Should I learn Swift or Python in 2023?

If you want to build applications for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, you should learn Swift.

If you are interested in working on web development, machine learning, automation tools, and data science, you should learn Python.

Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Although Swift is a general-purpose programming language, it is primarily used for building apps for the Apple ecosystem.

Python focuses on simplicity and readability. Rather than building all of its functionality into its core, Python was designed to be highly extensible through modules.

Python is commonly used for web development, automation and testing tools, machine learning, and data science.

Choosing which programming language to learn can be tricky, there are many factors to consider when learning a new technology or programming language.

Popularity, opportunities, types of projects, salaries, resources, learning curve, etc. are some of the factors that many people consider when choosing to learn a programming language or a framework.

Here are some of the considerations you should make when choosing to learn a new programming language.

SWIFT VS PYTHON POPULARITY

If you want to learn a programming language or framework solely for its popularity among developers, you should learn Python.

Python is a very popular choice for web development, data science, machine learning, automation tools, etc. While Swift is a very popular choice for building iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS applications.

Generally, Python is more popular than Swift. According to a Stack Overflow survey of 2022, Python is the 4th most commonly used programming language, it is used by 43.51% of professional developers.

On the other hand, Swift is the 18th most commonly used programming language, it is used by 5.18% of professional developers. It is worth noting that Swift is a newer language compared to Python.

Further, more developers love Python than Swift. Python is loved by 67.34% of developers versus 32.66% of developers who dreaded it.

Swift on the other hand is loved by 62.88% of developers versus 37.12% of developers who dreaded it.

So, if your choice of which programming language to learn depends on popularity, you should learn Python over Swift.

Plus, there are more opportunities for Python Developers than Swift developers because Python is used by many companies and startups than Swift.

However, because Python is very popular and commonly used by many companies, there is going to be more competition for Python opportunities than for Swift opportunities. In this regard, a Swift developer may get a job easily because of less competition.

Here are some jobs that you can get as a Python Developer.

SWIFT VS PYTHON SALARIES

Another popular criterion that many people use as an incentive to learn a new programming language is salary.

Salaries for developers differ from one company to the other and from one country to the other.

Experience is another factor that comes into play as far as salaries are concerned. The more experience you have with a certain technology or programming language, the more likely you are of getting a higher salary.

Generally, Python developers get higher salaries than Swift developers. Glassdoor reported that in the United States, Python developers with 1 – 3 years of experience get a base salary of $82,930 per year,

On the other hand, Swift developers with 1 – 3 years of experience get a base salary of $67,587, about $15,000 lower than Python developers.

So, if the salary is your major incentive for learning a language or framework, you should learn Python over Swift because you are more likely to get a higher salary as a Python developer than as a Swift developer.

SWIFT VS PYTHON WHICH ONE IS EASIER

Some programming languages can be learned more easily than others. If you want a programming language that you can easily pick up and develop different types of applications, you should learn Python.

Both Python and Swift are beginner-friendly languages and you will not struggle much with learning either of them, but Python is generally easier than Swift.

Python has an English-like, easy-to-understand syntax that makes it very easy to write code. Getting started with Python is much easier than with Swift.

Another thing worth noting is that Python can easily work on both Windows and mac computers. But for Swift, you will need a mac to build apps with Xcode for iOS, macOS, tvOS, iPadOs, and watchOS.

The good news is that there are many helpful resources for both Swift and Python to help you learn the languages and build different types of applications. The Swift and Python communities are very active and helpful, in case you get stuck with something.

FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS

Python has a large standard library that provides tools and features suited for many applications. It supports many standard protocols and formats like HTTP, MIME, and many others.

It also includes modules that can be used for relational database connection, unit testing, and manipulation of regular expressions.

Python has many amazing features, libraries, and packages that make it a popular choice for web development, scientific and numeric applications, system administration, GUI development, and more.

Python powers some of the complex applications developed by companies like Google, NASA, IBM, Microsoft, Meta, Cisco, Duolingo, Pinterest, Reddit, Pixar, Netflix, and many others.

Swift is the best language to create software for the Apple ecosystems, it has many great features that make development easy and straightforward. Swift code is safe by design and produces software that runs lightning-fast.

Swift helps developers to build applications quickly by taking care of some of the tasks. For example, memory is automatically managed, and enforcement of exclusive access to memory guards against many programming mistakes.

Another great feature of Swift is its interoperability with other languages like Objective-C. This makes it easy to call Objective-C code in a Swift codebase and vice-versa.

Swift code can co-exist alongside existing Objective-C files in the same project, with full access to Objective-C API. If you are coming from an Objective-C background, you will not have difficulties working with Swift.

Swift powers many complex applications developed specifically for iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and iPadOS.

SHOULD I LEARN SWIFT OR PYTHON

Once you have evaluated all the factors, you can choose which programming language to learn depending on the factors that are on your side and what you want to build.

If you want to build applications for iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and iPadOS, you should straight away learn Swift over Python.

If you want a popular language that you can learn easily, develop applications quickly, fetch a higher salary, and work on machine learning, data science, and web development applications, you should learn Python over Swift.