Flutter vs React Native: Which Frameworks Choose in 2024?

Blog Summary: Flutter and React Native are empowering mobile app development services used for delivering innovative applications. However, understanding which would be more favorable for your business project is confusing. Usually, app developers have complete information on selecting the best framework which differs from project to project. So, here’s presenting the difference between React Native and Flutter compiled by experts to make your decision-making process easy. Evaluate the Flutter vs React Native comparison and go ahead with the best-fitted solution! 

The ultimate online multiverse today has dominating platforms i.e., Google and Meta. It has entirely transformed the interaction of business with its potential consumers. You see, Google Ads and Facebook Ads are the common and compulsory tools for paid marketing to reach vast audiences. 

Aside from these, Meta and Google have also been supporting powerful mobile app development technologies i.e., React Native and Flutter respectively. Leveling up the realm of enterprise app solutions, the present and future of Flutter and React Native in the online marketplace are bright. However, choosing or figuring out the best among these two is a tricky task. Even after being developed for similar purposes, there is a difference between React Native and Flutter app development. 

Clients get puzzled in choosing the right one for their projects. The rivalry between Flutter vs React Native is a matter of debate among talented mobile app developers as well. Considering concerns raised by our clients, the article explains the Flutter vs React Native comparison. Beginning with the Flutter and its pros/cons list. 

Flutter: The Google Toolkit

Flutter is the flagship open-source UI toolkit created by Google back in 2017. It is an interactive framework with cross-platform app development compatibility. Flutter specializes in building apps for various web browsers from a single codebase. It uses Dart programming language to create apps for Android, iOS, Linux, Windows, and macOS. As a result, it has earned recognition in the app development market since the launch of the first Flutter app. 

Being the support of Google, Flutter apps have extended the benefits of its products. The apps are compiled to deliver a native-like feel to mobile, desktop, and web users. So, it has significantly gained the trust and loyalty of mega brands like BMW. Furthermore, to understand the detailed concept of Flutter, let’s evaluate its advantages and drawbacks below.

Pros of Flutter 

The Flutter bucket is full of developer and user-friendly functionalities which are highly beneficial. It makes the development process streamlined and error-free. Here are the benefits of using Flutter for your app development project.

1) Code Reusability

Flutter works on a shared codebase for app development. It is the most attractive feature. It eliminates the hassle of writing the codes separately for different platforms. You can compile and reuse the codebase to develop and deploy apps for other platforms.

2) Fast development time

Flutter’s hot reloading feature allows developers to change the codes on real-time abscess. It quickly fixes bugs, manages the UI, and integrates app features. All these aspects can be completed in a fraction of a second. Thus, it provides a speedy development process for your app.

3) Rich Widgets Library

The Flutter widgets for UI components are enough to make a remarkable application. Using the compelling collection of pre-built widgets library will assist in building appealing Flutter apps. Hire Flutter app developers and unlock different customizable widgets with engaging themes and styles according to your app type.

4) Compatibility with Firebase

Firebase has many Flutter plugins that permit your app to integrate with various services. It increases the user-friendly aspect of your application and provides an optimized user experience. 

Moreover,  Firebase and Flutter are like two brothers from the same creator (Google). So, they both comply with the functionality and uplift the app with a collaborative solution. It allows the Flutter app to manage backend less development. Additionally, you will get from cloud to analytics plugins which are essential for your app.

5) Streamlined Rendering Option

The Flutter app slays the spotlight with a captivating performance, kudos to Skia for compiling the Dart codebase into native ones. It is a smooth rendering engine that efficiently delivers the native app to the respective app stores. So, your Flutter app will give the native app’s performance.

Along with brownie points, Flutter also brings some challenges that are better to know in advance. Here’s shedding light on it. 

Cons of Flutter

• The large file sizes may become difficult to manage and take a longer time to download.
• Even after having a sufficient Flutter community out there, it is comparatively smaller than React Native.

Although these drawbacks can be tackled with an experienced app development team. Because Flutter is an emerging tech stack that impressed and accomplished success for the following big companies.  

Popular apps built with Flutter

Flutter has bestowed its magic on various industrial apps that are household names today. 

Google Ads —  Best Marketing & Advertising app

BMW — Well-known Automotive app 

Realtor — Top-rated Real estate app 

Nubank — Largest Banking or Fintech App

Alibaba — Famous E-commerce App (Xianyu) 

-> Want more Industry Specific examples see some of the top apps built with Flutter. 

For Flutter vs React Native, Let’s dig into the insights for the React Native app development solution. 

React Native: The Facebook Framework 

Being launched by Facebook in 2015, React Native had taken the market by storm with its acing functionality. Now, it has been maintained by Meta Platforms, Inc. 

Having cross-platform functionality, React is an open-source framework based on JavaScript. So, you can acquire the benefits of JavaScript programming language in compiling the app for Android, macOS, iOS, Chrome, etc. React Native is indeed a feature-rich framework. It has increased the recognition of cross-platform mobile app development in the market. 

In 2018, React Native was the second-highest contributor among the repositories in GitHub. Its edge of transforming JavaScript into native components has been the reason perhaps. Thus, it has been a competitive mobile app development technology stack among a range of big brands. Get deeper into the concepts of benefits and challenges of React Native.

Pros of React Native 

React Native has been the top choice for app development. Following is the major reason why it’s still making up for new-age projects. 

1) Huge Developers Community

The support and guidance of the vast majority of the developers’ community are exceptionally great. React Native has established its prominence among app developers. So, it is completely a community-guided framework that gives leverage to examine the project with other developers as well.

2) Easy to Learn

The learning curve for developers is simple and easy. Basically, the app developers can connect with the community and learn React Native efficiently.   

3) Third-party Modules

React Native doesn’t have various third-party modules, but the back of JavaScript meets developers’ need for that. So, they can easily manage to integrate JavaScript modules and native modules for third-party plugins.

4) Lightweight apps

Compared to native app development, React Native develops lighter and smaller apps. Again the advantage of JavaScript makes React 

Native builds and deploys lighter apps which fasten the load time. So, it is the best solution against the native languages Java and Swift.

React Native has some sort of disadvantages which are as follows.

Cons of React Native

• Less appropriate for complex and sophisticated projects. React Native uses a simple UI that lacks custom app development.
• The app performance is not up to the mark as native ones. So, it shows the difference between actual native apps such as Android and iOS app development. 
• Keeping your React Native app updated with the latest versions is a hard nut to crack today. It takes a longer duration and lags the app’s functionality.  

Apart from that, when you hire a React Native developer with extensive experience, these limitations will be eliminated. So, you can get top-notch apps just like the ones given below. 

Popular Apps Built with React Native

Facebook — Earliest Social Media App

Instagram — Leading Social Media & Image Sharing App 

Walmart — Fast-goring eCommerce App 

Skype — Major video Conferring App 

Discord – Chatting App 

With the above elaboration, you have to get an idea about each app development solution individually. You can better understand the comparison between React Native vs Flutter. So, firstly have a quick sneak peek into the differentiating parameters, then jump into the detailed highlights of relevant aspects. 

Flutter vs React Native Comparison: Key Differential Points

Difference Between React Native and Flutter: Detailed Outlook

• Performance

The common parameter that is a must-have feature in thriving app development is the performance-rich solution. In React Native vs Flutter performance, Flutter has the benefit of efficient features and architecture. While React Native utilizes JavaScript to render the native components. However, it became insufficient in making optimized performance. 

Flutter has the Skia tool which effortlessly bridges the gap of native code compilation. So, Flutter takes the lead in performance aspects against React Native.

• Cost

The most asked question in the battle of Flutter vs React Native is cost estimation. Startup firms and CEOs always look for technology that reduces software development costs. Moreover, the development cost of both technologies depends majorly on the developer’s rates.

You have to majorly look into the location of developers and the hiring model you choose. Generally, the React Native developer charges are higher than those of Flutter app developers. But when you select the IT outsourcing model, it makes the cost of developers manageable under the small business budget. 

• Development Time

With the edge of a single codebase for all platforms, Flutter completes the faster development process. React Native doesn’t stand in the speedy development time competition. Even Flutter has left to begin many other web app development solutions. Thus, without any second thought, in React Native vs Flutter, the latter has minimized development and testing time for any project.

• Popularity: Flutter vs React Native

The app stores are flooded with applications built with these app development solutions. Flutter vs React Native comparison on which is more famous than others is challenging to evaluate. React Native is an old player and has a vast community. But the catch is nowadays, many developers and businesses have shown their interest in Flutter. 

Perhaps due to its high-end functionality, Flutter is becoming the first choice for many startups. It reduces development time and saves effort and money. So, businesses are likely to opt for Flutter against React Native. Therefore, in terms of popularity, Flutter has a better impression and exposure. 

• Industry-Driven Solution

React Native and Flutter have delivered apps for a range of industries from healthcare, fintech, eCommerce, manufacturing, and grocery, to hotel booking. So, they have been the renowned solutions for different industrial horizons. Yet if we look at the success rate of the industry-based apps, Flutter has helped more leading industrial apps in a short period.

• Use Cases

Both React Native and Flutter create aesthetic applications with high-quality UI designs and integrate relevant APIs. However, when it comes to use cases, React Native is best suited to making simple and lightweight apps. While Flutter will be a better choice for complicated and advanced app solutions. 

For example, if you are making an Augmented Reality app with Flutter, it will unlock the competitive edge solutions for your project. That too at affordable rates if you choose to hire a dedicated development team.

Whereas choosing React Native is better to transform your existing app with new features. If you consider making a fresh one, it may demand an extended budget or time. However, you should prefer selecting the experienced React Native or Flutter app developers to make the project successful.

So, we are done with the Flutter vs React Native comparison. So, many of you might have got the verdict. But wait, it’s complete with acknowledging how these technologies will approach the future market. Get into it and then make your decision afterward.

What is the Future of Flutter and React Native App Development? 

React Native is estimated to have new improvements to prevail in the market. The community is constantly making efforts to ensure security and advanced functionality. So, you can expect React native app development with some better features. 

On the other hand, Flutter is already trending in the market. It shall maintain its top spot in the upcoming years. Flutter has a bundle of user-friendly solutions that help in custom app development. Thus, it can easily be chosen for AI or ML development. Moreover, if you have a native app and want to switch to a cross-platform app solution, Flutter will assist you. It seamlessly converts your existing app into Flutter. 

Ultimate Decision: React Native or Flutter

After the detailed comparison between React Native vs Flutter, you can select the advantageous one. With Flutter being the winner in the majority of the aforementioned aspects, you should go for Flutter app development company to hire app developers from. 

However, you can also choose React Native but consider discussing with the skilled ReactJs developers. You can get our expert’s assistance in concluding between React Native and Flutter. They have worked for global clients and helped them to address the technology hassle. Schedule the call now!