Swift vs React Native: Which One You May Choose For Your Project?

Whether for iOS or Android devices, mobile applications are becoming more comprehensive, popular, sophisticated, and rich with features. Over the years, app development innovations like Swift and React Native have helped develop thousands of apps for iOS devices.

Despite their usefulness, developers are still torn on which of these frameworks to use when starting a new project, especially since they both support iOS mobile app development. But for a start, Swift is more recent programming for native app development, and React Native is a JavaScript framework offering cross-platform solutions.

So for many developers, the React Native vs Swift question always comes up when choosing a framework for new projects; which should your next project use? In this article, we explain these two frameworks, their pros, and cons, and answer the React Native vs Swift question.

Table of Content

1. What is Swift?
2. Advantages of Swift
3. Swift Cons
4. What is React Native?
5. React Native Benefits
6. React Native Cons
7. When I Should Use React Native/Swift?
8. Conclusion 

What is Swift?

Swift is a new general-purpose programming language that Apple designed and launched in 2014. The programming language is useful in building iOS-powered devices, apps, and ecosystems. 

The apps that Swift helps build can run on macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and even z/OS that powers IBM mainframe computers. Swift is relatively simple for developers to master and use. What’s more, its interactive interface is precise for the straightforward and expressive syntax it uses.

One of Swift’s alluring appeals is that it consistently adds cutting-edge features to help mobile app developers build modern applications. Codes on Swift are renowned for their safety and build very fast apps. Swift is distributed on the Apache License, making it readily available for community use.

Advantages of Swift

Developers use Swift for several benefits, including how easy it is to build an iOS app. But what makes it so popular? Below are some advantages of using Swift for mobile development.

#1. It is Opensource and Simple to Master

Swift boasts of a lively open-source community that goes to lengths in supporting the framework and its status as being relatively new. Developers who want to build and design mobile apps with Swift can access many resources online.

#2. Swift is Scalable

Scalability is another benefit of using Swift. Swift allows developers to easily add new features when they decide their app needs scaling.

#3. Quick Development

In addition to being a fast-paced mobile framework, Swift is an expressive programming language that leverages its simple syntaxes to make app development even quicker. 

Users can write less code capable of performing relatively more tasks with Swift. Its Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) feature deals with application memory usage management and tracking, saving development time.

#4. Enhances Safety

Swift is great because its solid typing system and a fantastic handling of errors. These two factors help remove crashes in production applications. Meanwhile, app developers can easily pinpoint code errors and anomalies and correct them thanks to the short feedback loop. 

#5. Less Memory Footprint

Swift already has dynamic libraries right from its launch, separated from the code. You only call for them when you need them; they aren’t in all the files within the application project, which helps reduce memory footprint.

#6. Swift is Compatible With Objective-C

Developers can use Swift interchangeably with Objective-C in one project, and this feature is most beneficial when you need to extend or update large projects. You can use the rich Objective-C codebase as you wish and enjoy the ease it takes to port apps between platforms.

# 7. Boosts Performance and Safety

Swift prioritizes boosting safety and performance above other key factors in its development framework. The framework has been praised for having a 40% higher performance when Apple initially released it.

#8. Cross-Device Support and Capacity for Full-stack 

Swift allows developers to use a framework for the backend and front-end development because of sophisticated features like reusability and code-sharing. It has even transitioned into a cloud platform where developers can build apps efficiently and faster.

Swift Cons

Despite the many benefits of using Swift and the advantages its features give, Swift still has some disadvantages. Below are some of them:

#1. Compatibility Problems

Swift isn’t backward-compatible, which is a challenge for most developers looking for an iOS mobile development framework with that feature. Moreover, the newer Swift versions do not work with the older versions. So if you created a project with an earlier programming language version, you can’t update it with a more recent version of Swift.

#2. Swift is Relatively New

One drawback with Swift is that it is a relatively new innovative programming language. Despite the giant strides, it is still developing, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. Compared to well-established languages like Objective-C, it has fewer resources, tools, and libraries.

#3 Small Community

While it may boast of fast-paced development, Swift still has a small open-source community to cater to users. This means that the resources that experience developers put out are limited, and new developers may have difficulty finding much-needed support.

What is React Native?

React Native is Facebook-designed framework developers use to build cross-platform mobile apps. React Native relies on JavaScript, allowing developers to share up to 70% of their code between different platforms like iOS and Android.

Its codesharing feature helps save development costs and time for cross-platform mobile applications. React Native has remained one of the leading app development frameworks for years, and it has relatively stronger support and extensive documentation than Swift.

However, React’s code is reusable for desktop and web apps. The history of React is traceable to when Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, said the social networking platform should have used a native rather than HTML-5 application.

After admitting that, he promised to offer users a superior mobile app experience. Later Jordan Walke, a Facebook developer, came up with a means of using background JavaScript threads to make interface elements for mobile platforms.

Facebook launched the first version of React Native in 2015 after organizing a hackathon to improve the existing prototype for native application development. However, many factors come into play in the Swift vs React Native comparison.

One of such factors is that JavaScript—the world’s most popular programming language—supports React. In terms of popularity and usage, when comparing React Native with Swift, you will find that almost 68% of developers support JavaScript, which gives it its appeal.

Besides, in the React Native vs Swift comparisons, building cross-platform programs are more time-efficient and relatively cheaper. It also helps in the easy penetration of the market faster than possible, which is why people might prefer one framework over the other. But not to worry, we will give more detail in the section where we compare React Native with Swift and when to use them.

React Native Benefits

Since Facebook launched it in 2015, React Native has helped build some popular mobile apps that offer a variety of features. Here are some benefits of using React Native:

#1. Feature Expansion is Cost Efficient

With React Native, adding new features to your existing application is simple. The user just needs to inject the user interface components into the app without rewriting the mobile application. Developers find this feature particularly helpful when they hope to extend the features of an app rather than rewrite it completely.

#2. Time Efficient

React Native is independent of any operating system, reducing the time it takes to develop and market projects. To achieve this, users can write one code and deploy it to multiple platforms but with one or two modifications.

#3. Superb Performance

Just like Swift, React Native has a track record for enhancing superb performance but React relies on native controls and modules to build applications that perform great. The framework connects to the native parts of an OS and proceeds to write codes via Native APIs. Another reason for its appeal to users is its ability to make threads that are different and unique from the Native APIs and user interfaces.

#4. Requires Relatively Smaller Teams

Another benefit to using React is that it requires you to work with smaller teams than you normally would. Suppose you are building a program for Android and iOS devices. React allows you to keep one JavaScript rather than two native development teams.

This also helps to escape divergent timelines that sometimes happen when you have two teams dedicated to developing two mobile apps simultaneously. Besides, a single team working on your project will save you time and makes continuity seamless when a team member is sick.

#5. React Native Has Robust Library Support

Robust library support is a huge plus for any modern mobile app development framework, and when you compare React Native with Swift, React is clear. The framework boasts almost 33,000 packages and libraries, while on Swift, it is 3,800 packages. 

While the sheer size of libraries and packages does not necessarily guarantee the framework or language’s quality, it does signify the enthusiasm and commitment of the community towards contributing more.

#6. Increased Automation

Software development goes beyond code writing to include bug fixing, testing, releasing, and more. To achieve these tasks and accelerate the process, developers are better off automating them to avoid routine. React Native allows developers to delegate pressing tasks to some third-party services like Amplify, Bitrise, and AppCenter.

#7. React is the Entrance to Nativeness

Building a 100% native-to-iOS React Native iPhone mobile app might be impossible but creating some parts of the app with cross-platform tech isn’t. React is considered the entrance to nativeness, and it helps save costs. 

Developers can build important bits with native tools and the features that affect performance the most using React. Ultimately, this should go a long way in delivering cost-effective native apps in a short period. 

#8. Modules

React Native’s unique modular architecture separates program functions into free blocks known as modules. These flexible modules benefit developers by offering stress-free updates, versatility, and improved coordination. Modules also allow developers to deploy app updates easily, and it helps that, like Web APIs and reusable codes, they are reusable.

#9. Hot Reloading

Hot loading is an advantage that allows developers using React Native to view changes made to an application code in a preview window. This feedback is done instantly and in real-time; it helps hasten the app development process.

React Native Cons

Despite the many advantages of using React Native and the benefits its features gives, it still has some disadvantages. Below are some of them:

#1. Being Losely-typed Poses Security Risk

React Native is a loosely-typed programming language that poses a security risk traceable to its use of JavaScript. As a loosely-typed language, JavaScript doesn’t impose on developers to use specific parameters and variables in functions with variables capable of containing anything. This is a huge security flaw.

#2. Uncertain Long-term Support

React has issues concerning its long-term certainty. While most people don’t consider it a product ready to use on delivery, it does require consistency in maintenance to stay relevant for app development. This means there is a risk of apps running on the platform becoming stagnant once Facebook stops maintaining React—a framework with no alternative.

#3. Patent and Licensing Issues

Another drawback to using React Native for your next project is the patent and licensing issues developers encounter. React utilizes BSD-styled licensing and Facebook’s Grant of Patent Right. 

Besides, an update to the React Native License in 2017 states that Facebook could effectively terminate the users’ right to use any of its open-source projects if they contest the social media giant’s Patent right.

#4. Still Maturing

Both frameworks are still maturing when it comes to maturity in the Swift vs React Native comparisons. React Native’s absence of maturity limits its capabilities, and users need to update it because of continuous improvements.

React Native still has many years to innovate and improve its existing tech, but until then, it will try to improve upon porting native components, bug issues, and performance. So some developers do not consider it the ideal option for maintaining an application in the long run.

#5. Not the Best Option for resource-intensive Applications

If you are thinking of starting a new project that will be resource-intensive, know that React Native is not the ideal option. Consider the native development route for applications that demand heavy-duty work.

When Should I Use React Native/Swift?

React Native might be driven by one of the most popular programming languages worldwide, but it still isn’t capable of creating Native Apps. It leverages internal APIs and libraries to run mobile applications, and the framework simply adds an intermediary between the code and the related operating system.

But on the other hand, Swift can create native applications that get complete access to all the framework’s features. Swift offers developers building processor-intensive apps with strong performance and fantastic graphics, making it ideal for apps that utilize the full benefits of operating system features. 

However, when it comes to the React Native vs Swift comparison or choosing either of the two for your next project, it goes beyond the ability to build native apps. But when we compare React Native with Swift, one key difference that stands out is that React can create cross-platform applications, but Swift makes for iOS platforms only.

Swift apps typically run on only Apple devices, while apps developers build with React Native can run on Android and iOS devices. So for developers developing mobile apps for just Apple platforms, Swift might be the ideal choice.

The Apple-built framework gives you unrivaled access to some of the latest mobile app development innovations. Swift is better poised to exploit client devices and relevant operating system features, but sourcing for developers can be difficult. Below is a summary of the best scenarios for React Native vs Swift.

Scenarios When Swift is Best Used

React Native and Swift are fantastic mobile application development platforms, but developers might prefer one over the other depending on their project requirements. Thinking of starting a new project? You should consider using Swift when:

• Starting an app development project for Apple devices alone.
• Building applications for specific activities like scheduler, managing memory footprints, and more.
• Creating a long-term application maintenance consideration
• Starting a mobile app development project that needs a huge amount of platform-specific code.

Scenarios When React Native is Best Used

Thinking of starting a new project? You should consider using React Native when:

• The bulk of the code is sharable between iOS and Android devices
• You work with a small team of developers and a tight budget ceiling for creating apps for iOS and Android.
• Building an application that must maintain a similar appearance on multiple platforms.
• The React Native user interface and the app are close to native.
• You need to utilize the hot reloading feature for quicker but stress-less development
• There is a critical need to release to the market
• The application doesn’t need inaccessible platform features and huge processor power.

Comparing the Specific Features of Swift vs React native

#1. React Native vs Swift’s User Interface

Swift is an Apple-developed framework for native development, and it uses user experience principles and effectively integrates iOS UI designs easily. This doesn’t change the fact that development begins from the ground up, and every UI component gets enhanced separately.

However, React Native’s UI components appear similar to native applications. Besides, React Native controlling native components guarantees that application components must be upgraded when a platform upgrades its operating system.

This feature of React Native’s UI has a downside—the app’s UI can crash whenever there is a serious error. As a developer, if you strongly prefer to use a uniform user interface across all platforms and versions of an operating system, you need to utilize third-party libraries to get at material design components.

#2. Programming Language Overview

Apple collaborated with the open-source community to develop a working framework that serves as a multi-purpose compiled programming language—Swift. It is considered an offshoot or version of another Apple Inc product—Objective-C.

On the other hand, React Native relies on the widely used JavaScript programming language for app development. Frameworks like React also use JavaScript to create superb and dynamic web apps and websites.

#3. Developer Hourly Rate

Regarding how developers who use both frameworks are paid, there’s a reasonable margin between the two. As of June 2022, a Swift developer’s average annual pay in the U.S is $111,003 yearly, around $53.37 per hour and $9,250 every month.

For React Native, the average developer salary in the United States of America for 2022 is $121,875 yearly or $62.50 per hour. For an entry-level position, the salary could start at $100,000 yearly, but the more experienced workers take home $160,000 yearly.

#4. Speed of Coding

Swift is a framework that allows developers to build apps more easily and eliminate many drawbacks that slow the process. On the other hand, React Native is a simple but strong mobile app development framework. What stands out for React Native is that if you’re building an application for Android and iOS, you can easily copy and paste it.

#4. Performance

Swift applications have relatively superior performance than apps built with other frameworks. But this means that Swift apps consume more processor power. Still, they have impressive performance compared to React Native applications.

On React Native, the graphic effect implementation is a little clumsy. The framework uses an approach that allows developers to make different tools and assets to take care of development tasks, and this approach enhances embedding native codes into applications.

#6. Swift vs React Native’s Time to the Market

Swift is quick and is a derivative of the established Objective-C language from Apple Inc. The framework’s ease of development makes it an ideal choice for iOS projects. However, developers have limited resources, and most projects would likely begin from scratch.

However, the fact that React Native uses JavaScript because it relies on the programming language’s simplicity and power to create web applications. JavaScript is simple to learn, and too many online resources are available for developers. These factors make React Native app development significantly faster. 

Conclusion

Mobile app development frameworks React Native with Swift are solid solutions to developers’ app development woes. However, the choice for one regarding Swift vs React Native comparisons depends mainly on the type of project.

What’s more, if you intend for the app to run on iOS and Android devices, you need to consider the advantages and disadvantages and weigh app performance against cost. Swift is perfect for apps that require native development-specific features. But if you can handle low-quality user interface and good performance, React Native is the cost-saving solution you need.