Useful Third-Party Kit Libraries for Indie iOS Developers

Apple names its frameworks after the job they do: StoreKit, WidgetKit, MapKit, TipKit. The Swift community picked up the habit, and there is now a long line of third-party libraries called something-Kit. Some are maintained by large teams, some by one person, and some have quietly stopped. This is a short list of the ones worth knowing as an indie developer, grouped by job, with what each one is and what to watch for.

We make FeedbackKit, so read this with that in mind. It is one of the entries. Every library below was checked on 17 October 2026 on its own GitHub repository: the licence, the platforms in its README, and the dates of its latest commit and release. Each one is linked.

The short version

• For UIKit layout and lists, SnapKit and IGListKit are still maintained and widely used.
• For screens you'd rather not build, look at MessageKit (chat) and CalendarKit (calendars).
• For device details, phone numbers and permissions: DeviceKit, PhoneNumberKit and PermissionsKit.
• Specialist jobs: KeyboardKit for custom keyboards (closed-source, with paid Pro features) and AudioKit for audio.
• For feature requests inside your app: WishKit and FeedbackKit.

Layout and lists

SnapKit

SnapKit is a Swift DSL for Auto Layout: you write constraints in short closures instead of anchor chains. Its README lists iOS 14, macOS 12 and tvOS 14 or later. MIT licence, last commit July 2026, latest release May 2026. If your app is all SwiftUI, you won't need it. In a UIKit codebase it still saves a lot of lines.

IGListKit

IGListKit, from Instagram, is a data-driven framework for fast UICollectionView lists, with a diffing algorithm at its core. The README lists iOS 11 or later, and macOS for the diffing parts. MIT licence, last commit August 2026, latest release February 2026. Modern UIKit has diffable data sources built in, so weigh it for complex feeds rather than simple lists.

Screens you'd rather not build

MessageKit

MessageKit is a community-driven chat UI, built as a replacement for the old JSQMessagesViewController. It needs iOS 14 or later. MIT licence. Commits were still landing in October 2026, but the latest tagged release is from December 2024, so you may want to pin a commit. It covers the interface: you bring the messaging backend.

CalendarKit

CalendarKit is a calendar UI library for iOS and Mac Catalyst that looks like Apple's Calendar app out of the box, built from modules you can use on their own. MIT licence, last commit September 2026, latest release November 2024.

Devices, data and permissions

DeviceKit

DeviceKit is a value-type replacement for UIDevice, for checking which device model your app is running on. It supports iOS 11 or later. MIT licence, latest release September 2026. Handy for bug reports and for layout edge cases on specific devices.

PhoneNumberKit

PhoneNumberKit parses, formats and validates international phone numbers, inspired by Google's libphonenumber, and installs through Swift Package Manager. Note the move: the original repository under marmelroy was deprecated in May 2026 in favour of the PhoneNumberKit organisation, whose latest release is from October 2026. MIT licence. Update your package URL if you still point at the old one.

PermissionsKit

PermissionsKit gives you one API for requesting permissions and reading their status. Each permission is a separate package product, so your app links the ones it uses and nothing else; its README points out that App Review can see every permission API you link. MIT licence, latest release September 2026.

Specialist jobs

KeyboardKit

KeyboardKit helps you build custom iOS keyboards in Swift and SwiftUI. Read the licence before you adopt it: the repository's LICENSE describes it as closed-source software that is free to start using, with commercial Pro features (localised keyboards, autocomplete, an emoji keyboard and more) that need a paid licence. Last commit and latest release October 2026.

AudioKit

AudioKit is an audio synthesis, processing and analysis platform for iOS, macOS (including Catalyst) and tvOS. MIT licence, last commit July 2026, latest release March 2026. If your app makes or analyses sound, it is the standard starting point.

Feature requests and feedback

WishKit

WishKit adds an in-app feature request board in SwiftUI. Its README lists iOS 16, macOS 13, visionOS 1, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17 or later. The package is MIT, latest release September 2026, and it works with WishKit's hosted service: the pricing page lists Free Forever at $0 with five visible requests, and Premium at $15/month or $150/year. See FeedbackKit and WishKit compared.

FeedbackKit

FeedbackKit's Swift SDK (the package is called SwiftlyFeedbackKit) adds a feature request board with voting and comments in SwiftUI. It needs iOS 26, macOS 26 or visionOS 26 or later, with no watchOS or tvOS. The package is MIT, with its latest commit and tagged release in October 2026. It works with the FeedbackKit service, which also has SDKs for Android, Flutter and React Native, native admin apps, and sync with issue trackers such as GitHub and Linear on Pro and up. There is no in-app chat and no hosted public roadmap or changelog for your users. Free is $0, Pro $15/month or $150/year, Team $39/month or $390/year (pricing, Swift docs).

Both depend on a hosted service, unlike the other libraries here. For more feedback tools, including ones not named Kit, see our roundup of in-app feedback tools for iOS and the checklist for choosing one.

At a glance

Well-known Kits to check before you adopt

Some names you will find in older tutorials have gone quiet. On 17 October 2026, WhatsNewKit had nothing pushed to GitHub since October 2024, AlertKit since August 2024, SwiftyStoreKit since June 2024 and SwipeCellKit since May 2024. They may still work, but test them on the current SDK. RichTextKit's own README says it will most likely not be updated in its current direction, now that SwiftUI's TextEditor can edit attributed strings on iOS and macOS 26.

And Apple's own Kits

Before adding a dependency, check whether Apple already covers the job. StoreKit handles in-app purchases, WidgetKit widgets, TipKit in-app tips, MapKit maps and HealthKit health data, all with no package to install and no licence to read. A third-party Kit earns its place when it does something Apple's frameworks don't, or saves you a lot of code in UIKit.

How FeedbackKit fits in

FeedbackKit is the feedback entry on this list: one board of requests that your users see on every platform you ship. Here is how that looks in FeedbackKit, with sample data from a fictional hiking app:

Choose WishKit instead if your app supports iOS versions before 26 or you need watchOS. Choose FeedbackKit if you also ship on Android, Flutter or React Native and want the same board everywhere. You can try it on the Free plan with one project. Start free.