Which is the Best Programming Language to Build a Mobile App?

More than 50% of business owners get confused while selecting the right programming language for their mobile application, and we have a solution for you.

In today’s world, it’s very important for any business to have mobile applications, but the question arises: which programming language should be used to create your dream business application? There are many programming languages ​​that are widely used, and each language has its own specialty. Some of them will give you high performance, while others can give your app security, device flexibility, or good UI/UX options. Hence, selecting the right language becomes a crucial step as it should suit your app goals and future scalability.

Let’s deep dive into the world of app development to select the best programming language for your business.

What is app development?

App is the short form of application. App development means crafting your business idea into an application form that can take place on user mobile devices. There are several benefits of doing so. If your user installs your apps, you can directly reach them by sending a simple notification using your app. This technique is widely used by famous brands like Zomato, Swiggy, Uber, Flipkart, Blinkit, etc.

To create a good app, we need a strong foundation, i.e., an ideal programming language that suits our business and users’ requirements.

What are the qualities of a good programming language for app development?

When we talk about qualities of a programming language, there are a number of factors that we need to keep in mind, but among them all, the top 5 are:

• Performance: The language used for programming must run fast and smoothly. Lower performance will result in multiple bugs, crashes, and security issues that disrupt user experience.
• Easy to Use: Choose a language that’s easy to pick up and use, so you can begin development quickly.
• Community support: A lot of coders must be using that language, so if you are stuck somewhere and can’t find a solution, the community can help you.
• Open source: Open source languages are free to use and ideal for creating apps. Some languages need paid attribution for work that is generally used by big companies.

Choosing the Best Programming Language for App Development:

While we are up for creating an app, we must decide what type of app we need. Yes, there are multiple types of apps present in the market, and we will explore each one of them. Let’s start with…

1. Native Programming Languages

Native Programming languages are used to build apps that run on one platform only — either android or iOS. Native languages offer high customization opportunities that result in better UI/UX. These are generally used by the gaming industry or where high graphics are used, but remember, a single code won’t work for both platforms.

iOS Programming Languages :

iPhones works on a dedicated operating system called iOS which is popularly known for its speed and scalability. 28–29% of the world population uses iPhones, which is seriously a good number of audience, as Apple is a mark of luxury. If your product needs audiences with good buying capacity, then you must go with iOS apps. Hence, languages for iOS app development are-

• Objective-C : It’s an extended form of C and was the first language that Apple used to develop mobile apps. It’s an object-oriented programming language with an additional feature of small talk messaging. It’s easy to learn but difficult to use, as it requires some extended coding, which can be time-consuming.
• Swift : Swift is designed specifically for iOS app development.It is an open source language and works with Apple’s Xcode IDE. It soon became a favorite among developers. Compared to Objective-C, it is easier to use and requires less code to get the job done. Developers already familiar with Objective-C will not face any problems while switching to Swift.

Android Programming Languages

Managed by Google, Android is an operating system found in most smartphones today. 70–71% of the world population uses Android, which brings a big opportunity for your business. As the audience size increases, the competition also increases. So you need an app that works smoothly and gives a good experience to its users. Hence, languages for android app development are-

• Java : When Android made its debut in 2008, Java quickly became the preferred language for building apps on the platform.. It’s an object-oriented language with built-in open-source libraries. Java is widely used to create apps, games, websites, and cross-platform apps, thanks to its multiplatform capability. So there is good community support available if you get stuck.
• Kotlin : 2017 was the year when Kotlin got a strong backing from Google. They announced high support for apps built on the kotlin language. It’s the modern version of java. It is a statically typed language, and because of this, it generates simple, clean, and compact code compared to Java and provides higher performance and reduces startup time.

2. Hybrid Programming Languages

Also known as cross-platform mobile apps. These are the languages in which the code is written, only one, but it works on all platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, and many more. There are some limitations while working with graphics with these languages. Some of the examples for these are like Zomato, Amazon, etc. JavaScript is considered the best language for building mobile apps, as it can be used as a native, hybrid, or even PWA language.

• C# : C# is popularly pronounced as C Sharp. It’s an object oriented programming language developed by Microsoft. It’s mostly used for web development, software development, mobile apps development and even for game development using Unity platform. Because of its flexibility and microsoft backing,C sharp is a popular choice among developers working on windows based systems.
• Xamarin : Xamarin is not a programming language. Rather, it is a tool used to create cross-platform applications. It uses coding like C# and .NET, which are Microsoft’s technologies. Xamarin.Forms is a small framework within Xamarin that makes designing much easier.
• Flutter : Flutter, a well-known cross-platform framework, is used for building applications across different platforms (mobile, web, iOS, desktop) using a single codebase. However, Flutter has been developed by Google as an open-source UI SDK (Software Development Kit) that leverages the Dart programming language to build scalable, fast, and flexible applications.
• React Native : React Native is a technology that uses JavaScript to communicate with native or in-built components of the device like the camera, contacts, location, etc. It allows you to design your app UI, collect data from users, or retrieve data from the server so that you can show it to the user. Basically it means that you will be heavily dependent on JavaScript, which can have some advantages and disadvantages.
• Appcelerator : Just like React Native, Appcelerator also uses Java to communicate with mobile inbuilt components. It is a hybrid programming language, which means it helps developers to create cross-platform applications. You will not be able to use HTML and CSS with it, which are generally used by developers to improve the user interface.
• Cordova/PhoneGap : Frameworks like PhoneGap and Ionic are developed using the Apache Cordova foundation. Just like you normally build a website on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can build an app as well. Then that design and code is converted into a mobile app. This technique is called porting the web experience to the native experience. It is easy to learn, and if you have knowledge of web development, you can start it from day one.

3. PWA Programming Languages

PWA stands for Progressive Web Apps. Using these webapps, users experience app-like interfaces directly from their browser.Web developers usually find it easy to build PWAs, as they’re already comfortable with the coding Part.

These are faster and more reliable as compared to mobile websites and can be used offline.

• Ruby : Ruby works well for backend development and follows object-oriented principles, making it great for multiple purposes. It is a high-level language, which means anyone can read and write the code easily. It directly executes the given instructions rather than compiling the program into machine language. If you are choosing this, then remember, it’s easy to read and write code using Ruby, but finding bugs and debugging errors is tough.
• Python : Python is another general-purpose coding language. Developers widely prefer this object-oriented language due to its adaptability in projects of all sizes. Its simplicity and wide-open library have made it a favorite for both beginners and experienced programmers.
• CSS : CSS stands for cascading style sheets. It doesn’t have enough potential to make an app on its own. But it definitely comes in a supporting role with HTML and Java.
• PHP : It was introduced in 1994 and has supported developers by providing vast library resources. PHP was introduced in 1994 and has a lot of library resources. It’s recommended for apps that require some database work, as this language is mainly used for backend development. Using PHP alone for development will not give you the look you want to achieve. You will have to use some HTML, CSS, and JS along with it.

How to Choose the Right Programming Language for Your Business

Now we are aware of all the coding languages ​​used for app development. But the question still remains the same, i.e., which language will be the best? So to reach a conclusion, we have to keep 3 things in mind.

• Project Requirements: All languages have benefits in some areas and some limitations. So understand your project requirement first and then check which language fulfills it, giving additional benefits of performance and security.
• Platform Selection: Choose your platform wisely, as you know your audience better than anyone else. So select a platform on which your audience is majorly active. Whether it’s on Android, iOS, or both. Then, based on the platform, select an ideal programming language.
• Yours or the coder’s skills: The coder who will work on this project should be highly proficient in the language you choose. Otherwise, building an app with half the knowledge will waste a lot of time, effort, and money. Moreover, once the app is live, you will face many bugs and performance issues

How an app development company can help you finalize the right programming language for your business.

An expert mobile app development company can understand your requirements better than any newbie or freelancer. Based on your requirements, they will help you finalize the programming language. UI/UX designers will help you in designing an easy-to-use interface for your users. The rest of the work will be done by experienced coders. The testers will test it for bugs and performance and will make it live.

Final Thoughts

It’s impossible to pick one programming language as the best overall. It all comes down to what the developer knows and what the project demands. So choose wisely.

Source : https://medium.com/@marketing_96275/which-is-the-best-programming-language-to-build-a-mobile-app-ec834a675a2e