In this post, we will compare Flutter and Swift. This extensive comparison aims to provide software developers in vietnam with a basic understanding of both technologies and the differences between them. Apple and Google have provided native tools and technologies to build apps. iOS app developers can build apps using Xcode and Swift, while Dart can develop both. However, this requires engineers to learn two completely different sets of technologies. As a result, companies have started to adopt cross-platform solutions over the native solutions to build apps for both iOS and android faster using a single language.
The following article focuses on the differences between Flutter and Swift programming languages for Mobile app development & which one would be right for your business. So, let’s get started.
Flutter vs Swift: Introduction
Swift
Swift is a general-purpose, multi-paradigm, compiled programming language developed by Apple for iOS and it’s products. Swift is designed to work with Apple’s Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, and it works side-by-side with Objective-C code written for Apple products. It is built with the open-source LLVM compiler framework and has been included in Xcode since version 6, released in 2014. writing code in Swift is very interactive, easy, and the apps run lightning-fast.
Swift 1.1 was released on October 22, 2014, alongside the launch of Xcode 6.1. Swift 2.0 was announced at WWDC 2015 and was made available for publishing apps in the App Store on September 21, 2015.
Swift and Dart Google Trends
Google trends also show a sharp rise in the Popularity of Swift comparing with Dart. Swift is used by companies such as Apple, Uber, Slack, Lyft.
Key features:
- Speed of development
- Simplified navigation
- Readability
- More opportunities in comparison with Objective-C
- Support of dynamic libraries
- Improved safety and debugging process
Dart
Flutter is an open-source, multi-platform mobile SDK from Google that can build iOS and Android apps from the same source code. Flutter uses the Dart programming language to develop both iOS and Android apps and has excellent documentation available.
Dart is a client-optimized programming language for Mobile applications on multiple platforms. Dart developed by Google and is used to build mobile, desktop, server, and web applications. Lars Bak and Kasper Lund designed it. It first appeared in 2011, and the first stable release was released on March 23, 2020. Dart is an object-oriented, class-based, garbage-collected language with having syntax similar to C. It can compile to either native code or JavaScript. It supports interfaces, mixins, abstract classes, reified generics, and type inference.
Github Octoverse fastest-growing communities
According to GitHub Octoverse Dart is the fastest-growing New programming Language. Dart is used by companies such as Google, Mews, Blossom, AgFlow.
Key features:
- Dart has a strong support base with many libraries and tools, which enable extensive applications.
- One of the major objectives of Dart is to simplify programming tasks. It is designed to make everyday programming tasks simpler.
- Dart is very stable, and it can be used to build production-quality real-time applications. It is an object-oriented programming language with support for inheritance, interfaces, and optional typing features.
- Multi-platform
- Multiple compilation modes
- Hot reloading
- Rewinding debugger
- Code generation
- Platform-specific testing
Let’s look at some of the main differences in the mobile app development between Flutter and Swift.
Development Speed
The process of creating a mobile app development is essentially time-consuming. You must select the programming languages based on their clean builds, which determines the development time and the costs of developing mobile applications.
Swift:
At present, Swift is considered the fastest programming language available. It is said that it is as fast as C. both Swift and Dart have their respective commands to measure the time required for a clean build. The best way to do that is by using XCode used in both technologies to develop native iOS apps.
Flutter:
Using Flutter for iOS is slower than Swift, but it’s quicker when you go past initial clean builds.
Reloading Features
The method of Reloading is the modification of the code and testing in the simulator. In mobile app development, Reloading is often required, representing the real-time changes made in the code to improve the app’s performance. For example, suppose a developer has two or more windows open for the code and the app screen. In that case, he can instantly see the results after making the code’s required changes. Hence, Reloading ensures that waiting time is drastically reduced.
Flutter:
As Flutter has the Hot Reloading functionality, the simulator adjustments can be changed within a few seconds to eliminate the waiting time. Flutter is much faster when it comes to code modifications.
Swift:
In Swift, changing features like button name, accessibility & data. It is required to rename the interface part and rebuild code to test if the app’s changes are reflected. Besides, the time required to reflect changes is more time-consuming for Swift. Also, the developer must ensure the simulation represents the changes.
Testing and Documentation
Testing Swift and Flutter have many variations, but both options are effective and have a solid base relative to ios development.
Flutter:
It helps to check writing from the user interface to the functional level when it comes to Flutter testing. It also assists the app developer in writing unit-level UI testing, referred to as integration testing. Flutter integration tests are similar to XC UI tests or Android tests, which go through the UI to perform specific operations. Flutter integration tests run in a separate process and run on real devices or simulators or emulators. Flutter provides a different package, Flutter driver, to drive these tests. Flutter is useful for quick documentation and detailed examples of Flutter code use and testing.
Swift:
Swift is an excellent choice for native ios testing. Apple provides XCTest, a comprehensive platform for native development activities such as UI testing, application testing & performance testing.
Integration and Development
CI/CD is crucial to speeding up the development process for iOS apps. They embody a culture, set of operating principles, and collection of practices that enable application development teams to deliver code changes more frequently and reliably.
Swift:
Although Swift is a native, it has an Xcode server to incorporate and deliver mobile apps. It still lacks scalability. To tackle this, Apple comes with BuddyBuild, which didn’t make a lot of difference.
Flutter:
Codemagic CI/CD is implemented by Flutter with Nevercode, enabling continuous development and integration. It builds Codemagic that can build applications without any modifications for testing, detecting & packaging.
By the way, if you are curious about top apps built with Flutter framework, read the article that we have prepared
Summing Up ー Which one is better?
Among both the technologies, you should choose the one that best aligns with your requirements and vision. In short, the success of your application depends upon which technology stack you are going to use. Still, if we have to compare the two technologies, Swift is the most common and viable option for ios app development. However, Flutter has greater speed and complexity, supporting different platforms with the same source code. In the future, Flutter may overtake the Swift in terms of ios app development.
So, are you finally clear about which technology stack you want to use? If not get in touch with us at EZtek to clear all the queries for your business.
Eztek is the leading mobile app development Company in Vietnam where we offer outsourcing mobile app development on ios, android other software development services. Our app development team is dedicated and efficient in building mobile apps. You can hire our team for building robust mobile apps for your business.
Our Team
We, at Eztek, are a team of top mobile app developers in Vietnam, who are ready to accept the challenges of modern technology and create apps that stand the test of time, yield the results for your business. Choosing our team means achieving the desired results for your business rather efficiently. We’re creative and focused, so when you hire a mobile app developer from Eztek, you’re picking the brain that is most creative and addicted to technology.
