If you're an aspiring iOS developer or just looking to expand your mobile development knowledge, you're in the right place! As a student finishing my diploma in Mobile Application Design & Development, I've discovered a passion for iOS development and have been on the hunt for the best content creators to follow. From podcasts to blogs and YouTube channels, I've been consuming a wealth of knowledge from experts in the field. In this post, I will share with you the top 5 content creators that have made a significant impact on my learning journey and who I believe will do the same for you.

Paul Hudson

There's no better way to get started in the Apple development ecosystem than to follow Paul Hudson. He's a well-known developer and educator in the Apple community, known for his expertise published on his website Hacking with Swift. And if you're just starting, his free 100 Days of SwiftUI course is the perfect way to dive into Swift and native iOS app development.

But Paul's content doesn't stop there. From YouTube videos to conference talks, ebooks, and more, he offers a plethora of information across multiple platforms. Whether you're interested in creating apps for iOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS, Paul has got you covered.

I've personally found Paul's approach to be extremely effective. His combination of repetition, appropriate pacing, and light humor helped me better understand the complexities of iOS development, which is why he tops my list of must-follow content creators. If you're serious about building iOS apps, be sure to check out Paul's work.

Sean Allen

My next recommendation for a content creator that focuses on producing high-quality iOS content is Sean Allen. Sean is primarily known for his expansive library of free educational videos offered on his YouTube, but he also publishes official structured courses on his website as well. While most of his courses are paid, Sean offers an iOS Dev Launchpad course entirely free for absolute beginners to native iOS app development. Interestingly, this course is one of the most recent and polished beginner-level courses that focus on developing apps with UIKit.

Originally I stumbled upon Sean's content through YouTube recommendations and was drawn to his teaching style, which I would describe as concise and practical. After watching countless videos on his YouTube over the past couple of months, I finally bit the bullet and purchased Sean's paid course on SwiftUI Fundamentals when it was on sale. So far, the course has been an absolute pleasure to follow along with; the curriculum is meticulously laid out to incrementally strengthen your knowledge and skills in developing native apps with SwiftUI.

Essential Developer

Both Paul and Sean are great resources for developers of all skill levels, but some readers might be looking for coverage of topics exclusively for advanced iOS devs. Essential Developer is a pair of two Lead iOS developers, Caio and Mike, who focus specifically on creating content on senior iOS dev topics. The Essential Developer YouTube channel is the primary medium where I consume their content, but they also have a podcast in addition to a well-regarded paid course aimed at helping senior iOS developers already working in the industry.

While some of the content Essential Developer produces currently goes over my head, I often find myself absorbing bits and pieces of their content throughout my week. The opportunity to sit as a fly on the wall and understand the way industry veterans think, speak and code is truly invaluable.

Over the past few weeks, I've personally been working with my mentor to learn basic software design patterns. Throughout this process, I will frequently reference Essential Developer's short videos on design patterns to gain a better understanding of how they are typically used in context. Just this week I watched their video on The Decorator Pattern in iOS architecture!

freeCodeCamp

While freeCodeCamp is not specifically a Swift or iOS-focused source of content, I consider it to be a must-know resource for any aspiring software engineer. The best part of this resource is in the name itself, everything is free! The organization freeCodeCamp is a donor-supported non-profit organization in the United States founded by Quincy Larson.

The bread and butter of educational content offered by freeCodeCamp are their interactive courses that offer free certifications upon completion. At the time of writing, there isn't specifically an iOS or mobile development certificate that you can pursue, but there are several adjacent topics that could be useful to make you a more well-rounded software engineer, like the Back End Development & APIs Certification, Relational Database Certification, or Coding Interview Prep.

My favorite aspect of freeCodeCamp's content is the full-length courses that they publish on their YouTube channel. When I was hunting for supplemental material to help me learn Swift a few months ago, I stumbled upon this epic 7-hour course created by Vandad Nahavandipoor and published by freeCodeCamp. I also subscribe to Quincy Larson's email newsletter where he recaps five of the best learning resources published by freeCodeCamp every week.

Marques Brownlee

Ending on a slightly unorthodox note, the final content creator that I suggest all iOS developers follow is none other than Marques Brownlee a.k.a. MKBHD. You likely already know about Marques, because he has amassed 16.6 million subscribers on YouTube! His main channel focuses on general commentary and reviews on tech and consumer electronics.

Let's face it, as an iOS developer, your work will always be closely tied to the hardware that your software will be running on. With new products being shipped by Apple and its competitors consistently throughout the year, it can be extremely hard to keep up with the latest tech being placed into your user's hands. Marques has an incredible ability to analyze and place each piece of hardware that he reviews into context. Best of all, his opinions are honest and extremely well informed. I consider Marques to be one of my most trusted sources of knowledge on the internet, which is why I recommend his channel to you without hesitation.

Who should I add?

This post provides my list of the top 5 content creators that I believe every iOS developer should follow. However, I recognize that the internet is a big place, and there are likely many other creators that I should be following myself. If you think I missed someone important, please let me know!