Kotlin and the 5 Best Programming Languages for Mobile App Development

We have listed all the best programming languages for mobile app development along with their strengths and areas of use to help you make an informed decision for the next project.

6 Programming Languages You Should Use for Mobile App Development 

1. Kotlin Tops the Chart for Android App Development

Almost a decade ago, Kotlin was introduced by JetBrains, but it was not very popular until Google adopted it officially in 2017. Since then, this language rapidly gained traction among Android app developers. 

What makes Kotlin special is its:  

• Simple and Concise Syntax: Unlike Java, the syntax of Kotlin programming language is more expressive and concise. This simplicity makes boilerplate code less complex while reducing the chances of errors. It also benefits development by making the process faster and more enjoyable. 
• Interoperability with Java: Since Java is the all-time favorite programming language for Android app development, most projects are built on it.  But Kotlin is a necessity so don’t worry about interoperability. You can use both programming languages in the same project, without disrupting existing projects.
• Safety Features: Kotlin addresses many common pitfalls in Java, such as null pointer exceptions, by incorporating null safety features directly into the language.

2. Java: The Ever-Relevant Language for Android Apps

Despite the rise of Kotlin, Java remains the strongest and most widely used language for building Android applications. Why?

• Platform Independence: Java's "write once, run anywhere" philosophy allows code to run on any device with a JVM.

• Rich Ecosystem: It makes development efficient with a vast ecosystem of libraries and frameworks.
• Community Support: You can leverage its large and active community for support and guidance.
• Performance: Java's performance is robust, making it suitable for complex and high-performance applications.

3. Swift: The Perfect Language for iOS App Development

While Objective-C had been the go-to language for developing iOS apps, Swift's modern features have won the hearts of developers. Since its launch, Swift has been praised for its speed, safety, and ease of use.

It perfectly blends with Apple's ecosystem becoming the ideal language for high-quality applications.  

Reasons to choose Swift

• Performance and Safety: Swift is designed to be safer and more efficient than Objective-C. Its strong typing system and error-handling mechanisms reduce common programming errors. Additionally, Swift is faster, thanks to its LLVM compiler, which optimizes code for performance.
• Easy to Learn: Swift's clean and intuitive syntax makes it easier for beginners to pick up. This accessibility has contributed to its popularity, making it a go-to language for new iOS developers.
• Active Community and Support: The Swift community is vibrant and growing, providing a wealth of resources, libraries, and Swift frameworks that make development easier and faster.

4. Objective-C: The Pioneer of iOS App Development

Not a new language in the town, Objective-C is still relevant for developing iOS apps because of its foundation in C. The language blends the concept of object-oriented and provides granular control over the development process. 

Why is Objective-C still popular?

• Riche Legacy: Over the years, this iOS programming language has introduced tons of libraries and documentation. Due to this rich and mature ecosystem, both new and expert iOS app developers use Objective-C. 
• Compatibility: Its root in C and object-oriented nature give you the best of two worlds. You get low-level control when needed with the ease of OOP structure to build complex iOS apps. 
• Dynamic and Powerful: Objective-C is flexible because of its dynamic runtime making it adaptable for difficult situations. 

Programming Languages for Cross-Platform App Development

Today’s mobile apps are device-free, which means they are compatible with all the available device platforms and operating systems.  Earlier, it was a challenge for mobile app developers to make it possible. They had to do coding separately for each platform, making the development costlier. 

Cross-platform development frameworks like Flutter and React Native have reduced this burden. 

5. Flutter: Powered by Dart

Flutter, introduced by Google in 2017, is an open-source front-end software development kit. It uses the Dart programming language and allows you to write the same code for mobile, web, and desktop applications. 

Why choose Flutter? 

• Hot Reload: No more waiting to see the changes and then redo. Flutter lets you see all the changes you do in real time, saving you time and improving patience. 
• Rich Widgets: Widgets in Flutter are customizable which helps you create visually appealing and high-performance applications.

Also Read: How to Build a Flutter App with ChatGPT: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

6. React Native: Leveraging JavaScript

Our list of best programming languages for mobile app development cannot go without the React Native framework. Released by Facebook in 2015, RN or React Native gives the best of both JavaScript and React. It is super popular, especially among front-end developers. 

Why use React Native?

• Reusable Components: You can reuse the components, which means less coding and fast development no matter what your mobile app works on which platform. 
• Fast Development: The combination of JavaScript and React Native adds speed even to the complex app development project. One benefits you with its simplicity and the other’s live reloading feature improves the speed at which you can make changes.  
• Strong Community: With time, the React Native community has grown to a huge extent. Its community has developers from worldwide who contribute and support at every step of development. 

Conclusion 

The world of mobile app development will keep on expanding with old programming languages getting updated and new ones making the space. What matters the most is how well you understand those languages and pick the right one for your mobile app project. 

From the above list of programming languages, Kotlin and Swift continue to dominate native app development for Android and iOS.

Meanwhile, Flutter and React Native offer compelling solutions for cross-platform development due to their single codebase quality.

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