My honest opinion about SwiftUI vs Flutter vs React Native to build iOS apps

#swiftui #flutter #reactnative

I'm going through my thinking about building iOS apps using web stack, Flutter, React Native and SwiftUI. Describing my reasons for choosing SwiftUI and the drawbacks that keep me away from the alternatives.

🔗 Links

🛠️ My setup essentials (some links are affiliate, I appreciate your support 💚)
* Video editing: Final Cut Pro
* On-screen graphics: Apple Motion
* Laptop: MacBook Pro (2021 M1 Pro)

✉️ Reach Out

⏱️ Timecodes
00:00 – State of my app
00:26 – Current Options
01:20 – Web Stack
04:34 – Flutter
08:15 – React Native
10:34 – SwiftUI

#indie #development #softwaredeveloper #softwaredeveloper #iosappdevelopment #coding #programming #indiedev #iosdeveloper #iosapp

[hinocenciopaulo]

"Xcode is a better IDEA than any JetBrains IDEAs"... Dude, Are you high?

[vaibhavpathak]

Saying Xcode is a good IDE is like calling a potato a smartphone

[valentinegb]

... Okay, I don't like VSCode, so maybe I could agree that Xcode is better, but Xcode is by no means a good editor. It's so slow, and so janky. Sure, it's the best option for working with SwiftUI, but that's because it's practically the *only* option.

[elvispalace]

I work with RN for 4 years and I never touched Swift code. In JavaScript word, you will find library for everything u want. RN is popular, so u will find a native lab

Cross platform will never be better than native. Even more so if you want to use the last SO stuff provided by the manufacturer. But, If you don't care about that kind of stuff (like the vast majority apps), u can go with RN. Amazon, Microsoft Office, Discord and more are examples

[viennc]

SwiftUI is the best option when building for iOS for me, and second best option for me is Flutter if building small to mid scale apps for both iOS and Android.

[renatomartins]

Need to consider social aspects, in USA is easy to ignore Android, but in other countries is mostly 50/50 Android and iOS

[andreicojea]

“Most people will feel that something is off even if they couldn’t articulate what exactly is wrong there” - THIS is also my conclusion after building Ionic apps 👍

[MarkAnthonyUy]

The only problem I have for VS code is it's so slow compared to other IDE's but in terms of customization, community and extendability nothing comes close. Every time I open Xcode I just want to close it right away. Hopefully you can make a video justifying your statement Xcode is a better choice.

[randomlettersqzkebkw]

odd take.
Swift/Swift ui dev for almost a decade. And when i saw the Vuejs, it was like a breath of fresh air.
My vue apps, you wont be able to tell its not native, as i get the navigation animation almost perfectly. And that was before ai helped with the subtle animations / effects.

[AJ-vlzq]

I tried swiftui to write simple list row with info button similar to ios settings.. it is difficult.. I expected a ready made component that could be configured and styled easily

[AkimboFennec]

Majority of people who say that SwiftUI is not production ready are simply not proficient enough in SwiftUI. Maybe you can find one component available in UIKit not available in SwiftUI, but you can build any custom component you want, and replicate the one available in UIKit. I have been using SwiftUI for 1.5 years now, and honestly, especially since iOS 17 and above, it is phenomenal. Declarative way to program UI is a trillion tiles easier than UIKIT storyboards and auto layout. I absolutely in love with SwiftUI and I will never switch to UIKIT. If anyone ever tried SwiftUI, and then decided to attempt UIKit, the experience would be like driving a Ferrari, and then trying to switch to Mazda. Which one of the cars is the best, the answer is obvious

[CH-enrv]

Great video on this topic, thanks. As a guy in management who unfortunately hasn't coded in many years, you helped me understand why cross-platform frameworks which compile native can still have many real-world limitations.

[ZEE-esjk]

Can anyone recommend the best/fastest way to learn Swift & SwiftUI? A specific course for instance...

[fdov]

Thanks for your opinion and for sharing your experience with us.

[jsopiak]

Great video and great advice! Everything you’re saying makes 100% sense! Thank you!!!

[DevNightly]

May I ask why Ionic not an option? I think it deserve some recognition.

[pablollanos]

Followed the same path years ago with the same result, well articulated 👍

[AjayYadav-oxti]

How about Kotlin Multiplatform, seems like it's getting traction lately?

[mohamedzain]

Hey thank you for sharing that thoroughly.. Could u please share ur thoughts about kotlin multi platform in terms of building ios apps

[martindimitrov]

Very very fair notes, besides the xcode one (yikes).
I would say, something BIG you've missed is how easy it is to push updates using Expo (RN). You don't need to go through the review process that can take day(s). If you want to hotfix something or push an analytics event you've missed, it takes a few minutes.