Swift vs C++ Performance, Popularity, Salaries, Features, and Applications
If you want to build applications for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and other Apply applications, you should learn Swift.
Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for building applications 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.
On the other hand, if you are interested in working on large systems, games, servers, search engines, electronics, or graphic software, you should learn C++.
C++ is a general-purpose programming language. It was designed with an orientation toward system programming and embedded, resource-constrained software and large systems, with performance, efficiency, and flexibility of use as its design highlights.
Comparing programming languages and choosing which one to learn can be tricky, there are many factors to consider in order to choose the right programming language for the job you want to do.
Popularity, opportunities, types of projects, salaries, resources, learning curve, etc. are some of the factors that many people consider when comparing programming languages and choosing which one to learn.
Here are some of the comparisons and considerations you should make when choosing to learn a new programming language.
SWIFT VS C++ POPULARITY
Comparing the popularity of programming languages is not an easy task because each programming language is different and they all seek to solve different problems.
Plus, other programming languages have been around for a longer time than others, giving them more time to be tried and tested, so, bear that in mind.
If you want to learn a programming language solely for its popularity among developers, you should learn C++ over Swift.
Generally, C++ is more popular than Swift. As of June 2023, the TIOBE INDEX ranks C++ as the 3rd most popular programming language while Swift is ranked 19th.
According to a Stack Overflow survey of 2023, C++ is the 9th most commonly used programming language, it is used by 22.42% of developers.
On the other hand, Swift is the 20th most commonly used programming language, it is used by 4.65% of developers.
Ultimately, if your choice of which programming language to learn depends on popularity, you should learn C++.
Also read Best Languages for Game Development
SWIFT VS C++ SALARY
Another popular criterion that many people use to compare programming languages and 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, Swift developers get higher salaries than C++ developers. According to the Stack Overflow survey of Top-paying programming languages in 2023. Swift developers get a median salary of $86,897 per year.
On the other hand, C++ developers get a median salary of $74,963 per year, about $11,900 less than Swift Developers.
So, if the salary is your major incentive for learning a language, you should learn Swift over C++, because you are more likely to get a higher salary as a Swift developer than as a C++ developer.
Here are 10 Programming Languages that Pay more than $90,000
IS C++ EASIER THAN SWIFT
No, C++ is not easier than Swift. C++ is one of the most difficult languages to work with, it is not very easy to learn and work with C++.
C++ concepts that allow developers to allocate and deallocate memory make it even harder to work with the language.
If you create an object in C++, you are responsible for destroying it once its task is done. On the other hand, Swift has a garbage collector which will help you with memory management.
Swift is generally easy to work with than C++. Swift was designed to be relatively easy to learn and read, especially for those with a background in programming.
Swift has a clean syntax and offers modern features, making it an accessible language for beginners.
The good news is that there are plenty of helpful resources for both C++ and Swift to help you learn the languages. The C++ and Swift communities are very active and helpful, in case you get stuck with something.
Also read Can Swift be used for Game Development
SWIFT VS C++ PERFORMANCE
If you plan on working on applications where top-notch performance is critical, you should learn C++ over Swift.
C++ allows for low-level memory manipulation and efficient use of system resources and C++ code compiles to machine code, this makes it very fast and highly performant.
C++ is one of the few high-level programming languages in which petaFLOPS computations have been achieved, others being C, Julia, and Fortran.
C++ is a go-to language for high-performance applications and systems development.
This is because C++ code works very close to the hardware, giving it an edge over many programming languages.
Since C++ does not perform garbage collection, it is often faster than other memory-safe languages like Swift.
SWIFT VS C++ FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS
SWIFT
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.
Also read Can Swift be used for Web Development
C++
C++ has many unique and advanced features that make it a popular choice for developing operating systems, compilers, game engines, video games, servers, space probes, desktop applications, telecommunication systems, embedded systems, and many other large applications.
C++ allows for low-level coding which makes it very suitable for systems and large application that require top notch performance.
C++ is used by many companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, Intel, Adobe, IBM, Epic Games, LinkedIn, NASA, Apple, and many others.
SHOULD I LEARN SWIFT OR C++
If you want to build applications for iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, iPadOS, and other Apple applications, you should straight away learn Swift.
If you want to work on large systems, performance-critical applications, AAA video games, search engines, operating systems, embedded systems, etc. you should learn C++.