5 Best Programming Languages for App Development in 2025

If you want to become a mobile app developer in 2025 but are not sure which programming language to choose to start your app development career then you have come to the right place.

Earlier, I have shared the best and free courses to learn Flutter and React Native , two of the most popular mobile application development framework and in this article, I am going to share the best programming language to start your app development career.

As the demand for mobile apps grows every passing day, so is the demand for App developers. People with skills in Android and iOS app development are in great demand as both big and small companies are hiring app developers to build their mobile apps.

To be honest App Development has been a lucrative career for quite some time. It started with J2ME and Nokia days but truly flourished when Android and iOS came.

While there is a lot of programming language, not everyone is suitable for app development, that’s why it’s important to know about what choices are available and choose the best programming language which can not only help you to create apps for Android and iOS but also become a more all-round app developer.

For aspiring app developers, there are a lot of choices available to start with app development like you can use Java and Kotlin to start with Android development, or you can use Swift to make iOS apps for both iPhone and iPad, or you can use a mainstream language like JavaScript and React Native to create cross-platform apps for both Android and iOS.

If you are in hurry and just want to start right now, my suggestion is to start with JavaScript and React Native, two of the most popular tech to learn in 2025.

If you need resources, I recommend React Native — The Practical Guide [2025 Edition] course by Stephen Grider on Udemy. It’s one of the comprehensive and most up-to-date resources to learn app development with JavaScript and React Native in 2025.

5 Programming Languages for App Development in 2025

Now that, you have basic ideas of the different choices available to you as an app developer, let’s deep dive and find out more about which programming language is best for Mobile app development in 2025

1. JavaScript

Believe it or not, JavaScript is the #1 language of the web. The rise of frameworks like jQuery , Angular , Vue , Svelte , and React.js has made JavaScript even more popular. Since you just cannot stay away from the web, it’s better to learn JavaScript sooner than later.

Even if you are not using Angular JS or React JS, there are many other libraries, like jQuery, which are based on JavaScript, and it’s also the number one language for client-side validation, which makes it worth learning JavaScript.

The best thing about JavaScript is that it’s a truly full-stack development language, you can create frontend GUI, backend server, and even mobile apps using JavaScript.

React Native, a popular JavaScript framework allows you to develop cross-platform apps for both Android and iOS mobile. I highly recommend you choose JavaScript for its universal appeal and popularity.

There are a lot of jobs available for good JavaScript developers. If you decide to learn JavaScript in 2025, then this JavaScript Masterclass is an excellent place to start with. It’s a project-based course to learn JavaScript from scratch.

If you choose JavaScript, I also recommend you to learn React Native for app development, if you need a course then I recommend React Native — The Practical Guide [2025 Edition] course by Stephen Grider on Udemy.

And, if you don’t mind learning from some free resources then you can also check out this list of free JavaScript Courses for beginners .

2. Java

Java is another popular, powerful, and effective programming language with lots of demand for Job and career growth. While Java is primarily a server-side programming language and is used for creating robust backend servers you can also use Java programming language for creating Android apps.

There are a lot of benefits to learning Java for beginners who want to become app developers. You not only can develop Android apps but also become a full-stack developer by creating a backend in Java.

Since I am a Java developer, I am a bit biased but based upon my 15 years of Java experience I can say that learning Java was the best decision I took and that’s why I suggest every beginner learn Java even for app development.

If you want to learn Java and need a resource then The Complete Java MasterClass is an excellent place to start with; it is both a comprehensive and up-to-date resource to learn Java in depth.

And, if you need some free online courses to start with then you can also check out this list of free Java Courses for beginners .

3. Swift

If you are thinking about iOS development, like making apps for iPhone and iPad, then you should seriously consider learning Swift in 2025. It replaces Objective C as the preferred language to develop iOS apps. I love the Swift language because it reminds me of Python and it is also the official programming language for iOS which is enough to learn Swift programming language.

Here are some pros of swift programming language

1. Swift has a great IDE called Xcode which is self-contained and if you include a library it is painless using workspaces.
2. Swift is a type-safe language and it is easy to read, understand, and code in and it catches most of the beginner error at compile time.
3. Swift can be applied to Server work. This is still a new concept and a bit difficult to ramp up on depending on where you work as most companies will have their own framework or be using one of the big ones

While this is all great, but one thing which is worth mentioning is that finding a junior developer job or your first job is hard, like really hard. This is where Java and JavaScript really outshine Swift but again it's not impossible and the swift developers paid well.

If you want to learn Swift and need a resource, I highly recommend you to join the iOS & Swift — The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp , another excellent course from Udemy I bought last month.

If you don’t mind learning from free resources, then you can also check out this list of free iOS courses for more choices.

4. Kotlin

If you are thinking seriously about Android App development, then Kotlin is the programming language to learn in 2025. It is probably the next big thing happening in the Android world. Even though Java is my preferred language, Kotlin has got native support, and many IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio is supporting Kotile for Android development.

Here are some pros and cons of learning Kotlin for app development:

Pros

1. Clear and concise language with modern features.
2. Allows you to do functional programming with lambdas
3. Typesafe
4. checked exceptions
5. Good tooling and community support.

While Koltlin is touted as next-generation Java it is not there yet. Compilation Speed is 2x - 3x slower than Java (Incremental compilation is available for IDEA but not yet for Gradle)

The big plus of learning Kotlin is that it's the official app development language for Android app development and Google will keep promoting it.

If you want to learn Kotlin for app development in 2025, then The Complete Android Kotlin Developer Course is probably the best online course to start with.

And, if you don’t mind learning from some free resources then you can also check out this list of free Kotlin Courses for beginners .

5. Dart

Dart is an open-source, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language developed by Google in 2011. Dart uses a ‘C’ style syntax and optionally trans compiles it into JavaScript. It is used for both client-side and server-side web development. Dart is also being used for Native and Cross-platform mobile development.

The most important reason I can think of learning Dart is because of Flutter which makes developing crossing platform apps really easy. If you want to learn Flutter, I suggest you pick Dart Programming language.

Here are some pros and cons of the Dart programming language:

Pros

• Easy to learn when used to C-style syntax
• Code can be shared across web and mobile apps
• Super friendly and helpful community

Cons

• Many subs and generic domain packages might need to be written to support the core domain
• Backend (API/Server) focus is currently very low

If you chose to learn Dart for app development in 2025 then I highly recommend you to join this Flutter & Dart — The Complete Guide [2025 Edition] course on Udemy. This course is created by one of my favorite instructors Maximillian Schwarzmuller of AcadMind and it covers both Flutter and Dart in 2025.

And, if you don’t mind learning from some free resources then you can also check out this list of free Flutter and Dar Courses for beginners .

That’s all about the 5 best programming languages for App development in 2025. You can choose anything you want but if you ask me, I suggest learning Java or JavaScript as both of them are mainstream languages and allow you to develop apps as well. You will not only become a master app developer but also a full-stack developer to command a higher salary.

Other App Development Articles you may like

1. 10 Skills Every Programmer Should learn
2. 10 Popular Mobile Frameworks for App developments
3. My favorite free Courses to learn iOS App development
4. My favorite free Courses to learn Flutter in 2025
5. Top 5 courses to master Android for App development
6. Top 5 Courses to learn iOS App Development
7. The Complete Web Developer RoadMap
8. The Complete React.js Developer RoadMap
9. 15 Best JavaScript Courses for Beginners
10. 10 Best Courses to learn Java in 2025 for Beginners
11. Top 5 Courses to learn iOS and Swift in 2025
12. Top 5 Programming languages for AI development

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you find these programming languages useful for web development then please share them with your friends and colleagues.

If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note. If you have any other programming language that a Web developer should learn, feel free to drop a comment.

P. S. — If you are a complete beginner and want to become an app developer in 2025 then I highly suggest you join the React Native — The Practical Guide [2025 Edition] course by Stephen Grider on Udemy. It’s one of the comprehensive and most up-to-date resources to learn app development with JavaScript and React Native in 2025.