A community-driven, customizable chat UI library for iOS apps built with Swift.
MessageKit is an open-source iOS library for building chat interfaces in Swift applications. It replaces the older JSQMessagesViewController with a modern, community-driven alternative that offers a full suite of messaging UI components. The library simplifies adding chat features like text, media, and location sharing while allowing deep customization to match app designs.
iOS developers building apps that require chat or messaging functionality, such as social platforms, customer support tools, or community apps. It's ideal for those seeking a ready-made, customizable UI solution.
Developers choose MessageKit for its comprehensive feature set, active community support, and flexibility. It saves development time by providing pre-built, polished components while allowing extensive customization beyond basic chat layouts.
A community-driven replacement for JSQMessagesViewController
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Supports text, photos, videos, location, audio, contacts, and custom content via MessageKind, enabling diverse chat experiences without extra coding.
Cell structure with seven adjustable parts (e.g., labels, avatar views) allows precise layout control to match app designs, as shown in the documentation.
Built on InputBarAccessoryView, providing a versatile and feature-rich input area that handles common chat interactions seamlessly.
With a Slack channel, detailed guides, and an example project, it offers strong troubleshooting and learning resources.
Requires iOS 14+ and Swift 6+, ensuring it leverages the latest Apple technologies and is future-proof for updates.
Implementing .custom MessageKind requires manual cell creation and size calculation, bypassing built-in styling and increasing development effort, as admitted in the README.
Relies on InputBarAccessoryView for input bars, adding another library to maintain and potential compatibility issues or breaking changes.
Supporting older iOS versions necessitates using specific, older MessageKit releases (e.g., iOS 13 needs version 4.3.0), complicating long-term maintenance.
Deep customization requires understanding the delegate system and cell structure, which can overwhelm developers new to the library, despite documentation.
MessageKit is an open-source alternative to the following products: