The main difference is related to where they stay in the memory, objects are stored in the heap while value type are stored directly in the Stack ...

heap : is an area of memory used for dynamic memory allocation.

stack : is the section of memory that is allocated for automatic variables within functions. Data is stored in stack using the Last In First Out (LIFO) method.

About NSInteger and NSNumber :

NSInteger is nothing more than a synonym for a long integer, while NSNumber is an Objective-C class, a subclass of NSValue to be specific.

Answer from aleroot on Stack Overflow
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › java › java_data_types_non-prim.asp
Java Non-Primitive Data Types
The main differences between primitive and non-primitive data types are: Primitive types in Java are predefined and built into the language, while non-primitive types are created by the programmer (except for String).
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › java-data-types
Java Data Types - GeeksforGeeks
They are created by users and include types like String, Class, Object, Interface, and Array. String represents a sequence of characters enclosed in double quotes. Unlike C/C++, Java strings are objects and are immutable.
Published   January 16, 2026
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iphone - What is the difference between primitive data type vs an non primitive data type(apple defined data type)? - Stack Overflow
What's the basic difference between the two..? it would be nice if can someone explain using the example of NSInteger and NSNumber.. Thanks More on stackoverflow.com
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What is the reasons and the benefit of non-primitive data in Java?
so I can do this concisely: foreach Student s in MyProgrammingClass s.fail; More on reddit.com
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September 7, 2021
In Java, why is String a non-primitive data type? - Stack Overflow
In Java, we can directly use String to declare a string variable name and specify its value. We do not have to define the string as an array by using new keyword, even though String is non-primitiv... More on stackoverflow.com
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java - What is the difference between the terms non-primitive type and object type? - Stack Overflow
When I read about Java, I generally see variables described as either primitive type or object type. When I read about C#, I generally see variables described as either primitive type or non-primitive type? What is the difference between the terms object type and non-primitive type? ... That article mis-identifies most of the primitive types, from MSDN - "The primitive types are Boolean, Byte, SByte, Int16... More on stackoverflow.com
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Medium
medium.com › @AlexanderObregon › java-data-types-primitive-vs-non-primitive-417925cee746
Java Data Types: Primitive & Non-Primitive | Medium
November 16, 2023 - Non-Primitive Types: String, Array, Class objects, and various data structures like ArrayList, HashMap, etc. Primitive Types: Managed efficiently by the Java runtime due to their stack allocation and fixed size.
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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › non-primitive data types in java
Non-primitive Data Types in Java | Scaler Topics
June 29, 2024 - Non primitive data types in Java, like classes and arrays, reference memory locations in the heap where objects are stored.
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Medium
ardijorganxhi.medium.com › understanding-primitive-and-non-primitive-data-types-in-java-595730a5eec9
Understanding Primitive and Non-Primitive data types in Java | by Ardi Jorganxhi | Medium
February 29, 2024 - Primitive data types are the fundamental building blocks for storing and manipulating data in the Java programming language. They are predefined by the language itself and represent basic values like numbers, characters, and true/false statements. Unlike non-primitive data types, they are not objects and don’t have any associated methods.
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Great Learning
mygreatlearning.com › blog › it/software development › data types in java – primitive and non-primitive data types
Data Types in Java – Primitive and Non-Primitive Data Types
January 27, 2025 - Non-Primitive Data Types: These are more complex and include classes, arrays, and interfaces. Unlike primitive types, they reference memory locations where data is stored and provide additional functionality through methods and attributes.
Find elsewhere
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NxtWave
ccbp.in › blog › articles › difference-between-primitive-and-non-primitive-data-structure
Difference Between Primitive and Non-Primitive Data Structure
Java has automatic garbage collection in regards to memory dealt with these non-primitive references. Strict Typing: Java requires explicit type declarations, helping catch type-related errors at compile time. Everything is an Object: In Python, all types of data are implemented as objects, including the traditional primitives int, float and bool.
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Educative
educative.io › answers › non-primitive-data-types-in-java
Non-primitive data types in Java
Java is a language that is widely used in the industry of computer science. The specialty of Java is that it provides predefined data types (i.e., primitive data types). These data types have no additional methods attached to them and are pre-defined. The other type of data that Java has is non-primitive data.
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Edureka
edureka.co › blog › data-types-in-java
Data Types in Java | Primitive and Non-Primitive Data Types | Edureka
July 5, 2024 - In this article, I will give you a brief insight into the different data types in Java. According to the properties they possess, data types are divided into two groups: ... Primitive Data Types: A primitive data type is pre-defined by the programming language. The size and type of variable values are specified, and it has no additional methods. Non-Primitive Data Types: These data types are not actually defined by the programming language but are created by the programmer.
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Upgrad
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Data Types in Java – Your Quick Beginner’s Guide
August 7, 2025 - Non-primitive data types, also known as reference types, are a key feature in Java’s object-oriented architecture. Unlike primitive data types that store actual values in memory, non-primitive types store references (or memory addresses) that point to the actual objects in the heap memory.
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Scientech Easy
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Non-Primitive Data types in Java - Scientech Easy
January 25, 2026 - For example, an int type can store only one integer value, and a boolean type can store only one value — either true or false. There are eight primitive data types in Java. They are boolean, char, byte, short, int, long, float, and double. Now, we will learn about another category of data types supported by Java, known as non-primitive data types (or reference/advanced data types).
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LabEx
labex.io › questions › what-are-non-primitive-data-types-565702
What are non-primitive data types? | LabEx
September 30, 2025 - Can Be Null: Non-primitive types can be assigned a value of null, indicating that they do not reference any object. More Complex: They can encapsulate multiple values and behaviors (methods). Here’s a simple example demonstrating non-primitive data types: public class NonPrimitiveExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Using a String (non-primitive) String message = "Hello, Java!"; System.out.println(message); // Using an array (non-primitive) int[] numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; System.out.println("First number: " + numbers[0]); // Using a class (ArrayList) java.util.ArrayList<String> list = new java.util.ArrayList<>(); list.add("Apple"); list.add("Banana"); System.out.println("First fruit: " + list.get(0)); } }
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Gopi Gorantala
ggorantala.dev › java-primitive-and-non-primitive-data-types
Java Primitive and Non-primitive Data Types
April 29, 2024 - In Java, most of the work is done by primitives. These primitive data types are the foundation of all other types. They are used to store simple values such as numbers and characters. They are stored directly in memory and are accessed faster than non-primitive data types.
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5

Part of this confusion may be in that, in C#, (mostly) everything inherits from Object. To refer to an Object type in the same way, would refer to every type in the language, and essentially be useless.

In C#, the primitive types are Boolean, Byte, Char, Double, Int16, Int32, Int64, IntPtr, SByte, Single, UInt16, UInt32, UInt64, UIntPtr. These types still inherit from object, though they are treated differently by the language. There are a few types that don't inherit from object, but they are not what you would consider primitives (ie Interfaces). The list of C# primitives can be acquired with this code, taken from here:

var primitives = typeof(int).Assembly.GetTypes().Where(type => type.IsPrimitive).ToArray();

A more appropriate dichotomy, if you wanted such a thing, would be value types versus reference types. When you begin considering that difference, then you can include things such as Enum types, and other values type, like structs.

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in Java:

the primitive variables are categorized in 8 data types: boolean,byte,short,int,long,float,double and char.Every primitive variable has his own range of space in memory.

The references variables,refers to objects(Array,String,ArrayList,StringBuilder,...), and doesnt matter the space of the object referred.

Differences:

1.references types can be assinged as null /primitives dont.

2.references types can be used to call methods when they dont point to null/primitives uses literals.

3.references types have all the same size / in primitives depends of the
data type

4.primitives declarations starts with lowercase/java classes with
Uppercase

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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › javase › tutorial › java › nutsandbolts › datatypes.html
Primitive Data Types (The Java™ Tutorials > Learning the Java Language > Language Basics)
Unicode escape sequences may be used elsewhere in a program (such as in field names, for example), not just in char or String literals. The Java programming language also supports a few special escape sequences for char and String literals: \b (backspace), \t (tab), \n (line feed), \f (form feed), \r (carriage return), \" (double quote), \' (single quote), and \\ (backslash). There's also a special null literal that can be used as a value for any reference type. null may be assigned to any variable, except variables of primitive types.
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GUVI
guvi.in › blog › programming languages › data types in java: primitive vs non-primitive data types
Data Types in JAVA: Primitive VS Non-Primitive Data Types
October 13, 2025 - Basically, there are two types of data types in Java. Primitive Data types – include boolean, char, byte, short, int, float, long & double. Non-primitive Data Types – include Interfaces, Classes, and Arrays.
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Shiksha
shiksha.com › home › it & software › it & software articles › programming articles › data types in java – primitive and non-primitive data types explained
Data Types in Java – Primitive and Non-Primitive Data Types Explained - Shiksha Online
June 21, 2024 - Non-primitive data types or reference data types refer to instances or objects. They cannot store the value of a variable directly in memory. They store a memory address of the variable.