Top Programming Languages for iOS App Development in 2025

The iOS app development scene is moving at rocket pace in 2025, with an average of 1,278 apps landing on the App Store every single day — so picking the right programming language directly impacts the kind of performance, security and overall experience you’re giving your users.

So, which language should you learn for iOS development this year? Let’s check out the best programming languages for iOS app development in 2025.

Best Programming Languages for iOS Development in 2025

iOS development has changed. With new programming languages, the future of app construction is now. These are the best programming languages for iOS development in 2025:

1. Swift – The Gold Standard for iOS Development

Swift is still the language of choice when it comes to native iOS development. Apple introduced Swift in 2014 and it has since evolved into a powerful, expressive language with several benefits:

• Performance: With its modern architecture, Swift code runs faster, which translates to overall better performing apps.
• Safety: Swift has designed itself in such a way that it can handle the erroneous code. It helps you to write clean and less buggy code and let’s complete the analyser for the task.
• Modern Syntax: One of the best things about Swift is that its concise syntax makes Swift so much easier to read and write.

For developers who want to focus on iOS, then learning Swift in 2025 is a good strategic choice. As it is an Apple’s ecosystem language, it will integrate smoothly with the latest iOS and also all the updates.

2. Objective-C – The Legacy Powerhouse

Before Swift, Objective-C was the main language used for iOS development. Though it’s not the recommended language for new projects anymore, Objective-C is still around and will be here for a while, if only to maintain and update legacy applications.

• Compatibility: Objective-C plays well with other languages, having the ability of interoperating with both C and C++, as a result, for any project that needs Objective-C along with some other language via an application or tests, then you must use it.
• Mature Ecosystem: After years that Objective-C has existed, you can get libraries to do various things from printing colored text in the terminal or making HTTP requests.

If you know Objective-C, it will help you deal with older iOS apps or large projects that mix both languages.

3. Kotlin – Not Just for Android Anymore

Originally Kotlin was developed for Android development, but with Kotlin Multiplatform, we can now share code between Android and iOS.

Cross Platform Development: Write the shared business logic once and use it in different platforms, including iOS.

Concise Syntax: Kotlin’s expressive syntax avoids boilerplate code which makes it more readable and concise, thus making developers more productive and decreasing maintenance cost.

With the increasing demand for cross-platform development, Kotlin will gain pace in iOS app development as well. Kotlin provides a single approach to develop mobile applications.

4. JavaScript & TypeScript – The Backbone of Hybrid Apps

JavaScript, along with its superset TypeScript, helps build hybrid apps using frameworks like React Native.

• React Native: Allows developers to develop mobile apps using JavaScript and React. With a single codebase, it can target both iOS and Android.
• TypeScript: By adding static types to JavaScript, TypeScript can catch common issues at compile time while providing all of the latest JavaScript features.

In 2025, iOS development tools are increasingly leveraging TypeScript for better performance and maintainability, making it a valuable skill for developers.

5. Python – The Rising Contender in iOS Development

The growing popularity of Python arises from its simplicity and versatility, and now it has also started to dominate iOS development, especially for AI-driven apps.

• AI and Machine Learning: Python has powerful libraries like TensorFlow and Keras, which can be easily used to implement AI in iOS apps.
• Frameworks for iOS: Using tools like Kivy and PyQt, Python developers can build almost native iOS apps, thereby increasing the scope of Python in mobile development.

With AI influencing mobile technology, the role of Python in iOS app coding languages is bound to expand with new scopes for creative applications.

6. C# – Powering iOS Apps with Xamarin

C#, a language developed by Microsoft, can be used for developing a variety of applications, and when paired with the Xamarin framework it allows you to build cross-platform mobile apps as well.

• Xamarin: This framework enables the developers to develop native iOS and Android applications using C#, sharing a major part of code across the platforms.
• Enterprise Integration: Being compatible with Microsoft’s ecosystem makes C# an ideal choice for enterprise applications which need to be integrated with other systems in place.

For businesses that aim to develop a mobile app once and run it on both iOS and Android, C# provides an integrated development approach, which helps reduce time-to-market as well as development costs.

7. Dart – The Language Behind Flutter

Dart, developed by Google, is used as the programming language for the Flutter framework to build cross-platform apps. 

Flutter: It’s an UI toolkit where developers can write natively compiled applications for mobile, web and desktop with a single code base using Dart.

Performance: Flutter’s architecture can create high-performance apps with smooth animations that are almost native-like.

In the iOS app development languages comparison, we were searching for a good alternative to native development with flexibility and efficiency.

Choosing the Right Language for Your iOS App

What programming language should you use to build your iOS app? Well, there are a few things to consider first:

• Project Scope: Understand the complexity and requirements of your application, which help you decide on an appropriate language. 
• Performance Needs: Consider performance factors like speed and responsiveness and go with a language that can fulfil these.
• Platform Compatibility: Decide if you want to develop exclusively for iOS or need a cross-platform solution. If you want a true native experience, Swift is your answer. However, if you need cross-platform, Kotlin, Dart (Flutter), or C# (Xamarin) are good alternatives.

Conclusion

The iOS app development industry in 2025 will be different as we have many languages with particular use cases that come with benefits: Swift for native iOS apps, Objective-C still for legacy projects, Kotlin and Dart for cross-platform, JavaScript/TypeScript in the hybrid space, Python and C# for AI-driven/enterprise applications.

If you’re motivated to learn Swift because of your desire to work specifically on iOS (meaning developing only for iPhone), now is probably a great time to do it—Swift is Apple’s language so it comes with a guarantee that you’ll always be working on a codebase that supports new features & updates. If you’re open to exploring Android as well (having more job opportunities or building an internally-developed team/product), Kotlin and Flutter might be better choices.

All in all, it depends on you and your app needs!