The meanings are the same, but the tone is extremely different. "Neat" and "swell" are very old-fashioned, while "phat" and "fire" are modern Hip-Hop jargon.
If you're not African-American, using Hip-Hop jargon can be potentially offensive to some people who consider it to be cultural appropriation. Also, you might not be understood by some people who aren't familiar with Hip-Hop terminology.
I would suggest that the best informal word for expressing approval is "cool", but you could also use "awesome."