Best 10 languages for making apps

An innovative, reliable, and user-friendly application is one of the easiest ways to engage and retain your customers.

Since gadget use has grown multiple folds during the lockdown era, an app representing the company’s brand name and value serves as a marketing tool each time the user engages with the application.

If you have decided to dive into creating an app for a company, you will need to select a programming language, the code dependencies, and a backend managing service if you want to accelerate the time to market.

Selecting a programming language is quite an elaborate process, especially for new developers, as you will need to consider multiple factors before writing the first line.

Below is a curated list of the top 10 languages preferred by the developers for developing apps. If you are a new developer, or an experienced one looking to add another feather to your cap, take a look at the following languages and get started with your mobile app.

Top 10 Languages for Making Apps

Here is the list with the best ten programming languages for making apps.

Java 

Java is probably one of the most popular and effective programming languages for beginners and one with a lot of scope for career growth.

It is primarily a server-side programming language and is used to create robust backend servers, but it has also found use in Android app development, meaning Java programmers are essentially full-stack developers.

When programming using Java, you should also consider Java Frameworks to accelerate software development.

It is an object-oriented, class-based language, which is designed in a way to have as few implementation dependencies as possible.

The “write once run anywhere” concept (Java Codeshare) at the heart of Java means that it has various uses, including business software, web and mobile deployments, etc. Java is primarily renowned for its portability, flexibility, and code reusability.

Java is used by large enterprises and startups worldwide. To know more about this subject, please read the article Startups Using Java.

Kotlin

Another popular choice for Android app development is Kotlin, a statistically typed general-purpose programming language.

In fact, it has been used to develop some of the most popular mobile applications, like Evernote, Trello, Coursera, etc.

Developers consider Kotlin an advanced version of Java, as it functions similarly but come with advanced features that can overrule the shortcomings of Java.

You can start writing in Kotlin in any IDE of your choice as it extends supports for almost all of them. The syntax is comparatively cleaner and concise, helping improve production efficiency.

It has full support from Google and IDE’s (Android Studio, VIM, Sublime Text, etc) installation packages with Android and SDK toolkit. 

Together with Java, Kotlin is the preferred language for Android apps. Kotlin is a great choice for mobile app development. Also, it works well for web apps.

Swift

Swift is an open-source programming language for mobile apps that was specifically designed to work with Apple operating systems, i.e., iOS, Mac OS X, and tvOS. It’s fair to say Swift is the preferred language for iOS applications, and developing a mobile app with Swift is fairly easy.

It can be executed on Cocoa and Cocoa Touch, requires minimal maintenance, is extremely powerful and versatile, and yet is extremely easy to learn.

It is a type-safe language, the syntax is intuitive, easy to read, understand, and also catches most beginner errors during compile cycles.

The language itself is flexible and scalable, allowing developers to adapt a safe programming pattern to add advanced features.

The XCode IDE is self-contained and extremely fun to use. Some of the most popular apps developed using Swift include LinkedIn, Lyft, Hipmunk, etc.

Please read the articles Swift vs Flutter and Swift vs React Native to know more about the differences between native apps and cross platform mobil application development.

Objective C

Dubbed an extended version of C, Objective-C is also an object-oriented programming language that is also mainly used for iOS and macOS app development.

Although developing apps in Objective-C requires extensive coding, the general-purpose programming language is easy to use, and legacy codes support the nest-style coding.

Despite having stiff competition from the likes of Swift, many developers still use Objective-C to date as most of them have invested in the language in terms of security.

The syntax is essentially a “strict superset” of C, meaning it is possible to compile a C program using the Objective-C compiler. The language derives its object syntax from Smalltalk.

Read the article Swift vs Objective-C to learn more about the differences between the programming languages.

Python

Python is arguably one of the most flexible programming languages that are used to develop web and desktop applications, network servers, machine learning, media tools, etc.

When programming using Python, you should also consider Python Frameworks to accelerate app development.

Most of the popular applications in use today, like Instagram, Spotify, Quora, YouTube, DropBox, etc., are written in Python.

One of the primary reasons for this widespread popularity comes from the language being extremely fast and easy to read and learn.

It is extensively used as a high-level language for developing advanced services like data analysis and visualization, automation, etc.

Developers get extensive library support, strong integration, and better control over the programming capabilities. It supports multiple platforms and offers a comprehensive set of frameworks to get started.

PHP

PHP is one of the most recommended languages when you need to create an application with database access.

When programming using Python, you should also consider PHP Frameworks to accelerate app development.

It is another open-source language that is used for command-line and server-side scripting and writing codes for modern-day applications. PHP is extremely flexible and platform-independent, meaning it can be easily embedded into HTML5.

It is excellent with content-heavy websites and applications and hence finds widespread use in the development of e-commerce apps and content-rich web and mobile deployments.

For instance, pages like Wikipedia, Yahoo, and Facebook are written on PHP. The in-built security features are capable to protect your deployments from complex online threats.

Moreover, it offers smooth platform integration, making it an exceptional beginner-friendly language.

Please read the article Startups Using PHP to know more about this topic.

Ruby

Ruby is a dynamically typed, interpreted, general-purpose backend programming language that is mostly used for developing web applications.

The most widespread implementation of Ruby is Ruby on Rails, the development framework developed using the platform. However, over the years, it has evolved to now being used in several other services, like data visualization and analysis, prototyping, proof of concepts, etc.

Ruby is starkly different from other entries on this list in the fact that it directly executes the functions instead of compiling the code using a machine language.

It supports both dynamic and duck typing, which allows developers to make changes on the go without drastic effects. Some of the most popular websites on Ruby include Twitter, Shopify, Airbnb, Bloomberg, etc.

JavaScript 

Best for cross-platform app development, JavaScript is one of the most widely known and effective object-oriented server-side programming languages that conform to the ECMAScript specifications (ECMA standardized general-purpose language).

While it is extensively used to develop web and mobile apps, it also works in several non-browser environments like scripting PDFs, GNOME Shell extensions, etc. It is often used alongside HTML and CSS to add extra functionality like animations, videos, etc.

Being extremely versatile and functional, JavaScript is often the preferred first language to learn. The advent of Node.js (and others Javascript Frameworks) and the overall lack of set standards significantly improves the end-use variation and developers have plenty of room to use the language to add advanced features.

It is very straightforward and can be easily managed, making it quite popular among developers.

HTML5

The latest iteration of HTML is probably the ideal option if you are looking to develop web-fronted or location-based applications for mobile devices.

HTML5 is not strictly a programming language; it is a markup language (HTML is the abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language) that uses various tags to classify and structure content on a webpage.

This latest iteration comes with support for advanced features like multi-platform functionality, media support, quick market deployment, etc.

It is compatible with every browser and loads content faster using a local cache. New standards and features continue to emerge all the time, like elements and attributes that reflect modern usage of the worldwide web.

It has several CANVAS elements used for embedding applications based on dynamic content, animations, geolocations, etc.

C#

C# (C-Sharp) is another general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that, despite being intricate, is easier to use and fast to deploy. It encompasses several programming disciplines, including static and strong typing, generic, functional, object-oriented, etc.

Primarily used for cross-platform and Windows app development, it is supported by Unity 3D, making it the go-to app for developers looking to build interactive and high-performance game apps.

Since it is case sensitive, C# can be slightly confusing for beginners as even a small mismatch can cause errors. However, it has everything you want to accomplish from other languages like Java, Objective-C, and Swift.

Here are Ten Startups Using C#.

Conclusion

There are certain points to consider before you select a coding language. For starters, evaluate the requirements of your project (like the target OS, store, etc.) and select a language that is practical, i.e., a language that provides you ample control over the project without requiring external support.

Moreover, it’s usually better to start with a popular language as there will be enough resources online and from other developers if you hit a snag somewhere. 

Also, a smart move will be to stay away from languages that might become obsolete in the coming years, as you might have to update the entire backend if the support for that language suddenly drops.

For more information, you can contact a leading app hosting company that can provide you with valuable insights on how to select a programming language for a language.

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