SwiftUI Development

TL;DR

What it is: SwiftUI development means building apps for Apple platforms using Apple's declarative UI framework. Unlike UIKit's imperative approach, SwiftUI lets you describe what your interface should look like and how it should behave, and the framework handles the rendering. A single SwiftUI codebase can target iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.

What you'll do:

• Build user interfaces using SwiftUI's declarative view system
• Manage app state with SwiftUI's data flow tools (Observable, State, Bindings)
• Integrate with Apple frameworks like MapKit, Charts, SwiftData, and StoreKit
• Ship apps across multiple Apple platforms from a shared codebase
• Handle App Store submission and ongoing maintenance

Time to learn: If you know Swift already, expect 3-5 months at 8-10 hours/week to become productive with SwiftUI. Starting from zero programming experience, 12-18 months is more realistic.

What you need: A Mac (minimum $600-750 for a capable setup), Xcode (free), and eventually a $99/year Apple Developer Program membership to publish apps.

Note: Platforms may charge fees or commissions. We don't track specific rates as they change frequently. Check each platform's current pricing before signing up.

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SwiftUI is Apple's declarative UI framework for building applications across all Apple platforms. Introduced in 2019, it represents a fundamental shift from UIKit's imperative, view-controller-based approach to a reactive, state-driven model where you declare your UI and let the framework manage updates.

For freelancers, SwiftUI matters because it's where Apple is directing all new development. New APIs, new features, and new platform capabilities (particularly on visionOS) are built SwiftUI-first. Clients starting new projects increasingly specify SwiftUI, and the framework's multi-platform capability means one set of skills covers iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and spatial computing.

What This Actually Is

You build apps for Apple's ecosystem using a declarative syntax where you describe views as a function of their state. When the state changes, SwiftUI automatically updates the interface. This is a different mental model from UIKit, where you manually tell views to change.

The practical result is faster UI development. Complex interfaces that would take hundreds of lines of UIKit code, including Auto Layout constraints, view controller lifecycle management, and manual data binding, often collapse into significantly less SwiftUI code. Xcode's live preview system lets you see changes instantly without building and running the full app.

Project types range widely. Startups want iOS apps built with modern tooling. Businesses need internal tools that run on iPad and Mac. Health and fitness companies need watchOS companions. Forward-looking companies are exploring visionOS apps for Apple Vision Pro. Some clients need widgets, Live Activities, or App Clips, all of which are SwiftUI-only features.

You'll also encounter projects that mix SwiftUI and UIKit. Many existing apps are gradually adopting SwiftUI for new screens while maintaining UIKit for established features. Understanding how the two frameworks interoperate through UIHostingController and UIViewRepresentable is common client work.

What You'll Actually Do

Day-to-day SwiftUI development starts with translating designs into views. You receive Figma files or wireframes and build them using SwiftUI's composable view system. VStack, HStack, ZStack, List, NavigationStack, and custom views combine to create interfaces. Modifiers chain together to style and configure views. The declarative approach means you spend more time thinking about data flow and less time managing view lifecycle.

State management is central to SwiftUI work. You'll use @State for local view state, @Binding to pass mutable state to child views, @Observable (or the older @ObservableObject) for shared model data, and @Environment for dependency injection. Getting data flow right is the difference between a SwiftUI app that works smoothly and one that's full of unexpected behavior and unnecessary re-renders.

Navigation has evolved significantly in SwiftUI. NavigationStack with navigation paths gives you programmatic control over navigation hierarchies. TabView handles tab-based interfaces. You'll build navigation patterns that feel native on each platform, as iPhone, iPad, and Mac each have different navigation expectations even within the same app.

Integration with Apple's frameworks is a major part of the work. MapKit for maps, Charts for data visualization, SwiftData for persistence, StoreKit for in-app purchases, WidgetKit for home screen widgets, and ActivityKit for Live Activities. These frameworks are designed to work with SwiftUI, and clients frequently need them.

Multi-platform adaptation is where SwiftUI's value becomes tangible. A single codebase can produce an iPhone app, an iPad app with sidebar navigation, and a Mac app with a native menu bar. You write conditional code for platform-specific behaviors while sharing the core views and logic.

Testing SwiftUI apps involves unit testing your model and state logic, snapshot testing for views, and UI testing with XCTest. The separation between view declaration and business logic that SwiftUI encourages actually makes testing more straightforward than UIKit in many cases.

Skills You Need

Swift proficiency is the foundation. SwiftUI relies heavily on Swift features like opaque return types (some View), result builders, property wrappers, and generics. You need to be comfortable with these language features to understand how SwiftUI works under the surface.

Understanding SwiftUI's data flow model is critical. Knowing when to use @State versus @Observable versus @Environment, and understanding how SwiftUI tracks dependencies and triggers view updates, is what separates developers who build smooth apps from those who fight the framework.

Familiarity with Apple's Human Interface Guidelines matters. Each Apple platform has specific design expectations. iPhone apps use tab bars and navigation stacks. iPad apps use sidebars and split views. Mac apps need menus, keyboard shortcuts, and proper window management. SwiftUI adapts automatically in some cases, but platform-appropriate design decisions remain your responsibility.

Knowledge of at least one persistence approach is important. SwiftData is Apple's modern answer, built specifically for SwiftUI. Core Data still powers many existing apps. Understanding when to use each, along with simpler options like UserDefaults and Keychain, is practical knowledge clients expect.

Xcode proficiency saves significant time. SwiftUI Previews let you iterate on UI without running the simulator, but they have quirks. Knowing how to configure previews with sample data, debug preview crashes, and use Instruments for performance profiling is part of working efficiently.

Getting Started

Get a Mac if you don't have one. Xcode only runs on macOS, and there's no viable workaround. A Mac Mini with 16GB RAM is the most cost-effective entry point for development. Used Macs from recent generations work well.

Install Xcode from the Mac App Store. It includes the Swift compiler, SwiftUI framework, simulator, previews, and all platform SDKs. It's free but large, so plan for the download.

Build 3-4 portfolio apps that demonstrate SwiftUI capabilities:

• A polished UI app with custom animations, transitions, and platform-appropriate design
• An app integrating a public API with proper state management, loading states, and error handling
• An app using SwiftData or Core Data for persistence with full CRUD operations
• A multi-platform app that runs on at least two Apple platforms (for example, iOS and macOS, or iOS and watchOS)

Publishing an app to the App Store matters for credibility. It proves you understand code signing, provisioning, App Store Connect, and the review process. Widgets and Live Activities are good portfolio pieces because they're SwiftUI-exclusive features.

Start with smaller freelance projects to build reputation. Bug fixes in existing SwiftUI apps, adding new screens to established projects, or building widgets and extensions are accessible entry points.

Income Reality

Income depends on your skill level, project complexity, client type, and time commitment. These are market observations, not guarantees.

Some developers handling basic SwiftUI work (simple screens, minor feature additions, widget development) report earning $1,000-2,500/month working part-time on freelance platforms.

Intermediate developers building complete SwiftUI apps with navigation, persistence, API integration, and proper architecture report $3,000-6,000/month.

Experienced SwiftUI developers working on complex projects (multi-platform apps, visionOS development, apps with custom animations and advanced state management, or enterprise-scale codebases) report $7,000-12,000/month or more.

Hourly consulting rates in the market range from $40-150/hour depending on experience, specialization, and client type. Developers on vetted platforms report rates at the higher end.

visionOS development is an emerging specialization. The developer pool for spatial computing is still small, which means developers with visionOS experience can command premium rates for that niche.

Your actual income varies based on skill, niche, effort, location, and market conditions.

Where to Find Work

For developers building their portfolio:

• Upwork and Freelancer for various SwiftUI and iOS projects
• Local startup communities and tech meetups
• Developer forums and communities
• Open-source contributions to SwiftUI libraries and tools

For experienced developers:

• Toptal, Gun.io, and Arc.dev for premium, vetted clients
• Direct outreach to startups and agencies building Apple-native products
• Referrals from previous clients
• Long-term retainer contracts with companies maintaining SwiftUI apps

Digital agencies are a reliable source of work. Many agencies have web teams but outsource Apple platform work to specialists. Being the SwiftUI expert an agency can call on provides steady work.

Companies adopting SwiftUI for the first time represent a growing market. Businesses with legacy UIKit apps often need developers who can build new features in SwiftUI while maintaining interoperability with existing code.

Enterprise clients need internal tools that run on iPad and Mac. SwiftUI's multi-platform capability makes it efficient to build business apps that work across Apple devices, which appeals to companies already invested in the Apple ecosystem.

Common Challenges

SwiftUI is still maturing. While it handles most common app patterns well, some advanced UIKit behaviors lack direct SwiftUI equivalents. You'll occasionally need to wrap UIKit components using UIViewRepresentable or drop into UIKit for specific features.

Annual changes to the framework require ongoing learning. Each WWDC introduces new SwiftUI views, modifiers, and capabilities while sometimes deprecating earlier approaches. Code written for one version may benefit from rewriting when new APIs make previous patterns unnecessary.

Navigation has been a moving target. SwiftUI's navigation APIs changed significantly across versions. Understanding both the current NavigationStack approach and older NavigationView patterns is practical, since client projects may use either depending on their minimum deployment target.

Debugging SwiftUI can be less transparent than UIKit. When views don't render as expected, the declarative nature means you can't set breakpoints in the same imperative way. Learning to diagnose layout issues, unexpected re-renders, and state management bugs requires a different debugging mindset.

Performance optimization requires understanding how SwiftUI's diffing engine works. Expensive view bodies, unnecessary state dependencies, and improper use of identifiers can cause performance issues. Instruments and the SwiftUI profiling tools help, but the root causes are often subtle.

Backward compatibility constraints affect freelance work. Clients often need to support older iOS versions that don't include the latest SwiftUI features. You'll need to write availability checks and fallback implementations, which adds complexity.

Tips That Actually Help

Specialize in a domain or platform. "SwiftUI developer for health and fitness apps" or "SwiftUI developer for visionOS" commands higher rates than generic "SwiftUI developer." Clients pay premium rates for developers who understand both the framework and their industry.

Master SwiftUI's animation system. Animations built with withAnimation, matchedGeometryEffect, and custom transitions are what make apps feel polished. Fluid, purposeful animations differentiate professional work from basic implementations.

Learn SwiftUI and UIKit interoperability well. Most real-world projects involve both frameworks. Being able to embed UIKit views in SwiftUI (and vice versa) cleanly is a practical skill that clients value.

Build a reusable component library. Custom buttons, cards, loading states, and form elements that you can drop into new projects save hours. Document them with SwiftUI Previews so you can find and adapt them quickly.

Invest in understanding SwiftData early. It's Apple's modern persistence framework designed for SwiftUI, and it's significantly simpler than Core Data. As adoption grows, proficiency with SwiftData becomes increasingly valuable.

Study Apple's sample code and WWDC sessions. Apple publishes extensive SwiftUI examples and technical sessions each year. These are the closest thing to an authoritative source for best practices and intended usage patterns.

Keep your deployment target as modern as possible when negotiating with clients. Newer iOS versions have more SwiftUI features, which means less workaround code. Fewer workarounds mean faster development and more reliable results.

Learning Timeline Reality

This is an estimate, not a guarantee. Your pace depends on prior experience and hours invested.

If you know Swift and have iOS development experience, expect 3-5 months at 8-10 hours/week to become comfortable with SwiftUI. The main learning curve is the declarative paradigm shift, state management model, and navigation patterns.

If you know another programming language but not Swift, add 2-3 months for Swift fundamentals before focusing on SwiftUI.

If you're starting from zero programming experience, expect 12-18 months at 10-15 hours/week. You'll need to learn programming concepts, then Swift, then SwiftUI and Apple's development ecosystem.

The hardest part for developers coming from UIKit is the mental model shift. UIKit is imperative: you tell views what to do. SwiftUI is declarative: you describe what the interface should be. This shift takes time to internalize, and most developers go through a phase of fighting the framework before it clicks.

Building and publishing an app within your first 6 months is a meaningful milestone. It forces you through the entire development cycle, from project setup through App Store submission, and teaches practical lessons that tutorials don't cover.

Is This For You?

SwiftUI development works well as a side hustle if you're interested in building polished, native apps across Apple's ecosystem. The declarative approach is genuinely enjoyable once you internalize it, and seeing your code run on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Watch from a shared codebase is satisfying.

The investment barrier is real. You need a Mac, and publishing apps requires the $99/year Apple Developer membership. If you don't own a Mac already, factor that cost into your decision before committing.

If you already know Swift or have UIKit experience, SwiftUI is a natural next step. Apple is clearly directing developers toward SwiftUI, and new platform features increasingly require it. Widgets, Live Activities, visionOS apps, and many watchOS complications are SwiftUI-only.

The multi-platform angle is a genuine differentiator. Clients building for multiple Apple devices benefit from SwiftUI's shared codebase approach, and developers who can deliver across platforms provide more value than those limited to a single device type.

If you prefer working across ecosystems (iOS and Android together), cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter might be a better fit. SwiftUI locks you into Apple's ecosystem entirely. For broader native iOS work including legacy projects, Swift iOS Development covers the full picture including UIKit.

The market for SwiftUI developers is growing as more companies adopt the framework for new projects and migrate existing apps. visionOS development, still in its early stages, represents an emerging opportunity for developers already comfortable with SwiftUI. Early expertise in spatial computing could prove valuable as the platform matures.

Start by building small, complete apps. Focus on shipping polished projects rather than accumulating tutorial knowledge. The market values developers who deliver production-ready applications that follow Apple's design conventions and work reliably across devices.