is complex and requires both native features and in-app payment.

Hence, the first difference between Swift+React Native is that the first one is ideal for applications that require complex integrations.

Now, it is time to see what advantages Swift obtains:

  • Accessible coding. It is a programming language, which is available to anyone and distributed on Apache License at the moment;
  • It allows developers to handle errors. Swift obtains a great typing and error-handling system, which helps them to avoid code crashes and errors;
  • Less coding. The platform is quite concise, and it implies that less code is required for the same task. It is another difference between Swift+React Native.
  • Easy scaling. Using Swift, you can always add new features to your app if necessary, so these applications tend to be easier to scale;
  • Coding is faster. The language was obviously created with performance in mind because it comprises a simple syntax, which makes the process of application development faster.

When it comes to disadvantages, Swift has only one:

  • It is suitable for Apple devices only. The platform happens to be a native one; consequently, developers can only utilize it for native devices. It means that you will have to use something else if you need an application for both iOS and Android.

React Native: Description, Strengths, and Weaknesses

React Native happens to be a framework applied for cross-platform mobile apps. Facebook created it, and it supports the platform. Since the framework utilizes JavaScript, developers are able to share approximately 70 percent of the code between different platforms, like iOS and Android. It is another difference between Swift+React Native, which reduces time and cost in the course of the app development.

The most significant strengths of React Native are:

  • React Native development company allows faster development because it is powered by JavaScript. It means that you can take up to 90 percent of the code from web apps. If you decide to develop an application for iOS, the process will be 33 percent faster compared to Swift;
  • Using this framework, bug tracing should be effortless;
  • It will help you reduce costs because a big team is not required to run such a project;
  • It has a Hot reloading function, which lets developers see the code they have elaborated. Thanks to this feature, the whole application development process becomes much more productive, which is one more distinction between Swift+React Native.
  • The framework makes it possible for developers to expand the functionality of the app with custom or existing JavaScript modules.

React Native obtains a few drawbacks, though, and here they are:

  • There can be restrictions from the App Store side, which are possible if your application utilizes libraries that upgrade native code;
  • The framework lacks wrappers. Sometimes, it is necessary to create custom wrappers to add components, native modules, and APIs to the application; consequently, more time is required;
  • The design is complex. There are different instructions for iOS and Android app designs. Therefore, it is not easy to create a custom UI of high quality for such applications;
  • Security is another concern when it comes to React Native. The framework is available to everyone, which implies that there is a gap in security. That is why they have to add additional security patches to create banking and financial applications;
  • Updates are frequent. Another distinction between Swift+React Native is the fact that the latter updates the components very often. Hence, developers have to release applications all the time.

Swift vs React Native: Which Should They Opt for?

Now, that you are aware of both Swift+React Native’s strengths and weaknesses, you should start wondering which is better. To answer this question, it is necessary to study the below cases:

  • Mobile applications should have complex user interfaces. For example, you may need a resource-intensive app with numerous user interface interactions. It can be a messaging platform with a geolocation function in it. You should opt for Swift in this case because creating applications on native services is always the best choice;
  • Applications for one platform. You should utilize Swift if a great app for iOS users only is required;
  • Media players and utilities. It is not hard to create applications like battery monitoring and media players with the help of Swift. The reason is that they tend to apply native functions and APIs offered by iOS. The distinction between Swift+React Native here is that elaborating wrappers for APIs will definitely increase the cost and time of development.

To sum it up, there are significant distinctions between Swift+React Native, so different cases require different solutions.

Consequently, it is better to go for Swift if you need a mobile application for a scalable app, apps for businesses that need a good level of security, a single platform app, or apps that require APIs or payment systems. React Native is great for fetching and displaying data applications and apps for one event.

Conclusion

Both services are amazing solutions that one can use for application development. At the same time, the choice between Swift+React Native is dependent on the request. If you address the issue properly and go for the right option, development costs will be reduced.

In addition to that, the productivity of the mobile app will be increased, and it will operate smoothly. Thus, you should analyze what the application needs and decide between Swift+React Native platforms.

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