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Should I use Swift?

Fast, safe, open-source programming language backed by Apple - swift.org

Depends. Adopt Swift if you build iOS/macOS apps or want a fast, safe general-purpose language — it is free and Apple-funded. Skip it if you are not writing software or need paid vendor support; it is a language, not a product.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~30 public sources: official site, forums, Reddit, Hacker News, G2, and security advisories.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Swift (open source)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • iOS and macOS app teams
  • Performance-critical, low-level work
  • Teams migrating off Java or ObjC
  • Server-side teams wanting single-language stacks

Not for

  • Non-developers — this is a programming language, not an app
  • Teams wanting a no-code tool or simple spreadsheet replacement
  • Buyers needing vendor SLAs or paid support contracts
  • Shops with no Apple-platform or server-side Swift ambitions

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

No paid support tier — help comes via Swift forums and community

medium

Server-side dependencies (NIO, Crypto, SSH) have had patched CVEs — keep packages updated

low

Docs split across and Apple's site; expect onboarding friction

low

Apple funds most development; roadmap direction follows Apple's priorities, not customers

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and fully open source — zero licensing cost
  • Fast, modern, safe language design
  • Multiplatform: Apple platforms plus server-side Linux
  • Apple funds the vast majority of development
  • Rated 4.6/5 on G2

Cons

  • Ecosystem packages have shipped CVEs (HTTP/2, SSH, Crypto)
  • Community-only support; no vendor to call
  • Documentation depth criticized by developers
  • Tiny review base — 4 G2 reviews, hard to judge adoption
  • Docs split between and.com confuses users

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/30/2026 - 10 sources - Active, transparent security process; no language-core issues found, but ecosystem packages have had patched CVEs.

official x3review x3security x2news x2
  • swift-nio-http2 HTTP/2 denial of service (CVE-2023-44487), Rapid Reset DoS vulnerability; fixed in a dedicated security release.
  • SwiftNIO SSH out-of-bounds write (CVE-2026-43798), Unauthenticated stack write via oversized ECDSA signature.
  • Swift Crypto HPKE flaw (CVE-2026-28815), X-Wing HPKE decapsulation accepted malformed ciphertext lengths; patched April 2026.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free and open source, no licensing
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Marketed as intuitive; docs split confuses newcomers
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Multiplatform, low-level capable, modern concurrency
  • Support quality: 3/5. Community forums only; no paid SLA
  • Security posture: 3/5. Strong process, but ecosystem CVEs recur
  • 4.6/5 G2 rating only 4 verified reviews
  • Free Price fully open source, no paid tiers
  • 2015 Open sourced Apple-led open source project
  • Apple Backer funds vast majority of development

Pricing

Swift (open source)

Free

  • Full language and toolchain
  • Swift package manager
  • Community support via forums

Security

Active, transparent security process; no language-core issues found, but ecosystem packages have had patched CVEs.

  • swift-nio-http2 HTTP/2 denial of service (CVE-2023-44487)Rapid Reset DoS vulnerability; fixed in a dedicated security release.⁵
  • SwiftNIO SSH out-of-bounds write (CVE-2026-43798)Unauthenticated stack write via oversized ECDSA signature.
  • Swift Crypto HPKE flaw (CVE-2026-28815)X-Wing HPKE decapsulation accepted malformed ciphertext lengths; patched April 2026.

What users say

Developers praise Swift's speed, safety, and low-level capability; recurring complaints target documentation depth and the split between swift.org and Apple's docs.

“Swift is great for low level coding that resembles c+”
G2 review
“I use it for all my work. It's way better than Xcode.”
Reddit, r/swift

Alternatives

Compare Swift with each alternative.

  • Python

    Easier general-purpose scripting; slower but huge ecosystem

  • Kotlin

    JVM-based alternative for Android and cross-platform work

    Swift vs Kotlin

  • Go

    Simpler server-side language with fast builds

    Swift vs Go

Companies that use it

Full analysis

Based on ~30 public sources: official site, forums, Reddit, Hacker News, G2, and security advisories.

Free, Apple-backed programming language — excellent for iOS and performance work; useless if you're not writing code.

Methodology

Based on ~30 public sources: official site, forums, Reddit, Hacker News, G2, and security advisories.

Sources

  1. Swift.org homepageswift.org
    official
  2. About Swiftswift.org
    official
  3. Swift on G2g2.com
    review
  4. Swift.org security pageswift.org
    security
  5. swift-nio-http2 HTTP/2 DoS advisoryforums.swift.org
    security
  6. Reddit: swift.org vs Apple developer docsreddit.com
    review
  7. Apple funds Swift development (forums)forums.swift.org
    news
  8. State of Swift documentation (forums)forums.swift.org
    review
  9. Swift at Apple: Password Monitoring migrationswift.org
    official
  10. Cultured Code Swift vs Python case studytechzine.eu
    news

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