Flutter Vs React Native: A Conundrum
Imagine you’re a business owner and you want to build an app for iOS and android. While doing your research, you find out that Flutter and React Native have tight competition.
Developers use both these frameworks in creating cross functioning mobile apps.
But which one to choose?
To help you clarify your confusion, we’ll be weighing the pros and cons of them both and end the battle of Flutter Vs React Native once and for all.
Rise of Cross Functioning Apps
For businesses it’s important to make the most of every opportunity they get. Which means, they can’t risk losing their customers because their app is unavailable on 1 platform. Having a single shareable codebase helps developers to create your app for iOS and Android.
The ongoing struggle between Flutter vs React Native continues, as both these frameworks share a single codebase. Statistics for these 2 frameworks make it even more interesting —
1) Flutter: Nearly 46% of developers worldwide prefer using Flutter to build their apps.
Popular Apps: Google Ads, Zomato, CureFit, 1MG and Flipkart
2) React Native: Almost 42% of developers use React Native and holds a significant market share.
Popular Apps: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Skype, Airbnb and UberEats
Therefore making the right choice between these 2 frameworks will shape the overall performance of your app. Now we’ll dive further to understand these frameworks better.
Flutter Vs React Native; What’s better?
1) Flutter
Also referred as Software Development Kit (SDK), Flutter was created by Google in 2018. It’s an open-source UI toolkit for cross platform development for a single codebase. Flutters web support also delivers the same experience on the web as on mobile, which means you can use the same codebase to create browser applications.
Advantages of Hire Flutter app Developers -
1) Easy to understand
Flutter is designed to be user friendly, making it accessible to everyone. The learning curve isn’t steep, allowing developers to quickly become proficient.
2) Platforms
Flutter framework supports a wide range of platforms, making it accessible for a wider audience. Developers can easily write code for android, iOS and web browsers ensuring a consistent user interface for all these platforms.
3) Documentation
Having a clear and comprehensive documentation makes it easier for developers to find the information they’re looking for.
4) Maintenance
Easy maintenance means that developers can maintain the Flutter framework without any hassle and can keep it up-to date with lesser effort.
5) Development time
Developing cross functional applications with Flutter is straightforward. However, if there’s a significant design difference between iOS and android, it will require more time to ensure that it meets their design guidelines.
6) UI Development
These widgets are pre-designed yet highly customizable, allowing developers to tailor them to their applications requirements. This speeds up UI development by eliminating the need to construct elements from scratch and relying on built-in components.
Disadvantages of Hire Flutter app Developers —
1) Large App Size
Flutter has a larger file size which can be concerning if you have limited storage space on your device.
2) Learning Curve
Dart isn’t as popular as JavaScript (Used by React Native), which can pose as a hinderance for developers.
3) Limited Native Libraries
Some of the code isn’t readily available on Flutter. Developers will have to spend some time writing that code.
4) Complex UI Updates
Flutter relies on a declarative UI approach, which may render complex UI alterations more difficult than in imperative UI frameworks.
5) Performance cost
While Flutter’s performance is good, it might incur a performance cost as compared to native apps, especially with resource-intensive applications.
6) Limited Desktop Support
Although Flutter supports desktop apps, these aren’t as reliable as their mobile counterparts, which can lead to inconsistencies and errors.
Flutter is best used when you value fast development, your team is familiar in Dart, you prioritize performance, and you require customizable animations.
2) React Native
Created by Meta in 2015, React is a cross-functioning development by using React. It’s also an open-source platform. Unlike Flutter, React Native excels in animation performance, allowing developers to use a range of designs on those apps.
Advantages of React Native —
1) Mildly hard
React Native has a moderately steep learning curve. Therefore, developers would require spending additional time in understanding its features and seek help to become proficient.
2) Platforms
This cross-platform support is useful because it allows developers to design apps that can operate on several operating systems, reaching a larger audience.
3) Documentation
It provides thorough guidelines, frequently asked questions, and best practices to assist developers in navigating typical challenges and optimizing their usage of the technology.
4) Maintenance
The hurdles may stem from the requirement to update dependencies on a regular basis, handle compatibility concerns across several platforms, and guarantee that the program runs properly.
5) Development time
Developing applications is faster in React as compared to Flutter. This could mean mature tooling and efficient tooling.
6) UI Development
The technology builds user interfaces using native UI widgets, which means it takes advantage of the platform’s default components. This strategy guarantees a consistent appearance and feel with the original environment, which may improve user experience.
Disadvantages of React Native —
1) Performance Issues
While React Native operates well in most mobile apps, it can fall short on the performance of completely native applications.
2) Limited Native Modules
Despite an abundance of public libraries, it may need developers to develop unique native modules in Objective-C, Swift, or Java.
3) Fragmented Documentation
The documentation for React Native and associated third-party libraries might be inadequate, hence making it difficult for developers to locate reliable information.
4) Compatibility Issues
Keeping up with the latest versions of React Native and their dependencies can be hard as compatibility issues may develop with new versions.
5) Lack of Native Features
New Android or iOS features may take some time to be implemented in React Native, delaying the adoption of platform-specific features.
6) Complex Debugging
Debugging issues can be harder than developers must cope with JavaScript, native code, and the React Native bridge interactions.
React Native is best used if your team is comfortable in using JavaScript and React, 3D graphics are important, and you need a native looking user interface on both the platforms.
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Final Verdict
To sum up everything that we’ve just read, there’s no winner in the Flutter Vs React Native battle. Both these frameworks have their own pros and cons and are an amazing choice to build your app. It doesn’t matter which framework you choose, but hiring the right app developer company is important.
Flutter app development companies and React Native development companies specialize in their fields and may not offer the other. Thankfully, there are companies which provide both under the same roof.
Mobi India happens to such company. They specialize in developing mobile applications. Mobi India has a team of skilled developers who are knowledgeable in Flutter and React Native, have worked with different clients and can deliver high quality apps. So if you’re looking to hire an app developer company, Mobi India is your best friend! Contact us now to get a quote!