Swift vs Objective C for iOS app development: what to select and why?
Creating iOS apps exceeds simple coding commands and applying technologies for your project. One essential thing to start with is an in-depth exploration of the programming language you plan to utilise. For iOS development, two of the most popular and versatile options are offered: Objective-C and Swift. In this post, we explore the difference between Swift and Objective-C in detail to help you select the most efficient one that is tailor-made for your project. But first, let us give you an introductory note on both programming languages.
The goal of Objective-C, which was developed back in the 1980s, was to modernise object-oriented programming. Later on, this programming language became the standard one for iOS-based projects. Is Objective-C still used? Absolutely! Numerous developers worldwide consider Objective-C the most efficient programming language that allows the creation of solutions of different complexity with ease. In addition, this programming language has a less steep learning curve than Swift. However, if you have to comply with cutting-edge functions and features, Swift will probably be a better choice.
This is because Swift became accessible not so long ago – back in 2014- and has undergone massive improvements since its first release. Swift is also less cumbersome than Objective-C, which results in higher agility of the development process that rests on Swift. Another distinctive feature of this programming language is its responsive and less complex user experience: unlike Objective-C, it does not contain tokens or placeholders for string manipulation.
Speed of performance
Objective-C is around 2.6 times slower when compared to Swift. This is because Objective-C does not utilise compile-time; instead, it is based on runtime code compilation. The latter, by its design, is slower in performance. If you do the code compilation in Objective-C multiple times, the delay in performance will become quite noticeable.
Nowadays, the performance of Swift with 5.1’s optimisation leaves C++ behind; alongside that, Swift programming language is still in the process of development. In the current phase, it is critical to work on deploying the single industry standard for iOS development. Swift’s higher performance also stems from more concise syntax and higher-order functions. As a result, developers can take full advantage of reusable and cleaner code units without requiring lengthy lines of code.
Code Safety, Null Pointers
Swift programming language is memory-safe and type-safe. Let us clarify both definitions. Memory safety prevents projects from any vulnerabilities that stem from dangling pointers or uninitialised pointers. Type Safety features, for its part, enable the programming language to avoid type errors. These features of Swift make it one of the safest programming languages.
One safety component that is applied by Objective-C is null pointers. However, they oftentimes can cause additional issues (e.g. when the objects are not correctly initialised by developers before use).
Syntax
Objective-C is known for its verbosity and high complexity. It contains numerous semicolons and square brackets, sometimes distracting programmers from the essence of code. The syntax of Swift, conversely, is plain and resembles English. Swift also allows developers to work with optional and type inference – thus, code becomes safer and more transparent.
Memory management
Objective-C requires manual memory management, and it tends to be quite a tedious task. In MRR – Manual Retain Release – developers have to keep track of objects by themselves. Swift programming language utilises ARC – Automatic Reference Counting. Even though Objective-C also possess ARC, it only supports the Cocoa API. Hence, if you plan to work with Core Graphics, you will need to select Swift for your project. In addition, Swift’s Automatic Reference Counting would be beneficial for the performance speed.
PNN Soft team has extensive experience in delivering Objective-C development services; at the same time, our programmers are knowledgable and proficient in working with Swift for iOS projects. Our experience (as well as market leaders’ decisions) confirm the immense popularity of Swift nowadays. This innovative yet mature programming language was used for various well-known platforms, including Linkedin, Airbnb, Coursera, Wikipedia, etc. However, we outline some scenarios for you when it is worth choosing Objective-C below.
| If you have to modernise the existing solution with a vast codebase created in Objective-C. Even though this programming language is interoperable with Swift, the choice of the latter will impede your project’s logic, which may cause unnecessary complications. |
| If you frequently utilise C or C++, selecting Objective-C would be a more logical step. In this case, using Swift would require the development of a separate wrapper. |
We hope this post answered the question of “What is Objective-C?” and why it is generally more efficient to apply Swift for iOS-based projects. If you want to discuss your idea for iOS development in more detail, feel free to contact the PNN Soft team for more information.
