# Xcode 12 Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Xcode 12 the right App Building solution for you? Explore 45 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/207197/Xcode-12/reviews --- Xcode 12 4.5 (45) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/207197/Xcode-12/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Xcode 12 Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 3.9 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AN Alessio N iOS DeveloperComputer Software, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Xcode is the best tool for developing iOS apps in Swift: it's very well integrated with the language, the compiler and the source control (Git).“ September 19, 2022 RS Ryan S Head of design and implementationSports, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Cons are that it is very code intensive and difficult to wrap your head around some trickier concepts to bring them to life.“ July 25, 2024 JH Julian H UX ConsultantDesign, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “There are not exactly alternatives when building iOS software, and Xcode is ultimately good enough. Once you overcome the initial learning curve and various teething issues, it's pretty quick to deploy new builds to the App Store, for instance.“ January 4, 2023 Saad I T24 Technical AnalystBanking, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “The entire process of configuring XCODE 12 for the first time can be cumbersome for a newbie.“ July 14, 2021 Yash K Software Development InternMarketing and Advertising, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Xcode 12 offers extensive features with the key addition of Swift 5.3 for IOS 14 users, a crucial aspect in development for the new IOS User Interface.“ February 21, 2021 BD Binigya D Game DeveloperComputer Games, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I really dislike the way debugging works on Xcode, it is a cumbersome process.“ March 16, 2021 JL Joshua L CEOComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Xcode provides a number of powerful and easy to use tools to make coding iOS apps in swift a breeze.“ May 9, 2021 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 45 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Giuseppe N. Software engineer manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great update" April 27, 2022 5.0 Pros I've been an iOS developer for 10 years and I can tell Apple has done a great job. The management of the devices on which to debug is excellent, and the creation of the builds for the deployment on the store is equally excellent. Cons sometimes there is some slowdown when viewing complex storyboards, but completely manageable. Review Source MTI Md. Tohedul I. Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best all in one programming tool" April 27, 2021 5.0 I like the debugging and inspection feature. It's the all-in-one complete app, game, and software development software for me. It's recommended for ios apps and games also recommended for any other software development. Pros I like the most about this software: ease of use and all-in-one tool feature. So I can do all programming-related work in my Xcode 12. So I don't have to use multiple tools to complete my tasks like app development, software development, and other stuff. Also, like the auto-suggestion tooltips feature. I like to use this software to develop enterprise applications, android, and ios apps and games. Cons If I have to build an ios app or game then I must have to use Xcode, I don't like this thing. It shouldn't be bound. Switched from [Visual Studio Code](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/) I make the switch to this software because it's very useful to do my software development and boost my development work. I just have to use a single software if I use this. So I switch to this all-in-one powerful software. So I switch to this. Review Source HB Hiren B. Technical lead Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Heavy tool which can lead to your system hang" September 25, 2020 3.0 Overall it's good tool and updated feature compare to previous XCode. The only conern is the tool size and the memory it takes to run. Pros Xcode is good to develop iOS apps. New Xcode features Swift UI is much easier to use for creating UI for iOS apps. The code completion suggestion is very powerful Cons when you start opening multiple tabs, it will hit your computer memory very hard and you will face system crash or hang several times. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best tool for IOS Application Development " July 9, 2022 5.0 It is very good experience as it is only option to develop the mobile application for IOS. Sometimes I face the challenge related to the developer certificate and provisioning file but rest it is good. Good tool to develop mobile applications. Pros 1\. Best tool for mobile and web application development. 2. Setting application metadata like media is very easy. 3. Code, test, deploy at one place only. 4. Setting up an team and developer certificate easily. 5. Build time is very fast. 6. Deployment feature is really intelligent as it will assist you till the app is getting deployed on the app store. Cons 1\. Profile and developer certificate maintenance is one of the great challenge while deploying the application on the app store but once it is setup it is very easy to deploy. 2. Initial setup is requires some extra efforts. 3. It consumes a lot of memory and CPU and requires to wait sometime. Reason for choosing Xcode 12 As there is no such option available known to me. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CTO Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best tool for iOS app developer " February 3, 2022 4.0 Developed 20 applications, using Xcode. Pros Ease of use, Speed, Performance. Graphical UI of designs, Auto correcting, Syntax support, Packages, Plugins Cons Keep crashing, consumes more memory, a lot of memory in the cache, derived data consumes whole mac space Review Source Princely O. CEO Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "An App Builder with a Superior Class" December 8, 2022 5.0 Pros When it comes to competition with other app builders, Xcode Apps displays a touch of seniority over others with a superior user interface, a robust system and user experience, and a multifaceted design layout.very unique in terms of features, functionalities, and deployment.After code assembly, you can upload your IPA apps directly to the Apple IOS store, with instant support from the Apple team and a massive community to gain insight from and learn from. Cons It takes a long time to load.Why does this only work for the deployment of an iOS app?I'll suggest making it a bit faster to load. Keeping up with all of the updates can be difficult due to unexpected emulator stoppages, builder interruptions, and stoppages.  Review Source Nirmal R. Software Developer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best iOS app Development tool" July 29, 2021 5.0 It is good for iOS app development. till now not faced any issue. Pros OverAll Looks of IDE is very good. it is more user friendly by using their tabs and navigation system. Cons storyboard are always get conflict when more developers are working on same project. Review Source Nabin P. CEO Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Must have tool for Apple developers" July 15, 2021 5.0 It's a great IDE for the Apple ecosystem. Pros Xcode is the only IDE for developing apps for Apple devices. Supports Objective C and Swift programming languages. The excellent user interface, code auto-completion, great documentation, team collaboration features, and app store deployment, all in one single software. Cons Xcode requires macOS. Must have a credit card to deploy apps. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Chief Architect Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A user friendly IDE for iOS developers" October 28, 2023 5.0 Pros Many of the build tools are automated, such as code correction, debugging, and deployment. This feature saves the developer time in building app. Cons You need Apple Mac in order to use this tool. Apple devices are necessary for building an app. Review Source Manthan P. Senior Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Xcode 12 - With all New Design" July 5, 2021 5.0 Now Apple has made mandatory to submit the application using iOS14 SDK only so that is only provided by Xcode 12 only. Pros It has all new design that certainly look great on macOS Big Sur. It has customisable font size for the navigator. It has the next swift update which means more features, resulting better, cleaner and safer. The new Swift UI App Life Cycle brings a new addition to the initial configuration. Cons Hardly any information found to solve problems. Review Source AC Andrei C. iOS Software Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Your (only) go-to IDE for developing on Apple platforms" May 25, 2021 5.0 It's a love and hate relationship, but mostly it's love! Pros \- It has tons of small features that can boost your productivity (ex. behaviors); - Has support for building apps for all Apple operating systems (ex. tvOS, watchOS, iOS, etc.); - PLAYGROUNDS; - Very fast and good simulator (compared to Android); Cons \- INDEXING... On large projects, the performance starts to drop drastically. Features like "jump to definition", "find call hierarchy" or other refactoring tools stop working; - It can be painful to work with SwiftUI due to Xcode bugs. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer System Integration Analyst Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Takes a lot of space" October 8, 2021 5.0 Pros It's easy to use and modifying storyboards makes designing easier. Cons It takes a lot of space. Even when I have a lot of memory on my laptop - the simulator just takes a lot of time to load + the app in itself is huge. Review Source RR Roger R. Innovation Specialist Internet Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "El mejor software para desarrollar para iOS" September 14, 2022 5.0 Me ha gustado bastante la experiencia de UI que tiene Xcode, Pros El ambiente grafico, tengo el código y la vista previa con su emulador para poder probar en tiempo real las funciones que estoy programando. Cons No hay algo que pueda decir, para mi el software esta perfecto. Reason for choosing Xcode 12 Para poder desarrollar aplicaciones en Swift. Review Source MP Martin P. Web App Developer Computer Software Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "iOS Apps development solution" February 21, 2023 4.0 Required and must have app for iOS development, with nice storyboards implementation but code recognition is bad. Overall performance of the IDE is also bad. Pros This app is nearly must have in iOS Apps development. You can look for another apps but you finally get know that without Xcode you can't do so many things. I like the storyboards, which allows you to create app more interactively without less skills. Cons Code inspections and auto recognition is bad. The performance for these functions is also bad. Review Source LT Laura T. Student Computer Software Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A good app to code" June 18, 2021 4.0 Overall the software works as it should, every feature is there. Good. Pros It has a lot of features, it’s easy when you learn how to work it it, it’s fast and functional a really good software. Cons At the beginning You have to read a manual fo understand something or maybe that’s just me but it’s really complicated Review Source RS Ryan S. Head of design and implementation Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Xcode is great but be prepared to Youtube or research alot" July 25, 2024 5.0 Overall was an awesome experience but wasn't for us in the end as it was too hard to implement in-app purchasing and subscriptions to our app. Also was very tedious having to resubmit the app to be published every time we made small changes. Pros Xcode offered a great amount of endless design options. Loved the way you can do a simulation of your app in a sandbox environment on different Apple devices from iPad Air to the latest iPhone or Apple Watch. Great library for filing media items too. Cons You can build any app you are after, given that you either know Swift (coding language) back to front or have plenty of time to research how to build your app. Cons are that it is very code intensive and difficult to wrap your head around some trickier concepts to bring them to life. Another con is the difficulty with publishing apps not always displaying why they got rejected from the app store and also adding in-app purchase functionality is difficult. Review Source CL Chris L. Captain Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best platform for developing mobile apps" May 18, 2024 5.0 Pros Powerful platform with an intuitive UI. Cons Occasional technical issues with compiling. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IT engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Un IDE fondamentale ma pieno di bug e lento" March 16, 2023 3.0 Non si può prescindere da Xcode se si vuole programmare per dispositivi iOS ma l'IDE presenta numerosi difetti che rendono difficile e lenta la programmazione. Pros Xcode è un scelta obbligata per chi si accinge allo sviluppo di applicazioni iOS e macOS. Ho trovato l' interfaccia utente abbastanza intuitiva anche se può all'inizio disorientare un nuovo utente ma a mio avviso l'unico vero pregio di questo IDE è l'emulatore integrato che permette di debuggare le applicazioni anche senza avere un dispositivo apple fisico (permettendo di risparmiare parecchio) Cons I difetti purtroppo superano i pregi. Innanzitutto per utilizzare Xcode è necessario avere un Mac (molto oneroso) ma il problema principale è che l'IDE soprattutto nelle ultime versioni presenta numerosi bug. inoltre è molto lento in fase di compilazione e di segnalazione degli errori. Infine scaricare xcode e gli sdk necessari alla programmazione di app mobile occupa molto spazio sull'hardisk Review Source PP Phanit P. iOS Developer Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Standard IDE for iOS Development" September 8, 2021 5.0 I've been using Xcode for a while (over 10 years). Xcode 12 adds a lot of features to existing features to include a lot of support for SwiftUI. Overall, it's a must-have tool for Apple Development. Pros The autocompletion feature is nice for Swift and Objective-C. Xcode 12 can be used to submit the app directly into the app store. Xcode 12 has a lot of great documentation since it has been the standard tool for iOS development for a while. The simulator can be used to simulate different devices with different Operating Systems. Cons Xcode provides a lot of advanced options in their User Interface, but a lot of options can be overwhelming. Storyboard merges can be nearly impossible to resolve. Sometimes, an error message can be difficult to debug. Frequent updates. Requires 40GB of free space to update on the latest versions. Reason for choosing Xcode 12 There was no alternative option since Xcode was the standard IDE for Apple Review Source Fabiano A. Consulente IT Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Indispensabile per lo sviluppo su iOS" February 1, 2023 5.0 Lo utilizzo quasi ogni giorno a lavoro poiché le app che sviluppiamo hanno sia il target Android che iOS. Indispensabile poiché non è possibile produrre build iOS in nessun altro modo. Pros Facilità di utilizzo. Ottimo IDE. Utilissimo la funzionalità ad alto livello che permette di collegare codice e UI. Cons Durante il debugging capita a volte di perdere il collegamento con il device. Review Source BD Binigya D. Game Developer Computer Games Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The only option for iOS development" March 16, 2021 4.0 It is the only option for iOS app development, so you are stuck with it if you want to make any iOS apps or games. I did have a good experience using it, as it does have a slick UI and some nifty features going for it, but I found my experience to also be mildly frustrating at times. Pros As with any Apple product, I love the Slick UI and the UX of XCode. It is a daunting and a complex beast of an IDE, but it does look good and you can access stuff you want easily. It also has such an easy connection for releasing TestFlight apps and making archives for the App store, which does compensate for some of its frustrations and quirks. I also loved the emulators, which are pretty light on the system and do work so smoothly to test out your apps. Cons I really dislike the way debugging works on Xcode, it is a cumbersome process. Also, while exporting archives and app packages, it raises errors after a substantial amount of time instead of warning about it earlier on. And, the permission settings are pretty confusing and the countless amounts of errors I have gotten due it is a painful experience to have. Finally, it is really slow at times. I've used it on a Mac mini and a Macbook pro and the plodding performance has always been an issue for me. Review Source VT Viktor T. Software engineer in test Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Xcode user as QA" February 22, 2023 4.0 It is a usable development environment with many great features, at the same time a sometimes less user friendly user interface Pros Xcode is essentially the only tool with which it is relatively convenient to develop applications on Apple devices. It has a lot of features, but from the QA positions I like the source code debugger the most, it's top quality Cons Unfortunately, Xcode has several bugs, the app often crashes when it is committed to other branches. The application does not compile, but the exact error is not reported. It has less user friendly user interface. Review Source TB Tim B. Senior iOS Developer Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The only real tool for Swift development for iOS" April 6, 2022 4.0 Pros XCode is packed with development features for iPhones and iPads. Ranging from the best code auto-completion tools in the industry (in my opinion) to its very accurate and fast simulators it is simply the best place to start with native iOS app development. Cons Theres constantly bugs in the software - particularly around a major release. These bugs tend to be removed or fade over the next year before a whole new set of bugs get introduced again. Some confounding bugs recently were released in XCode 13.2 in which the Mac App store version of the app didn't work and required a fresh install. Quality control isn't always there. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent for Swift Development" March 23, 2021 5.0 Working on iOS App development, XCode has really upped the game for an IDE using the native languages. Compared to Android Development with Android Studio, or even something like React-Native, XCode was miles ahead in terms of features, ease of use and reliability. Pros This product is THE way to handle Swift development for macOS and iOS. I've never had it crash on me, the built-in compiler is top notch and it is incredibly easy to send an application over to your mobile device Cons This software CAN be used for things like C++ development. Don't use it for that, there are better options out there. Its handling of anything NOT native Apple-developed Swift is very hit or miss for usability. Review Source RA Rishad A. IT Manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One and only IDE for developing mobile/desktop application for MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and TVOS" June 12, 2023 5.0 From developing to deployment, XCode is a single suite to do all of, which is super easy. Also for developing any App for Apple devices, XCode is mandatory. You can build an app without it. Even with Flutter Pros Apple creates XCode for developing apps for various Apple devices. It has all the required tools for developing & deploying an app. No additional tool is required for deployment. We can do it directly from Apple XCode Cons XCode itself is good. We need to pay 99$ per annum for a developer account, which is very expensive compared to Google PlayStore. We can use XCode without purchasing a developer account, but that limits many options such as sharing a test app with friends. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Integrated Development Environment (IDE)](https://www.capterra.com/ide-software/)[App Building](https://www.capterra.com/app-building-software/)