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Table of Contents
What is Swift programming?
Swift is a multi-paradigm, compiled programming language developed for iOS, macOS and other Apple products. Swift’s syntax is concise, the code is interactive and it produces fast software.
It was designed to be an ideal programming language to learn for newbies.
Do I need to learn Swift for iOS programming?
Yes. Most modern iOS apps are written using Swift, but older apps are written using Objective-C. In fact, Swift works seamlessly alongside Objective-C.
So if you’re following the trends, it’s a good idea to stick with Swift. But depending on the needs of your team, it might be a good idea to learn both.
This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation if you buy something. Read my disclosure for more details.
TLDR: Best Swift Books
🔥 Best Overall 🔥
Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
💥 Best for Newbies 💥
iOS 14 Programming for Beginners
💸 Best Value 💸
iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift
1. Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide is one of the best Swift books overall.
↘️ Ideal for: Swift newbies
↘️ Topics covered: beginner and advanced Swift concepts
Swift Programming is a 6-part guide to help you accomplish specific goals. After learning about the tools you’ll need to write Swift code, you’ll learn about fundamental data types that you’ll use regularly as a Swift developer. Then you’ll work with:
- collections and functions
- enumerations, structures and classes
- advanced Swift features
Finally, you’ll write your first Swift applications for iOS and macOS.
By the end of the book, you should be able to develop solutions for a broad range of Swift challenges.
➡️ Swift Programming takes you from a Swift newbie to an advanced Swift developer.
🔥 Geena’s Hot Take
The Big Nerd Ranch Guide is incapable of releasing duds.
And Swift Programming is no exception. If it were up to me, this would be the only book in our list of best Swift books. Well maybe not the only book, but damn near.
🪶 Glide into interactive Swift lessons with the course Swift Programming for Mobile App Development on Educative.io.
2. iOS 14 Programming for Beginners
iOS 14 Programming for Beginners is one of the best Swift books for newbies.
↘️ Ideal for: experienced programmers new to Swift
↘️ Topics covered: building iOS apps with Swift and Xcode
iOS 14 Programming for Beginners will show you how to build iOS applications using Swift and Xcode. After learning how to prototype and app using storyboards, you’ll explore the Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern.
You’ll also discover newer features of iOS including:
- Mac Catalyst
- SwiftUI
- App Clips
- Widgets
➡️ With iOS 14 Programming for Beginners you’ll learn best practices to design, deploy and test your iOS applications.
See what other developers are saying about iOS 14 Programming for Beginners
Definitely a great intro into mobile development using Swift.
– Sean, Swift developer
🪶 Continue developing iOS apps in the course Swift 5 iOS Application Developer Specialization on Coursera.
3. iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift
iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift packs a valuable punch while covering Swift, Xcode and iOS.
↘️ Ideal for: Swift and iOS newbies
↘️ Topics covered: Swift, Xcode, Cocoa
With iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals, you’ll learn how to program iOS applications using:
- Swift
- Xcode
- Cocoa
First you’ll become familiar with built-in Swift types, objects, protocols and generics. Then you’ll explore the lifecycle of an Xcode project. Finally, you’ll discover event-driven design with Cocoa.
After tackling these, you’ll dive into the latest iOS features such as:
- code editor document tabs
- logging and testing
- resources in Swift packages
And beyond.
➡️ iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift teaches you Swift, Xcode and Cocoa so you can program iOS applications.
4. Swift in Depth
Swift in Depth is one of the best Swift books for intermediate Swift developers.
↘️ Ideal for: intermediate Swift developers
↘️ Topics covered: Swift 5, protocol-oriented programming, asynchronous error handling
Swift in Depth is written for intermediate Swift developers. Covering Swift 5, you’ll learn how to:
- write reusable code with generics
- use protocol-oriented programming
- use asynchronous error handling
- work with iterators, sequences and collections
And much more.
By the end of Swift in Depth, you should be able to write professional-grade software applications that are both secure and reliable.
➡️ Swift in Depth uses examples, explanations and exercises to teach powerful Swift techniques to intermediate developers.
See what other developers are saying about Swift in Depth
… Does a great job of explaining some of the more tricky features of the language …
– Nathan Birkholz, Swift Developer
5. Swift Cookbook
Swift Cookbook is one of the best Swift books for recipes to develop iOS applications.
↘️ Ideal for: experienced iOS developers
↘️ Topics covered: 60 Swift recipes for developing iOS applications
Swift Cookbook is for experienced iOS developers who want to create better iOS applications using Swift 5.3. In addition to over 60 recipes, you’ll learn about:
- conditionals, loops, error handling
- advanced operators
- importing custom functionality into Swift Playgrounds
- using Swift for machine learning models using CoreML and Vision
And beyond.
➡️ Swift Cookbook contains over 60 recipes to build reliable and feature-rich iOS applications using Swift.
6. Mastering iOS 14 Programming
↘️ Ideal for: experienced iOS developers
↘️ Topics covered: Swift, Xcode
With Mastering iOS 14 Programming, you’ll learn about key features in:
Using industry best practices, you’ll learn how to program for iOS 14 while writing efficient and maintainable Swift code. You’ll become familiar with real-world app development with hands-on, practical examples. You’ll learn how to:
- implement dark mode
- use lists and tables
- use animations
- create code using generics, protocols and extensions
- perform network calls
You’ll also learn how to train machine learning models.
➡️ Mastering iOS 14 Programming teaches you how to be a professional iOS developer with a deep dive into Swift and Xcode. 🌊
7. Data Structures & Algorithms in Swift
↘️ Ideal for: experienced Swift developers
↘️ Topics covered: data structures and algorithms
Data Structures & Algorithms in Swift takes the confusion out of learning data structures and algorithms. You’ll learn fundamentals with tons of illustrations and hands-on experience working in Swift Playgrounds. Much of what you’ll learn includes:
- stacks, queues and linked lists
- trees, tries and graphs
- how to leverage Swift algorithms with your own data structures
- simple to advanced sorting algorithms
- algorithmic complexity
And much more.
You can also use the lessons in this book to prepare for whiteboard interviews.
➡️ Data Structures & Algorithms in Swift is for experienced Swift developers who want to build more complex programs using data structures and algorithms.
8. Mastering Swift 5.3
↘️ Ideal for: beginner and experienced developers
↘️ Topics covered: basic and advanced Swift concepts
Mastering Swift 5.3 is for beginner and advanced programmers looking to dominate fundamental and advanced concepts in Swift. After learning about Swift components like operators and control flows, you’ll:
- write manageable code with protocol-oriented design
- learn when and how to use classes and structures
- solve common design problems
- add concurrency to your applications
- implement generics
And beyond.
➡️ By the end of Mastering Swift 5.3, you should be able to build robust applications using Swift.
9. Hello Swift!
Hello Swift is one of the best Swift books for newbies and kids.
↘️ Ideal for: Swift newbies
↘️ Topics covered: Swift fundamentals
Hello Swift is a newbie-friendly guide to learning how to program iOS applications using Swift.
You’ll start with Swift fundamentals using coding playgrounds. Then, you’ll build a series of small applications (such as puzzles and games) for iPhones and iOS devices.
➡️ Packed with illustrations and step-by-step instructions, you’ll build dozens of your own apps with Hello Swift.
10. Beginning iOS 14 & Swift 5 App Development
↘️ Ideal for: programmers with some experience
↘️ Topics covered: iOS development, Swift app development
Beginning iOS 14 & Swift App Development is a hands-on guide to learning iOS app development using Swift. In fact, it’s so hands-on that you’ll start building applications right away by building a BMI calculator app. You’ll also:
- create a to-do list app
- build a cryptocurrency price tracker app
- build an image detection app
And that’s just for starters.
Along the way you’ll learn about SwiftUI, Widgets, App Clips and Dark Mode.
➡️ With Beginning iOS 14 & Swift App Development, you’ll learn how to build applications and deploy them to the App Store.
11. Swift 5 Cheat Sheet
Swift 5 Cheat Sheet is one of the best Swift books to use as a quick reference guide.
↘️ Ideal for: Swift newbies, developers with experience in another language
↘️ Topics covered: Swift basics, object-oriented programming
Swift 5 Cheat Sheet is a fast-paced reference to Swift fundamentals such as:
- contstants
- variables
- data types
- operators
And much, much more.
As you progress, you’ll learn about more complex concepts such as functions, inheritance and generics.
➡️ Swift 5 Cheat Sheet uses abundant examples to teach you how to think and program using Swift.
Best Swift Books: Conclusion
Today we looked at the best Swift books including:
🔥 Best Overall 🔥
Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
💥 Best for Newbies 💥
iOS 14 Programming for Beginners
💸 Best Value 💸
iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift
So regardless of your Swift developing needs, we’ve got you covered.
Swift developers are also reading:
- Best iOS Courses [Learn iOS Development TODAY]
- Best Android Courses [Learn Android App Development ASAP]
- Best Game Development Books [Learn Game Development ASAP]
- Absolute Best HTTP Books [Learn HTTP & HTTP/2 NOW]
- Best .NET Books [Learn .NET and .NET Core ASAP]
What are the best Swift books?
Overall, we think Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide by Mikey Ward is the way to go. For newbies, we really liked iOS 14 Programming for Beginners by Ahmad Samar. And for value, we think iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift by Matt Neuburg knocks it out of the park.
What is Swift programming?
Swift is a multi-paradigm, compiled programming language developed for iOS, macOS and other Apple products. Swift’s syntax is concise, the code is interactive and produces fast software. And it was designed to be an ideal programming language to learn for newbies.
Do I need to learn Swift for iOS programming?
Yes. Most modern iOS apps are written using Swift, but older apps are written using Objective-C. In fact, Swift works seamlessly alongside Objective-C. So if you’re following the trends, it’s a good idea to stick with Swift. But depending on the needs of your team, it actually might be a good idea to learn both.
What is Swift used for?
Swift is a modern powerful and intuitive programming language used for developing modern applications for iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPadOS, and tvOS. It produces software that runs blazingly fast and is meant to be an easier language to learn for absolute programming newbies. Swift also designed for safety and binary compatibility.
What is the best Swift programming book?
We think the best Swift programming book is Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide by Mikey Ward. It is a 6-part guide to help you accomplish specific goals. After learning about the tools you’ll need to write Swift code, you’ll learn about fundamental data types that you’ll use regularly as a Swift developer. By the end of the book, you should be able to develop solutions for a broad range of Swift challenges.