Swift and Flutter are two of the most sought after technologies by companies considering building iOS apps. Can developers win with native technologies? How do you choose, and which is better for your application? Let’s find out!

 

Mobile apps generated $462 billion in revenue globally in 2019, according to Statista. The two most popular App stores, Google Play and Apple App Store, offer 290 million and 2 million apps, respectively. All of this is consumed by 4.5 billion Internet users worldwide, according to Hootsuite.

 

It’s a shame not to be part of this growing business. Now, let’s take a look at which techniques can help you get a better deal. In this article, we compare the solutions offered by two giants, Google and Apple. What are the results of your business?

What is Swift?

Swift is a programming language created by Apple as a successor to Objective-C. It is used by Apple itself, but can also be used by developers to create their own apps for ios-powered devices. Starting in 2020, you’ll also be able to use it to develop applications for Android and Windows.

 

Swift was launched in 2014 and has since undergone a number of updates and improvements. The latest stable release 5.3.1 was released on 13 November 2020.

What is Flutter?

According to Flutter’s documentation, it is “a cross-platform UI toolkit designed to allow code reuse across operating systems such as iOS and Android”. The free open source platform is based on Dart, an object-oriented programming language.

 

Dart and Flutter were both developed by Google. Dart was first released in 2011, while Flutter was added in 2015.

 

Flutter allows you to create two versions of applications at once. Platform-independent Flutter uses a code that works on iOS and Android.

While Swift is itself a programming language, Flutter is a platform that combines the language (Dart) and compatible widgets to build applications.

Flutter and Swift. – Why are we comparing them?

If one is a programming language and the other a toolkit or platform, why should we compare them? Both are popular mobile and Web application solutions. You can use any of them for your iOS applications, and they’re all worth considering.

 

Years of experience have shown that you don’t always need to use platform-native solutions to create successful applications. In particular, if you consider expanding your product range and offering the same application on other platforms.

 

So which of them would be better and better suited to your business? Let’s find out!

How do I compare Flutter and Swift?

We will use 10 factors to compare the Flutter and Swift. Regarding the UI, what matters is how well your application works with the platform’s native interface and functionality. Coding speed is important for time-to-market and cost efficiency. Performance tells us how your application will take full advantage of the device’s potential. Community and support will prove important when your development team is challenged. Stability is responsible for the reliability of your application to users. Comprehensive and accessible documentation supports the development process. The maturity of the platform can affect performance and stability. Development costs are critical to the business argument. Finally, the number of talent pools affects application development and maintenance and its cost.

The user interface

Of course, since Swift is an iOS native language, there is no problem implementing any native iOS interface features. UX will be aS ios-type as possible. However, you have to create every feature from scratch, and every part of the UI from scratch.

With Flutter, you can use a large number of UI elements. First name the Material and Cupertino widgets. Typically, you don’t need any support from Swift. From the user’s perspective, the UI created using Flutter should be no different from native Swift.

The encoding speed

Swift was perfect for creating iOS apps quickly from the start. Overall, it works well, but it takes more time to reflect changes in the code. However, Swift developers claim that it ensures shorter build times, especially for the initial build of the application.

Flutter, on the other hand, is equipped with a number of widgets, libraries, and navigation and testing tools to speed up coding. Flutter developers don’t need to focus too much on improving UI elements, because Flutter is already done for them. In addition, the Hot Reload of Flutter reduces the time it takes to view recent code changes. Therefore, the modification is faster. In addition, the same application written with Flutter usually requires fewer lines of code than the version written with Swift.

performance

Similarly, Swift has great advantages as a native language for iOS applications. For tasks that require a lot of computing power, such as graphical effects, you can count on better performance. When it comes to platform juicing, Swift is probably the better bet.

Flutter is not lagging behind, however. First, Dart uses the garbage collector. Second, it compiles AOT (ahead of time), allowing fast communication with the device. Unless you really need to take full advantage of iOS, the Flutter performs almost as well as the native Swift.

Community and Support

The main Swift community is clustered around Swift.org mentioned. On GitHub, there are more than 830 Swift contributors and about 2,600 threads of followers. You can also encounter more than 284,000 questions marked “swift” on Stack Overflow.

The numbers of Flutter look similar. It’s been viewed by 3,400 people on GitHub and has 770 contributors. But the number of issues tagged “flutter” on Stack Overflow was less than 70,000. But maybe Flutter has fewer problems?

The Flutter community gathers in Google Groups and other forums (e.g., Flutter’s Slack community). In addition, as an open source solution, Flutter is more community friendly.

The stability of

Although both technologies are relatively young, they do not cause many stability problems. They are developed and maintained by professionals who use them every day. In theory, Swift, as a native technology, should be more stable and reliable on iOS than Flutter. However, this is only true if you find and hire top-notch Swift developers who can take full advantage of Apple’s solutions.

The document

Both Swift and Flutter have full online documentation. For Swift, you should check the Apple Developer documentation and Swift.org. For Flutter, check out Flutter. Dev and enjoy a comprehensive and well-written documentation in one place.

Platform maturity

These platforms are young, yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re immature. Before releasing Swift, Apple borrowed years of experience from Objective-C and has since introduced many improvements.

Google also had years of experience with Flutter before launching it.

Development costs

Both are open source, so you don’t need to spend extra money here. Experienced developers charge similar fees. If you just consider iOS apps, the cost difference isn’t that big. However, Flutter allows you to create an Android version simultaneously. This is a game changer.

Developer talent pool

Would-be developers do not know whether to learn Flutter or Swift, and companies should be aware of these options. The more people who know and use certain technologies, the easier it is to find talent for your project.

As for 2020, it will be easier to find Swift developers than Flutter experts. According to Stack Overflow 2020, Swift is popular among 6.1% of professional developers, while Dart, the language behind Flutter, is only 3.7%.

However, consider the fact that Flutter allows you to develop both iOS and Android applications.

Examples of applications using Flutter and Swift

If that doesn’t help you decide, let’s take a look at how organizations can use both solutions. Obviously, they are used by both large and small companies.

Apps using Swift:

  • Firefox for iOS – Mozilla’s Web browser uses the native iOS language for security reasons.
  • Asana – It is project management Web and mobile applications delivered as SaaS (Software as a service).
  • Lyft is a global company that offers a mobile app for car rentals, a bike-sharing system and food delivery.

Applications created using Flutter:

  • Realtor.com – Some say it is the largest real estate website in the US using innovative marketing solutions.
  • Google Ads – Of course, Google also uses its products. Ads is an online advertising platform that offers a variety of services.
  • Philips Hue – This mobile app lets you adjust smart lights in your home to your media based on your current mood or whim.

conclusion

So? Flutter or Swift? No matter how much data we present, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this choice. The final decision on which one to choose for your iOS application depends on the individual technical capabilities of each business.

If your company has some experience comparing either of the two, the choice is easier.

IOS public account recommended: iOS inn (fish learning inn)

Recommended at the end of the article: iOS popular anthology

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  • 2.Must-read books for Advanced Development in iOS (Classics must Read)
  • 3.IOS Development Advanced Interview “resume creation” guide
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