Swift vs Objective C: Which is Better for iOS Development?

In the fast-paced world of iOS app development, the battle between Swift vs Objective C has been raging. It’s a clash of coding titans, each vying for the top spot in the hearts of developers worldwide. But this isn’t just a typical tech rivalry. It’s a showdown between tradition and innovation, between the old guard and the new kid on the block.

Picture this: a classic Broadway musical versus a cutting-edge virtual reality experience. That’s Swift versus Objective-C in a nutshell. On one side, Objective-C, the seasoned veteran with decades of experience and a loyal following. On the other side, Swift, the fresh-faced prodigy shaking things up with its modern syntax and intuitive features.

In this blog, you will know from the battle: Swift vs Objective C. The ideal programming language for your iOS app development. By thoroughly understanding these two programming languages and comparing them through multiple factors like differences, features, etc. Hence, dive deep to get complete information about it.

Swift vs Objective C: Thoroughly Understanding Both The Programming Languages

Firstly, you might ask, What is Objective C & Swift? Then, let’s take a brief overview of both languages with their evolution, market and much more within this section by comparing the difference between swift and objective c:

Brief Overview of Swift

It is a popular, powerful and intuitive programming language developed by Apple platforms. And firstly, it was introduced to the world in 2015. Swift is an open-source language that mainly emphasizes modern technology. Moreover, this programming language supports development in iOS, macOS, Linux, tvOS, and the watchOS environments.

Now, let’s take a sneak peek about the features of this programming language.

Swift Features

• It has an open-source community.
• Swift has built-in powerful error handling.
• The Swift program has a modern concise syntax.
• Swift supports the Dynamic Libraries.
• It is a fast programming language.

Brief Overview of Objective C

Objective C is a general purpose, object-oriented Programming Language. The initial release of this iOS language happened in the 1980s by Stepstone Company. Mainly as the name suggests, it is a C programming-based language.

Moreover, C concepts like pointers are applicable in Objective C language programming and are apt for mobile app development services providers.

Besides, this language is dynamic and is even more universal to use. Let’s discuss the Objective C features to learn more about this programming language.

Features of Objective C

• Objective C can help protect data from unwanted access and improve code safety.
• Encapsulation feature for not having direct access to any variable.
• The Inheritance feature of Objective C will help you enable the reuse of the code written.
• If we compare Swift vs Objective C, then Objective C program code happens without delay.
• In addition to its Polymorphism feature, the same interface allows access to the different elements.

Now, after knowing the concepts of both programming languages in brief, let’s move on to find the primary distinction: Objective C vs Swift.

Objective-C vs Swift: Know The Key Differences

Comparatively, let’s understand the primary difference: Swift vs Objective C. The image shows the comparison in detail below.

Objective C vs Swift: Comparing Through Pros & Cons

Knowing the upside and downsides of both languages will help in giving better clarity to you about which language is apt for your choice in Swift vs Objective C for your iOS mobile app development:

Pros of Objective-C

• Objective C is mainly built with many libraries, and there are built-in tools that can help accelerate the development process. This provides the developer’s code reliability and can easily help find the answer to all the questions.
• This strong Objective C programming language is compatible with any variable version of iOS. For app development, it’s apt because you don’t have to think much about version changes in iOS.
• Besides, Objective C functions are more extended and can be customized per the development requirements by adding some necessary tasks.
• Objective C developers opt for this programming language, which is well-approved and tested. Besides, with this ability, it has designed many iOS app development projects with great third-party integrations and ease.
• It is easily compatible with C & C++, which can help operate code smoothly. At the same time, Swift is mainly incompatible with the C programming language.

Cons of Objective-C

• If we compare the Swift vs Objective C performance, Swift is faster, and sometimes it takes more work to write code due to its complex structure.
• The Syntax in Objective C is quite complex and more challenging to read than Swift.
• Objective C usage has turned outdated, and iOS developers rely more on the newly-arrived programming language Swift.

Pros of Swift

• The main goal of the Swift programming language is to build a simple language everyone can easily adapt to. And somewhere, the developers have succeeded in this goal because the Swift code is clearer and easier to understand. That automatically accelerates the pace of iOS app development.
• Swift mainly doesn’t require license fees, so commercial and non-commercial companies can use it.

This programming language is highly secured and will help cut off the basic errors from the code, which can help smooth Swift app development.

• It is much faster than Objective-C. Mainly 2.6X faster than Objective Cand and 8.4X quicker than the recently booming language Python.
• Swift is more customizable than Objective-C, which mainly opens the doors to new features in the iOS app.
• The Swift package manager has the most accessible tools, like dependencies on third-party libraries and resources.

Cons of Swift

• It is an advantage and drawback of this programming language that isn’t available with the older versions of iOS. Moreover, it will lose the support of older devices.
• The cross-platform support for Swift still needs to be completed as it is in the earlier stage of development, so it is not apt for Hybrid app development.

After the pros and cons, let’s learn more about Swift vs Objective C from the Developer’s point of view and understand the compatibility and integration of both programming languages.

Objective C and Swift App Development: Developers’ Take on Compatibility & Integration

In this section, we will study both language’s compatibility and Integration of both languages. After reading this line, the first question that might arise in your mind is:

How do the two languages work together?

Yes, both the languages Swift and Objective C are highly compatible. Moreover, you can easily integrate Swift into Objective C and vice versa. Mainly possible by using the ‘bridge header’ file that allows the Swift code to be accessible by Objective C code and otherwise.

Another way is to use ‘mixed language frameworks’ mainly by creating a framework that can help to modify Objective C to Swift and Vice versa. The framework can be used in iOS app development. Now, after knowing the Integration moving on to know the compatibility of Swift and Objective C

Compatibility of Objective C and Swift

In terms of compatibility, Swift is backward compatible with Objective-C. It means that you can call Objective-C code from Swift without any issues. However, the reverse is invalid, and you may need to modify your Objective C code to work with Swift.

After knowing the compatibility and Integration, let’s know if both the languages can be used with AI, ML and Blockchain integrated apps or not.

Integrating Swift & Objective C into AI, ML & Blockchain Apps

In this world of technological advancement, it is crucial to know whether Swift and Objective C are upbeat enough to adapt to new emerging tech like AI, ML & Blockchain. Also, know which language is better to adopt such a futuristic technology:

Is It Possible To Merge AI, ML & Blockchain In Swift & Objective C?

Though they are not specifically designed for AI, ML & Blockchain development, can still be used in these areas with the help of specialized libraries and frameworks. AI and ML app development can use Swift and Objective C through machine learning models, preprocess data, and deploy models available on various platforms. Several open-source libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and CoreML can easily support both languages and be used to develop AI & ML apps.

Regarding Blockchain development, both the languages Objective C and Swift can be used to create decentralized applications(DApps) on blockchain platforms such as Ethereum. Many blockchain Development frameworks, such as Truffle, Embark, and Web3Swift, support both languages and can be used to develop several user-friendly blockchain integrated apps.

Swift or Objective C: Which Language Is Better To Integrate?

We have gained knowledge about both languages in the prior section, and that makes it easy to say that Swift can be considered better for such high-tech app development. Due to its robust support in advanced technology and frameworks, it is well suited for such new-tech app development.

On the other hand, Objective C is an older language that needs Swift’s modern features and syntactic elegance. While Objective C still can be used, Swift’s advancements have better support for modern programming paradigms such as functional programming and are optimized for better performance. And all of these factors make Swift an apt choice for AI, ML & Blockchain amalgamated apps.

To know more about this language integration, get in touch with Excellent Webworld.

Now, let’s understand the developer’s community & resources available for each language to programmers.

Objective-C vs Swift: Developers Community & Resources Available For Programmers

The hired iPhone app developers are the prime users of both programming languages, so let’s take a view at how they will be affected by choice of Swift or Objective C:

• Developer Community

Objective C enables developers to have a more comprehensive community with an experienced user base for many years. Moreover, numerous forums and communities can ask questions, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects.

Besides, Swift app development programming language is new but growing tremendously. Mainly, many forums are available, like Swift and more. Besides, Swift, in comparison to Objective C, has many contributors to its development.

• Available Resources

Regarding resources, Swift and Objective C have extensive lists ahead of them, like the considerable documentation available on Apple’s developer website and many other resources.

After knowing this much, it’s time to end the battle and know who the winner is in Objective-C vs Swift.

Swift vs Objective C: Wrapping Up This Long-Time Debate

In this iOS Swift vs Objective C comparison, we have given you every information you need to choose the best programming language. And it is crucial to do so as the chosen programming language directly impacts the app’s architecture and framework.

The Swift mainly wins the battle here as it is fast, safe, modern, etc. Mainly, it consists of all the attributes to create the best iOS app.

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