Kotlin Vs. Swift: 12 Differences that Every Developer Should Know

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With the rise in technology, many organizations and companies are pursuing designing and development services to ensure their position in the mobile app industry and online presence. It has been mandatory for all the IT companies that they adopt the new technology in their development and designing process for creating their space in the competitive industry.

It’s made like a mandatory thing for all the IT companies that they adopt the new technology in their development and designing process for creating their space in the competitive industry. This can be done with the help of new coding skills; coding skills are extremely yearned in the IT industry.

There are several languages that exist which are being used by the IT companies in the designing and development process. A qualified developer always keeps his eye on his track to enhance his efficiency and productivity by obtaining new skills, tech, and new programming languages.

Every year, there is an evolution of at least one new programming language and being a mobile app developer you should study and get an idea about them. Kotlin and Swift are one of the growing skills and a boon to the Android as well as iOS app developers respectively.

Kotlin and Swift have reached the developer community to the next level and extensively increase the developers’ number for both platforms.

Kotlin and Swift both languages have quickly gained a huge amount of importance because of their advanced skills and techniques, easy syntax, simple method of writing and the new features/ functionality they bring.

Now, we will see what is Kotlin and what is Swift Language? Similarities between these two languages that they share and especially the difference which apart them from each other.

Definition of Kotlin and Swift:

Kotlin:

Kotlin is an open-source, cross-platform, statically-typed programming language with a type interface, which is completely compatible with Java Virtual Machine and Java. It is based on an LLVM architecture and is the perfect replacement to Java for Android Operating System.

It is developed by a team of JetBrains programmers situated in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with a combination of project-oriented and functional programming features.

Alike to Java structure, Kotlin has acquired the implementation of new features, cleaner syntax, enhanced security, clarity along with tooling support. It proposes interoperability with Java. Kotlin provides a more expressive syntax and has resolved some of the limitations that Java has.

Swift:

Swift has been introduced by Apple in 2014 and is an open-source, general-purpose, multi-paradigm, compiled programming language, which is made by using the LLVM compiler.

Swift has been developed to restrain the challenges and problems that are present in Objective C.

From the moment of its creation, Swift has become one of the most famous and most favored programming languages for WatchOS, TvOS, macOS, and iOS application development.

Swift makes easy and smooth to write software that is amazingly fast and safe by design. It proposes interoperability with Apple’s frameworks which contain Cocoa and Cocoa Touch.

Similarities between Kotlin and Swift:

Kotlin and Swift are two different programming languages, built for different Android and iOS platforms or operating systems that are basically distinct from each other.

But to some extent, they share some similarities as the two new rising languages for mobile app development.

Primarily, the syntax of both Kotlin and Swift languages is very easy, straight, organic, and comprehensible.

Kotlin and Swift are effective languages that have introduced to overcome the challenges and issues of programming languages like Java and Objective-c respectively, both are also a functional language focusing the app functions.

Lastly, Both Kotlin and Swift are “Safe & Secure” languages in which values can never be null, they both have the ability to deal with nullable and non-nullable types by mentioning to the differences.

Difference between Kotlin and Swift Programming Languages that actually matters:

Though there are many similarities between Kotlin and Swift, which allow developers to switch from one language code to the other. But they are actually totally distinct from each other. Now, we will see the main differences between them that every developer should know before the development.

1. Development Platforms:

Kotlin and Swift are primarily introduced for Android and iOS platforms i.e for two different operating systems, respectively.

Because of easy-to-follow syntax, simple way of writing, and modern techniques, Kotlin and Swift both languages are obtaining identification and preference over other programming languages for different android and ios operating systems.

2. Function implementation:

Functions are the crucial building blocks of any Source code. It helps to arrange the code in a manner that makes the app readable and sustainable.

Kotlin and Swift share very small differences in their function implementation.

In Kotlin, variable does not contain an underscore as a prefix but Swift’s variables contain an underscore (_) as a prefix.

Kotlin has a dollar ($) sign as a prefix with the variable name to return the argument but In Swift variable returns in braces() and forward-slash(\).

3. Memory Management:

Kotlin and Swift both offer a completely distinct method of memory management.

Swift utilizes a more brief and credible memory management technique which is Automatic Reference Counting(ARC) while Kotlin uses Garbage Collection for their memory management.

In both the memory management technique, Automatic Reference Counting(ARC) is considered more reliable, accurate and safe.

4. Enums:

Enums basically define an enumeration, which is utilized while doing the coding.

Swift has own personal name limitations under an enum list which helps to execute structs features, computational properties, and some other different values.

Enums in swift are considered as a powerful element whereas Kotlin does not offer any enum.

5.Structs:

As Kotlin programming language operates almost similar to Java so it does not provide any particular type of Structs except int, boolean, float that needs to be passed by value and remaining are pass by the reference.

on the other hand, Swift provides the ability to the iOS app developers to select their required and preferred struct for the mobile app development process.

6. Error Handling:

In error handling situations, despite a similarity in the functions Kotlin and Swift vary in the keyword that is used to define an error.

Kotlin uses the null keyword for defining the error in string variables and Swift uses nil keyword in the error handling process.

7. Annotations:

Annotations are the simplest and quickest approach for the developers to add the metadata in the code.

Kotlin offers several annotations to add in the code where Swift does not offer any annotations.

8. Data Class:

Data class are the classes that contain data variables in reference to Java programming. In Kotlin it is possible to contain the data classes but in Swift, it is not possible to have data class.

9. Delegated Class and Properties:

Delegated class and properties are other advantages of Kotlin over Swift. Delegated Class and properties is a feature that permits the developers to use the citation of methods to other classes. Kotlin supports the Delegated Class and properties whereas Swift does not offer any delegated properties.