Flutter vs React Native: Which is Better for App Development?
09 Sep 2021
It is no groundbreaking news that mobile applications are growing in popularity. Mobile adoption witnessed a serious increase in interest by enterprises around the world, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With this imperative, several businesses decide to jump the bandwagon to develop their applications as a response to the market demand.
And, while there exist a plethora of cross-platform frameworks to choose from but React Native and Flutter have emerged as the most common choice. Undoubtedly, both have their benefits and limitations. Do you wish to invest in mobile app development but aren’t sure which development framework would fit your business needs and budget?
Through this article, we’ll be comparing the two major contenders in the market. Allow us to break it down for you to let you decide which out of two frameworks makes the most sense for your business needs.
Flutter was developed by Google to create cross-platform applications using a single codebase. And, before this framework, for a company to develop an application that works seamlessly across web, mobile, and desktop, it would have to rely upon development teams with specialized focus (for web, mobile & desktop) and use more than one tool to achieve that goal.
React Native was created by Facebook with a codebase written in javascript to create cross-platform applications. It helps reduce the learning curve for the development teams because of their familiarity with the programming language script. For this ecosystem, while web development has been around for some time, mobile development is a bit new and it is maturing fast.
Let’s get started!
Flutter vs React Native Popularity
Before you dive in, it might interest you to learn how these technologies are being worked upon by companies.
Here’s a glance of companies that use either:
Flutter:
- BMW
- eBay
- Alibaba
- Groupon
- CapitalOne
React Native:
- Skype
- Tesla
- Salesforce
- UberEats
Differences Between Flutter and React Native: Which One to Pick in 2021 and Beyond?
The following pointers remain important as we proceed with the in-depth React Native vs Flutter comparison or any other development frameworks. We believe this will help organizations like you to decide and make up your mind on whether either of the cross-platform development frameworks is worth a shot for your business idea.
Flutter vs React Native Market Share
Going by Google Trends, for the US region, Flutter has gained significant traction with 60% over React Native (40%) in the last five years.
Here are some interesting trends that are worth evaluating and will help you make a better choice.
According to StackOverflow, during 2021, 68.17% of development teams loved using Flutter for their projects, while 58.08% of them enjoy using React Native.
Another trend suggests that even though Flutter (120,000 stars) is a relatively younger framework, it has surpassed React Native (95,300 stars) in the number of Github stars it has earned.
Flutter vs React Native Performance
Projects that use Flutter follow the native code which ultimately results in optimal performance. However, performance glitches are a possibility if graphics routines are not regularly optimized. Additionally, this framework is great to manage CPU-heavy operations & memory. And, it has emerged as the best choice among Flutter app development companies for addressing varied project requirements. Specifically around offering apps with unique & attractive animations along with an intuitive UI.
React Native, on the other hand, while being a superior framework, fails to deliver the best performance. By combining native and JavaScript languages, developers require additional interactions to boost the application’s performance.
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Quick Flutter vs React Native Comparison
| Flutter | React Native | |
| Official Release | December 2018 | March 2015 |
| Programming Language | Dart | JavaScript |
| Technology Architecture | Advanced SDK with layered architecture for optimal customization | Dependent on other software to build react components & uses JavaScript to bridge connect to native modules |
| UI | Ensures smooth performance of cross-platform apps regardless of the platform. Includes UI widgets that simplify the development process of native-like applications and therefore no dependency on third-party libraries | Renders native components for each platform to offer the same look and feel of applications – therefore components behave differently across platforms. |
| Community Support | Relatively newer but is largely supported by Google engineers | Has a comparatively larger community support |
| Time to market | Much quicker than native app development | Development is almost as fast as Flutter but optimization is a must for each platform, which may increase app development time. |
| Learning Curve | Requires a little more time & effort to understand | Comparatively easier to learn because of Javascript familiarity |
| Reliability | Simple and resists operating update system changes | Dependent on native elements of the device with extra efforts applied for app system updates |
| CI/CD | Deploy apps with the command-line interface | No integrated tool but supports popular third-party CI/CD services |
| Deployment | Easy with built-in libraries | Requires third-party libraries |
| Cross-platform Capacity | VSC, Android Studio, IntelliJ | Almost any EDI |
Pros and Cons of React Native and Flutter
React Native
| Pros | Cons |
| Stable because of simplified data binding | Has weaker performance than native solutions |
| Offers modularity that allows segregation of program function into interchangeable modules | Basic support for out-of-the-box components |
| Apps get a native look and feel | Generally, applications are bigger in size than their native counterparts |
| Strong community support |
Flutter
| Pros | Cons |
| Single codebase for either of the mobile platforms | File size is usually large |
| Comes with a set of customizable widgets | Lack of support for Continuous Integration |
| Offers the same application interface, even the legacy ones | Equipped with a limited set of tools and 3rd party libraries |
| Is equipped with rich documentation | Offer weak support for iOS features |
Which Way Forward?
Ultimately, every business goal boils down to delivering app development projects on time. Both React Native and Flutter are equally competent to accelerate your time-to-market. These dominant technologies both have their own set of special features that help build graphic UIs. However, choosing a framework depends entirely on your specific project needs.
When to Choose?
Flutter:
- Under strict project timeline and fixed budget
- Reduce development cost by single codebase across platforms
- Need personalized UI with widgets & less testing
React Native:
- Scale-up existing app with cross-platform modules
- Develop unique shared APIs
- Development of the lightweight native app
As an organization that is experienced in providing cross-platform development services to enterprises across industries, we have a thorough understanding of technologies. Through our collaboration, you would discover how new-age business opportunities can help drive innovation.
Our team works thoroughly understands your business requirements to deliver custom apps designed to wow your end-users. Whether your requirement is simply app modernization or full-grown app development support, we can help enterprises of all sizes meet their business goals.
Decided yet – React Native or Flutter?
We can help leverage the toolkits and architecture of either framework to bring your app idea to life
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