When you’re about to start a new software project for mobile applications nowadays, you’ll be presented with what seems like a dictionary’s worth of names of potential programming languages: Ionic, Java, Xamarin, Flutter, Kotlin … and on and on. It can be a little overwhelming for even an experienced developer.

That’s because mobile application development has come a long way in recent years, with numerous programming languages and frameworks to choose from. Each of these options has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the right choice depends on the specific needs of the project.

But don’t fret! We know all about all these important programming languages for mobile devices, and we’ll explain concisdely what their pros and cons are. 

Pros and cons of common programming languages for mobile applications

Mobile application development is a growing field that offers a wide range of options for programmers to choose from. Some of the most popular programming languages for mobile app development include Ionic, Java, Kotlin, Xamarin, Flutter, React Native, Swift, C#, C/C++, Python, Dart, JavaScript/HTML/CSS, Objective-C, Scala, mBaaS, and Corona.

Here are the pros and cons of each language for mobile app development:

Ionic

Pros:

• Easier to learn and use for those familiar with HTML, Angular, React, CSS and JavaScript
• Offers a vast library of pre-built UI components and plugins
• Cross-platform development capabilities
• Good performance with hardware-accelerated transitions

Cons:

• Performance can suffer if not built carefully, since 
• Heavy usage of plug-ins can lead to performance issues

Java

Pros:

• Widely used and has a large community of developers
• Highly robust and scalable
• Great support for Android app development

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with Java
• Extremely verbose language — you need to write a lot to create even small things
• Performance can be an issue for resource-intensive apps
• Not ideal for iOS app development

Kotlin

Pros:

• Interoperable with Java, making it easy to adopt for Java developers
• Concise and expressive syntax
• Improved performance compared to Java

Cons:

• Smaller community compared to Java
• Limited support for legacy libraries and tools

Xamarin

Pros:

• Xamarin allows developers to create applications for multiple platforms, including iOS, Android and Windows, using a single codebase
• Xamarin provides access to native APIs, allowing developers to create applications that take full advantage of the capabilities of the platform
• Helps C# developers build mobile applications without the need to study a new language

Cons:

• Xamarin applications can be slower than native applications because they run in a virtual machine
• Xamarin applications can have larger file sizes than native applications, making it difficult to deliver them over the internet
• The Xamarin community is dwindling as the language loses popularity

Flutter

Pros:

• Hot reload: Flutter allows developers to see the changes they make to their code in real time, making it easier to test and refine their applications
• Flutter draws graphic elements extremely quickly, making it ideal for games or big apps that render long lists
• Flutter provides access to native features, allowing developers to create applications that take full advantage of the capabilities of the platform
• Flutter has a modern UI framework, making it easy to create beautiful and responsive user interfaces
• Flutter allows developers to create applications for multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, using a single codebase

Cons:

• To use Flutter, developers must study Dart, which isn’t used much outside of Flutter
• Flutter has a smaller community than some of the other mobile app development frameworks, making it harder to find resources and support.

React Native

Pros:

• React Native allows developers to create applications for multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, using a single codebase.
• React Native provides access to native APIs, allowing developers to create applications that take full advantage of the capabilities of the platform
• React Native has a large and active community of developers, making it easier to find solutions to problems and get support

Cons:

• React Native applications can be slower than native applications because they run in a JavaScript bridge
• Although React Native provides access to many native features, it may not have access to all of them, making it difficult to create certain types of applications
• React isn’t a beginner library, and React developers should already have experience with web development and design patterns

Swift

Pros:

• Swift is officially supported by Apple as a language for iOS development, making it a great choice for iOS apps
• Swift is known for its fast performance, making it ideal for creating applications that require high performance
• Swift is designed to be safe and secure, making it less prone to bugs and security vulnerabilities

Cons:

• Swift is only officially supported on iOS and macOS, making it unsuitable for cross-platform development
• Swift has a smaller community than some of the other mobile app development languages, making it harder to find resources and support

C#

Pros:

• C# can be used to create applications for multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, using Xamarin
• C# has a large and active community of developers, making it easier to find solutions to problems and get support
• Xamarin provides access to native APIs, allowing developers to create applications that take full advantage of the capabilities of the platform
• C# was originally meant to be a mobile language, so it isn’t optimized to avoid overflows or high consumption of mobile resources

Cons:

• C# applications can be slower than native applications because they run in a virtual machine
• C# applications can have larger file sizes than native applications, making it difficult to deliver them over the internet

C/C++

Pros:

• C/C++ is known for its fast performance, making it ideal for creating applications that require high performance
• C/C++ provides low-level access to the underlying hardware, making it ideal for creating system-level applications

Cons:

• C/C++ is not widely supported for mobile app development, making it difficult to create cross-platform applications
• C/C++ has a complex syntax, making it harder to write and maintain code

Python

Pros:

• Python is known for its simple and easy-to-learn syntax, making it a great choice for beginners
• Python has a large and active community of developers, making it easier to find solutions to problems and get support

Cons:

• Python applications can be slower than native applications because they run in an interpreted environment
• Python is not widely supported for mobile app development, making it difficult to create cross-platform applications
• Python has a smaller community of mobile developers and relatively little content that teaches you how to create apps with it

Dart

Pros:

• Dart is easy to learn and use, especially for developers familiar with other C-style languages
• Dart provides good performance thanks to its ahead-of-time (AOT) and just-in-time (JIT) compilation
• Dart is well-suited for Flutter, which is a popular UI toolkit for building natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop

Cons:

• Dart is still a relatively new language, so it has a smaller community and fewer resources available than more established languages
• Dart is also still less widely used than other mobile app development languages, so it may be harder to find experienced Dart developers

JavaScript/HTML/CSS

Pros:

• JavaScript is widely used and has a large developer community, so there are many resources available
• JavaScript is a versatile language that can be used for both front-end and back-end development
• HTML/CSS provides a flexible way to create UI for mobile apps

Cons:

• Performance can be slower compared to other languages
• JavaScript is known for having a higher learning curve for developers who are not familiar with it
• HTML/CSS are less optimized for mobile apps compared to other technologies like Flutter or native apps.

Objective-C

Pros:

• Objective-C has been used for iOS development for many years and is well-established
• Objective-C has a large community and many resources available

Cons:

• Objective-C can be difficult to learn, especially for developers who are not familiar with C-style languages
• Objective-C is less widely used compared to other mobile app development languages
• Objective-C is not well-suited for cross-platform development, which limits its usefulness
• Objective-C isn’t used anymore to create new systems, and Apple is currently migrating all Objective-C code bases to Swift

Scala

Pros:

• Scala is a functional programming language that is well-suited for building complex applications
• Scala has strong support for concurrent programming and can handle large amounts of data efficiently
• Scala is well-suited for developing for the JVM (Java virtual machine), which makes it a good choice for server-side development

Cons:

• Scala is a relatively new language and has a smaller community compared to more established languages
• Scala can have a steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with functional programming
• Scala is difficult to find support, including community content, for

mBaaS

Pros:

• mBaaS (Mobile Backend as a Service) can significantly reduce the time and effort required to develop a mobile app by providing a pre-built backend
• mBaaS provides a scalable, reliable and secure back-end infrastructure for mobile apps
• mBaaS can simplify development by providing pre-built APIs for common tasks like authentication and data storage

Cons:

• mBaaS can be more expensive compared to building a back end from scratch
• mBaaS can limit customization options, since the back end is pre-built and cannot be easily modified
• mBaaS may not provide the level of control and ownership over the backend infrastructure that some developers want

Corona

Pros:

• Corona is a popular and well-established framework for building 2D mobile games
• Corona provides a simple and intuitive API for developing mobile games
• Corona provides good performance thanks to its use of Lua, a lightweight and fast scripting language
• It’s cross-platform (Android and iOS)

Cons:

• Corona is primarily suited for building 2D games, so it may not be a good choice for other types of mobile apps
• Corona has a smaller community compared to other mobile app development frameworks
• Corona has limitations when it comes to more complex app development requirements.

In the end, the choice of mobile programming language depends on the specific needs of the project. If you prioritize speed and native-feeling apps, Swift or Kotlin might be the best choice. If you want a single codebase for multiple platforms, Xamarin, Ionic, Flutter or React Native could be the way to go. Flutter and React Native also offer unique benefits, such as fast development and a large community, respectively. To get the most bang for you buck for a mobile project, there should be a frank and informed conversation between the developers and the client.