Top 10 Programming Languages for Desktop Apps In 2021. The growing demand in the IT industry can make it confusing to choose a programming language that is suitable and helpful for a person. One of the hardest questions to ask when you want to build a desktop application for your brand or as an individual who has just started handling programming is which language should you go for.
Honestly, opting for a programming language highly depends on the purpose or requirements you want to fulfil. Speaking of Desktop applications, one thing you need to keep in mind is with various operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) out there, you will have to determine which interests you the most. If it’s one of the three, then you will get different options of programming languages to learn and practice accordingly. While, on the other hand, if you are looking for an application that runs smoothly on all the available OS, then you must go for cross-platform capable tools, software, or languages.
So, get ready to find some of the most used programming languages for all the purposes in detail.
Top 10 Best Programming Languages for Desktop Apps In 2021
For all the programming lovers out there, we have curated a list of top 10 programming languages for desktop application development that you can learn in 2021.
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C#
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C++
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Python
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Java
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JavaScript
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PHP
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Swift
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Red-Lang
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Go
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Object Pascal
1. C#
C# (pronounced as C Sharp) is a modern, type-safe, and object-oriented programming language, designed and developed by Microsoft Corporation. Although having its roots in the C family, it will be familiar to the JAVA and JavaScript programmers. Needless to say, as C# and Windows both are designed by Microsoft, developers can create a windows-based desktop application with ease. C# allows developers to create different types of robust and secure applications that work on the .NET ecosystem.
Some of the frameworks that you can use while developing a desktop app using C# includes the .NET WPF ( that works on XAML to offer a declarative application programming model), Uno Platform, Avalonia, .NET MAUI, WinForms, UWP, Xamarian, and Blazor. These frameworks support numerous application development features such as resources, controls, application model, graphics, data binding, security, layout, and data binding. Moreover, with the release of .NET Core, you can use C# for cross-platform development as well.
2. C++
C++ is a general-purpose, procedural programming language that was developed as an extension of the C language. Being a low-level, object-oriented language, it provides a powerful control on the system resources and memory to the developers. A programmer can use C++ not only for the development of desktop applications but also for systems, browsers, games, and so much more. To edit and debug the source code of C or C++, you can use IDEs like Eclipse, NetBeans, Qt Creator, Visual Studio, and XCode. Some popular applications like Adobe Creative Suite, MS Office, and Google Chrome are developed using C++.
3. Python
Python is a high-level, object-oriented programming language that does not need a programmer to write longer lines of code for executing the concept. It is one of the highly flexible languages that one can use. Not only that but Python has a vast range of GUI frameworks that allow developers to create an application in an easy and secure manner. Some of the frameworks that you can use to develop not only windows application but others too with Python, includes, PyQT (a combination of QT library and Python) that lets the developer decide whether to create visual dialogues using QT Designer or create a program using code; Kivy (an OpenGL ES2 framework) enables programmers to write code once and use it on different platforms; WxPython, PyGUI, and Tkinter.
4. Java
Java is an object-oriented, class-based programming language that aims to have as low implementation dependencies as possible. It intends to let the programmer write once, run anywhere (WORA). Simply put, whenever a programmer writes code in Java, it is compiled by javac. The result of this compilation is a class file or the bytecode(not a machine native code). To execute this file or bytecode in the machine, Java needs an interpreter - JVM or Java Virtual Machine which converts bytecode into machine language. As JVM depends on the operating system, we get different variations of it that can be downloaded according to the requirement and be used to run code on different operating systems. That being said, it is used to develop robust and platform-independent applications.
A few tools that you will need for building a desktop application with Java entails JDK, Netbeans IDE, Java Swing, Java FX, and SQL. Along with that, you will also need some frameworks like Eclipse RCP, JFoenix (JavaFX material), TornadoFX, Spring, Kafka, Grails, DropWizard, GWT, Hadoop, Log4j, Hibernate, JMF, and so on based on the requirements you have.
5. JavaScript
Javascript or JS is a prototype-based, interpreted, single-threaded, lightweight dynamic programming language that supports object-oriented, functional programming type. Despite it being well known as a scripting language for web pages, several non-browser environments also use it. It is among the top programming languages for desktop app development. Using frameworks like Buildfire.js, Electron, NW.js, AppJS, Meteor, and Proton Natives, JS can help developers in designing and developing cross-platform desktop applications.
6. PHP
PHP or hypertext preprocessor is a general-purpose, server-side programming language. It’s used to manage dynamic content and databases. Besides, PHP is significantly powerful to be the core of the largest blogging system (WordPress), deep to run a vast social media network (Facebook), and easy enough for beginners to learn. Additionally, the fact that WordPress is used to host all kinds of websites, from those about phone trackers to whole e-commerce platforms goes to show how powerful this language is. It has become the best option for developers who want to create desktop applications. However, to build cross-platform desktop applications with PHP, you can either use Nighttrain (a pre-packed PHP-hosting set that helps in hosting the app), PHP Desktop (an open-source project designed to develop desktop GUI applications), WXPHP, or TideSDK.
7. Swift
Swift, developed by Apple Inc., is a multi-paradigm, compiled, and general-purpose programming language for macOS, watchOS, iOS, and so on. Writing code in Swift is interactive as the syntax used is concise and powerful. If you have been developing in C or C++, you will find some parts of swift quite similar. For developers who want to develop an app for macOS, swift is the one. Also, if you want to make your development smoother, don’t forget to use tools like HomeBrew, Flexihub, iTerm2, XCode, NetBeans.IDE, Tower2, Dash, and Visual Studio Code.
8. Red-Lang
Red is an imperative, reactive, and functional programming language, designed to overcome the obstacles of REBOL(Relative Expression Based Object Language). Having a native-code compiler, Red offers a broader field for developers. It supports garbage collection and has low memory footprints. Using Red for Windows and macOS desktop applications development, developers acquire features such as support for a prototype-based object, cross-compilation, cross-platform native GUI, and visual studio plugin for various needed features.
9. Go
Go is an open-source, multi-paradigm, functional, imperative, concurrent, object-oriented programming language that is developed at Google. Syntactically it is similar to the C language but with better features like garbage collection, memory safety, and structural typing. Go makes it easier to design a reliable and efficient desktop application for macOS and Windows. There are some frameworks that you will come across while using Go, including, Martini, Gin Gonic, Mango, Beego, Revel, Echo, Iris, and GoCraft.
10. Object Pascal
Object Pascal is an extension to the Pascal programming language that supports object-oriented programming features like methods and classes. It is compiled to a fast, type-safe, and native code. Not only that but object pascal can be used to develop apps for Linux, Windows, and macOS at the same time. Two major implementations that are available for object Pascal include Delphi (a commercial Rapid Application Development environment) and Free Pascal(an open-source compiler and run-time library). Some of the major frameworks that you will need while developing desktop applications using Object Pascal are Lazarus, Oxygene, and Firemonkey.
Conclusion
Whether you are a developer or a business person, it is crucial to learn and adopt some of these top programming languages for desktop application development. As we know, programming languages are ever-changing, however, some of these languages like C#, Python, or Java can help you in achieving any goal related to application development. That being said, before sticking with a certain programming language try and explore all the given options and choose the one that suits your app vision perfectly. Besides, if you are a person who wants to build a desktop application for your business, then hire developers with relative experience of years. As an option, you can delegate your coding assignments to experts from AssignmentCore to get your programming homework done for money.