What are the most Popular Programming Languages for Mobile App Development

Last updated on May 23rd, 2023

Over the years, smartphone users have increased. In 2021 the number of users was 1 billion, which is predicted to rise to 7.26 billion in 2022. People are spending most of their time on the phone for both personal and professional reasons; there has been an explosion in mobile app development. Researchers suggest over 3.48 million apps on the Google Play store and 2.22 million in the Apple Store. However, the number is continuously increasing. 

The increasing growth of mobile users and the mobile app comes with the growing demand for mobile app developers. However, there is a massive shortage of developers in the IT sector, especially in mobile app development. However, there is tremendous growth and demand for apps and software developers. To create a successful mobile application, the person must learn different programming languages. 

So, if you are aspiring to pursue a career in mobile app development, then the programming language list is helpful for app development to you. This article explores the best programming languages for mobile app development with their detailed description. 

What are Programming Languages?

Programming language establishes the communication between developers and computers. The software engineers instruct the computers, mobile devices, and tables using programming languages. There are two types of languages used in the mobile app development process, i.e., backend and front and coding languages. But few languages like JavaScript work in both functions. 

Select Best Programming Language for Mobile App Development

Like any other programming language, the best language used for mobile app development ought to have a set of pre-defined formal rules by which application code is written. 

Presently, there are various choices available in programming languages. However, language selection depends on goals, corresponding operating system capabilities, application type, and needs. Mobile programming may easily share various languages used for web development. Knowing app languages for building mobile app development is beneficial not only for developers but also for customers. 

It is also true that there are various languages and frameworks, so it is hard to know which language will fulfill your needs. Thus, a quick guide contains all the information you should know for mobile app development.

Best Programming Languages for Mobile App Development

01. Java

It is one of the programming languages developed in 1994 by James Gosling and is now owned by Oracle. This language came after C and C++. Currently, it has become trendy among developers. Also, as per the developers’ java language, the most completed open source projects by the developer. 

Java is the leading and most highly employed Android app programming language in 2022. It uses JVM, which swiftly works in every system. Still, many companies prefer Java since it offers flexibility to app developers for quick and error-free mobile app development.The Google Android studio is based on the Java language, and it makes the development process easy and at a low cost. 

In a nutshell, Java is the best programming language to experience the full joys of Android app development. It may be a little complex for beginners who prefer to start with something easier. 

Pros

• Easy to learn and implement
• Support multiple portals
• Extensive open–source library
• Automatic memory management

02. Python

Python language is used for Android app development even though it does not support native Python development. However, it can be done using multiple tools that will convert Python apps into Android packages that can efficiently run on Android devices. 

The language has been in existence since the 80s, and still, it is considered one of the top programming languages. It is an ideal choice for beginners due to its versatility in mobile app development and other variety of software. It has English – syntax based on many robust libraries. 

However, it is a widely accepted programming language for developing web applications, media tools, machine learning, desktop app, and many more. Some popular social media platforms are created using Python, like YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. Python is ideal if you have a startup business to develop an app. 

Pros

• An extensive set of frameworks in which programming is flexible.
• Fast, quick to deploy, easy to learn, and excellent at readability.
• The interactive language used to build scalable apps and supports GUI applications
• Portable programming language.

03. Kotlin

Kotlin is an official language for Android app development declared by Google in 2019. It is a cross-platform language used as an alternative to Java language. Also, it was introduced as a secondary “official” Java language in 2017. Kotlin can interoperate with Java and runs on the Java Virtual machine. 

Kotlin is quite popular in mobile app development. It is built to work better than Java, enabling developers to write code quickly and speed up the development process. The best feature of Kotlin is that it helps the developers to focus more on expressing their ideas instead of writing low-quality code.

However, the Kotlin language removes the superfluous feature of Java, like null pointer exceptions. In addition, it eliminates the requirement of ending the line with a semicolon. It is the best language option for beginners and an entry point for android app development. 

Pros  

• Simple coding, thus easy in maintenance
• Completely compatible with Java
• Easy to use
• Less heavy code than Java and other languages.

04. Swift

Apple introduced it in 2014, and it quickly became popular and one of the best programming languages for mobile app development. Swift programming language is the preferred choice for building high-performance, interactive mobile apps for iOS and macOS. Before Swift, Objective C is used by the developer for iOS development.

Like Kotlin, Swift is young, but it is a promising iOS programming language and will become the future of iOS development. The language helps you write explicit code and need fewer lines of code for the same functionality in Objective C. Using Swift language, iOS developers need less effort in programming due to its memory management. It enables you to focus on app logic rather than worrying about the memory of each project. 

In addition, Swift is an open–sourced language which means it will add to platforms other than made by Apple. Swift is now being ported to Linux and another system. 

Pros

• Automatic memory management with ARC
• Requires fewer lines of code than another language.
• Enable quick development process
• Full stack potential and cross-device support

05. Objective C

Object C is a general-purpose and object-oriented programming language. The language is a superset of C language and provides suitable object-oriented abilities and flexible runtime. It is well – an updated and mature programming language, and it is primarily used for macOS and iOS development and operating system. 

Before Swift, Objective C is used to dominate the iOS development industry. But, it is still preferred by many developers because it provides active runtime, good performance, flow control statements, and many more. Objective C remains a common iOS mobile app development language due to its stable performance, resource availability, and compatibility with C++. 

Pros

• Powerful programming language for both Apple and Android platforms
• Easy to learn and used by many developers
• Many legacy codes are included to support the nest coding style
• Compatible with C and C++

06. C#

C# is an object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft and gained massive fame in 2000. It is pretty similar to Java and ideal for Android app development. Like Java, C# also implements garbage collection, so there are lesser chances of memory leaks. C# has a cleaner and simpler syntax than Java, which makes coding more accessible. It is among the most preferred languages in developing Windows, Android, and iOS operating systems applications. 

It is considered to be one of the best programming languages when it comes to creating native apps for iOS and Android apps. This programming language is also used in developing applications and algorithms for machine learning and data science. 

If you are an app developer looking for something new, then C# is a formidable choice. It is the common language in the world and is used by Microsoft. 

Pros

• Garbage collection
• Easy to learn
• Excellent object-oriented programming abilities
• Support multitasking 

07. Dart

Dart is an open–source programming language that powers Flutter structure, and due to this, it gained huge attraction. The programming language has the potential to provide beautiful and performance apps for web, desktop, and mobile in lesser time. The leading element of the dart is that Google designs it as a client–optimized language for fast apps on any platform. 

Dart language’s main aim is to make UI development easier for developers with unique features like hot–reload, enabling the developer to see the changes immediately while working on the app. Dart is quite famous for its fast performance and compiles ARM and x64 machine code for mobile, desktop, and backend. 

Pros

• Robust language
• Ensure productivity
• Easy to learn
• Great tooling support

Are You Still Confused about Choosing Programming Languages for Mobile App Development?

In a nutshell, mobile app development is ever- a growing industry, and programming languages are used to upgrade pre-built apps. However, it is not difficult to choose the best programming language for developing the mobile app from the list above. 

If you need any assistance and expert help in implementing the correct programming language and creating high–performing mobile applications, then iTechnolabs is here to help you.