Swift vs Java 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 want to work on big data, web applications, cloud-based app development, and Android apps, you should learn Java.
Java is a general-purpose high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language that is designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible.
Java is intended to let programmers write once, run anywhere (WORA). This means that compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the need to recompile.
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 JAVA 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 Java over Swift.
Generally, Java is more popular than Swift. As of July 2023, the TIOBE INDEX ranks Java as the 4th most popular programming language while Swift is ranked 19th.
According to a Stack Overflow survey of 2023, Java is the 7th 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 Java.
Also read Is Java Enough to Get a Job
SWIFT VS JAVA 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 Java 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, Java developers get a median salary of $72,701 per year, about $14,000 less than Swift Developers.
So, if the salary is your major incentive for learning a language, you should learn Swift over Java, because you are more likely to get a higher salary as a Swift developer than as a Java developer.
Here are 10 Programming Languages that Pay more than $90,000
WHICH IS HARDER JAVA OR SWIFT
Java is generally harder than Swift. Java is verbose, it is not very easy to work with Java, especially if a codebase gets large.
Java is not a beginner-friendly language, especially when compared to a language like Swift which is easy to pick up.
Swift is generally easy to work with than Java. 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 Java and Swift to help you learn the languages. The Java 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 JAVA PERFORMANCE
Swift is generally considered to be faster than Java. This is because Swift is a newer language that is designed to be more efficient.
However, Java can sometimes outperform Swift in certain benchmarks. This is because Java has a larger library of libraries and frameworks, which can be used to optimize performance for specific tasks.
Additionally, Java is more widely used than Swift, which means that there is more available expertise and tooling for optimizing Java code.
Ultimately, the performance of Swift and Java can vary depending on the specific task and the implementation of the code.
However, in general, Swift is considered to be a faster language than Java. You can look at some of the benchmark performances here.
SWIFT VS JAVA 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
JAVA
Java helps developers to write once and run everywhere (WORA). This makes Java very popular in the enterprise world. It is suitable for Android app development, web development, big data, micro-services, etc.
Another great feature of Java is its interoperability with other languages like Kotlin and Scala. This makes it easy to call Kotlin or Scala code in a Java codebase and vice-versa.
As a result, developers can add more functionality to their Java codebase seamlessly using Kotlin or Scala.
Java powers some of the complex applications developed by companies like Google, Oracle, Airbnb, Intel, Amazon, eBay, Microsoft, Pinterest, Uber, LinkedIn, Spring, Flipkart, TripAdvisor, and many others.
SHOULD I LEARN SWIFT OR JAVA
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 a language that can help you work on big data technology, cloud-based applications, web applications, distributed applications, and Android apps, you should learn Java.