Have you ever counted how many apps do you use per day? We’re so used to our mobile apps that we don’t even notice how they make up a huge part of our days. Today, there’s almost no web platform that does not have an equivalent app. But before you rush to hire an iOS developer, do you even know what programming language they use to create your mobile app? 

If you’re new to the mobile app development world but want to somehow be a part of it, either by hiring or doing it yourself, this article will be a lot of help for you. We’ll skin through the best programming languages for mobile apps, discussing them one by one so that you know which one is better. 

So, without further adieu, let’s jump into: 

Best Programming Languages for Mobile Apps 

1) JavaScript

“JavaScript will stay relevant as long as people use the Internet” 

This is what William Ting once said about JavaScript, and no one has put it better since that. JavaScript is simply there and will always be there, and it is by far one of the most popular programming languages that exist today. 

Statistically speaking, it is the most popular language in 2021, as it shares the booming 69.7% of the market, becoming the most used programming language of the year. 

But what is JavaScript? 

JavaScript, also known as JS, is a high-level, multi-paradigm, curly bracket syntax, object-oriented programming language. 

Mmm: we know that was too technical, so let’s put it differently. If you ever noticed some cool animations on the website, interactive maps, scrolling videos, 3D graphics, or other fun elements, they were most probably made with JavaScript. 

So JavaScript is responsible for all the cool stuff of your website. But you might wonder: we’re talking about mobile app development, so why is JavaScript in this list? 

Well, the truth is that JavaScript is also perfect as a mobile development language. It is best for cross-platform app development, and coders mainly use it to design a mobile app for different platforms and web browsers. 

In short, it is by far one of the best mobile app development languages out there. 

If you want to start JavaScript yourself, here’s an excellent tutorial for beginners. 

2) Kotlin 

Now Java is great, but the advanced version of Java would be better, right? Then welcome Kotlin, the programming language used for Android applications. Many refer to Kotlin as the more advanced version of Java, as it can influence Java and other similar languages to create more high-performing apps. 

The popular apps that used Kotlin in their building process are Evernote, Trello, Coursera, and others. By the way, Coursera has a great course on Kotlin you can look through. 

One of the advantages of Kotlin is that it has a very clean and concise syntax that increases the efficiency of your work. It also has full support from IDE’s installation packages, including Android and SDK toolkit—not talking about its support from Google. 

In the end, you can generate compact and simple code, which is way cleaner compared to Java. 

3) Swift 

Finally, this one is for those who want to design an app specifically for iOS-powered devices. In short, Swift is for all Apple fans. 

For those who don’t know what Swift is, let’s turn to Wikipedia for a technical definition one more time.

So, if we put it in a very formal way, Swift is the multi-paradigm, general-purpose, compiled programming language developed by Apple for Apple devices and is open-source. 

Now, back to the human language. Swift is designed for working with iOS, tvOS, and OS X platforms. It is a really scalable and flexible language that ensures safe programming and is packed with modern development features. 

It is a fun language to work with, but it is also a very professional one. Famous app examples that used Swift in their coding are LinkedIn, Himuk, Lyft, and others. 

In short, these three languages: JavaScript, Kotlin, and Swift, are currently the ones trending in the mobile app development world. So if you want to see the best results, and improve the efficiency of your work, choose any of these, and you’ll be amazed at how easy and fast you created a quality app.