2022 is a go-time for a cross-platform app development framework and mechanism. Thinking about the greater benefits of taking your mobile app development to one of the top cross-platform development frameworks. Due to the existence of multiple mobile devices and mobile smartphone platforms. This means targeting the major app stores (Google Play store and iOS Apps store) to achieve valuable customers and targeted marketing ROI.
Cross-platform app development is dominated by Flutter and React Native. They both offer cutting-edge UI capabilities. So how are you going to separate one another? What is the difference between Flutter and React Native? What should you choose for your app development project? Or in any case, How to hire a Flutter developer or native developer.
There are endless questions and one answer. In this blog, you will be able to compare Flutter and React Native frameworks and make a wise decision.
Table of contents:
- What is Flutter?
- What is React Native?
- Flutter and React Native advantages and disadvantages
- Flutter vs React Native Popularity
- Flutter vs React Native Performance Comparison
- Flutter vs React Application Architecture
- Suitability for building complex apps- Flutter vs React Native
- Ease of Testing Flutter and React Native
- Community around Flutter and React Native
- Modularity comparison in Flutter vs React Native
- Code Maintainability
- Comparing user experience in Flutter vs React Native
- Application size Flutter and React Native
- Learning curve
- Comparison of team size in Flutter vs React Native
Flutter vs React Native - Quick comparison
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Flutter vs React Native |
Flutter |
React Native |
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What is it? An Overview |
Flutter is an open-source UI platform to create native apps for iOS and Android execute the app development process, and design, test, and deploy mobile and desktop apps. |
React Native is built for developers to use React's framework with native platform-like features to create beautiful apps. For Android, IOS, web, and Windows. |
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Launched |
2017 By Google |
2015 by Meta (Facebook) |
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Programming Language |
Dart programming language |
JavaScript |
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Popular Apps Built using this technology |
Alibaba, Google Ads, Tencent |
Facebook, Wix, SoundCloud |
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Community |
A vibrant community with 700+ professionals contributing with 14k+ live projects |
3000+ developers around the world using React Native with 20k+ live projects. |
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Popularity |
135k stars on GitHub (Jan 2022) |
101k stars on GitHub (Jan 2022) |
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Performance Comparison |
8/10 |
7/10 |
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Architecture |
Layered BLoC architecture |
JavaScript Layered architecture |
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Building Complex Apps |
Yes Flutter supports building complex apps even without using Java bridges |
Required 3rd party libraries using JavaScript bridges |
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Ease of Testing |
Support all levels such as unit, widget, and integration level. |
Does not support testing and CI/CD out of the box. |
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Pros of using this technology |
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Cons of using this technology |
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Flutter vs React Native - Detailed Comparison
What is Flutter?
Flutter is an enhanced open-source UI software tool kit, that functions through Dart language also, created by Google. Flutter for mobile app development tools was created to transform the app development process, design, test and deploy mobile, and desktop apps. With expressive and flexible native-like performance and experience. Supported and contributed by the Google developers community for Flutter. Where you can learn and Hire Flutter Developers.
- Use cases of Flutter
Using the Flutter SDK provides users with a variety of benefits. In most cases, users will enjoy these advantages:
- The Flutter application framework has been the most sought-after platform to create indistinguishable native apps.
- Flutter can take care of the major operations you want to perform with your MVP mobile application, with OS-level features and advanced plugins.
- Manage every material design problem and custom UI complexities, related to native app development platforms.
- Extremely powerful and high-performing rendering engine to cover every factor. Including advanced UI, high-level widgets, and data integration through reactive apps.
- Popular apps created with Flutter?
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What is React Native?
React Native is one of the two most popular frameworks today. It is an open-source, cross-platform framework for mobile app development. Designed to use React's framework with native platform-like features to create beautiful apps for Android, IOS, web, and Windows. React Native is based on Javascript for a simple, user-friendly experience almost identical to React for cross-platform application developers community who have worked on React framework before.
Use cases of React Native
React native is for developers looking to:
- Leverage universal languages such as JavaScript, Java, Swift, or C languages
- Mobile apps can be easily built with React Native without requiring additional programming skills.
- In React Native, developers can convert the source code into native elements for a native-like experience and simplified UI
- Simple cross-platform apps focusing on native rendering Android and IOS compatible applications
Popular apps developed with React Native?
- Walmart
- SoundCloud
- Wix
Flutter and React Native advantages and disadvantages
Though Flutter and React Native are two of the best cross-platform application development frameworks, but also the best multi-platform framework out here:
Advantages of technologies
- Pros of Flutter:
Performance: JS is faster than Dart, but apps created with Flutter are much faster and high performing for Android and iOS than React Native.
Hot-reloading: To enable experimentation, as well as rapid bug-fixing, to reflect changes immediately, without changing the overall functionality of the app.
Rich Widgets: Flutter with platform-specific SDK uses the proprietary visual, structural platform for feature-rich widgets for Cupertino (IOS) and material design (Android)
Easy integration: Flutter-based apps are very smooth in their performance which makes for great UX, with interaction with Java for Android and Swift, C for iOS
- Pros of React Native
Performance: Both Flutter and React Native support superior and high-quality cross-platform application development for Android, and iOS
Native rendering: APIs are rendered natively without requiring HTML or CSS markup on the host platform.
Development Time: React Native provides shorter app development time for cross-platform application development
React’s benefits: Help developers save time learning new languages by leveraging React’s ecosystem and UI libraries.
Hot-reloading: It allows hot reloading to add new codes directly into a live application. Without hampering the application's natural state.
Disadvantages of Technologies
- Cons of Flutter:
Limitations: Flutter SDK includes advanced libraries and tools, but develops drawbacks with time and in the use of third-party APIs.
Development: Flutter-based applications are fast to create and efficient, but there is room for improvement.
User interface: The plugins need to be fixed for better graphics visualizations, and to be improved for a better user interface.
Compatibility to other operating platforms: Dart is not the popular language, and apps cannot be developed for tvOS, Android Auto, CarPlay, or watchOS.
Regular Updates: There is no direct application updating without passing through the standard release process.
- Cons of React Native
User Interface: Native rendering of APIs may not support certain native UI elements, which may make the UI look a little off.
Updates: Many APIs and plugins are outdated and don’t get regular updates
Performance: Has no parallel threading and multiprocessing support, and is even criticized for slow-performing apps
Debugging: Developers may face problems with package compatibility or debugging tools.
Lacks the Security- Because the framework utilizes JavaScript, there is a gap in security protection.
Flutter vs React Native Popularity
Flutter is only a few years old and has gained much popularity among developers loyal to Google products. As Google is behind Flutter, it has gained quite a bit of attention too since the e-commerce giant Alibaba recently adopted Flutter. Flutter ranks higher with 75.4% among the most loved frameworks.
- The popularity of React Native
The concept of React Native has been around for several years, and due to the success of React, many people have already worked on React. Most React developers prefer React Native. However, 62.5% of respondents chose React Native as the most popular framework.
Winner: Flutter
It would be somewhat debatable, as respective communities of Flutter and RN are divided over which is popular.
Flutter vs React Native Performance Comparison
- How does Flutter stand out in terms of performance?
Dart code is compiled into native machine code, hence eliminating the JavaScript bridge to provide the availability of default native components. The Skia graphics library is also used in Flutter to improve performance by redrawing the UI each time an application view changes and reducing the number of frames. Flutter can render at 60 FPS very efficiently and perform better than React Native.
- How does React Native stand out in terms of performance?
React Native has a lower performance compared to Flutter, for the obvious reasons why Flutter is the better performant. React Native uses JavaScript to interact with Native modules, which are more time-consuming programs, making the application shutter. Although, the app’s performance can be improved using third-party libraries and open-source command-line tools to minify and optimize Java code for better app performance.
Application Architecture / Technical Architecture
Application developers can take advantage of several advantages offered by Flutter and React Native. Here are some details.
- What Architecture does Flutter support?
Flutter offers a layered BLoC architecture introduced in 2019 by Google. Business logic components or BLoC is a layered architecture that is based on separate components. Just beyond rendering layers, Flutter BLoC contains a separate presentation layer and business logic to be easily shared between different dart apps making your code fast, easy to test, and reusable. Which prevents multiple rebuilds and makes it easy for developers to provide Flutter app development services.
- What Architecture Does React Native Support?
React Native architecture is based on JavaScript, where Java thread is the core element of its architecture. That requires Javascript to communicate with the Native thread. Its platform and Native API through the bridge are as per the functionality. In iOS, it uses JScore separately to run all codes, whereas it bundles the JavaScriptCore in Android. Which could increase the development time, and the application size, as well as hamper the overall application performance.
Suitability for building complex apps- Flutter vs React Native
- Is Flutter suitable for building complex apps?
Flutter is fast even if it has been pushed beyond limits. Usually, complex application development in Flutter is done in phases. It is important to build two different prototypes (iOS and Android) with Flutter and then analyze your results in the market. Then, you can invest more and take your idea to the next level of complexity.
- React Native suitable for building complex apps?
React Native allows users to build a complex app when they involve in Native app development. But almost every time it requires you to write bridges and have to use native APIs. Any level of complex app development in React Native involves native development expertise along with JavaScript. Which makes it time-consuming, and might hamper the app’s performance as well.
CodeFencer Views
Flutter is preferred for building complex applications despite both Flutter and React Native providing documentation, guides, open-source projects, third-party plugins, etc.
Ease of Testing Flutter and React Native
- How easier is it to test a Flutter app?
Flutter comes with rich support for application testing in Flutter, from unit and widget tests up to integration tests. Flutter allows integrating and running automated tests to ensure a greater user experience. It provides detailed documentation for CI/CD setup and support for continuous testing and building and deploying iOS and Android applications. The dart language functioning advantage, testing applications in Flutter can be done with numerous features at all levels such as unit, widget, and integration levels.
- How easier is it to test a React Native app?
React Native framework, does not support testing and CI/CD out of the box or specific tools and features that support UI level testing or in-built integration testing. Mostly due to the dependence on third-party libraries for app building and release automation. Application testing in React Native framework also commences with the use of third-party application testing tools like Appium and Detox. In most cases, React Native suggests developers define a manual process of deploying the app with third-party tools.
CodeFencers views
Flutter has an edge over RN for easy application testing. But despite the many limitations, React Native is pretty useful with advanced third-party tools.
Community around Flutter and React Native
Both Flutter and React Native is popular among the developer community and have strong open community engagement spaces. Where developers around the world can share their experiences and get solutions.
In terms of community engagement, let's compare the two frameworks.
- How big is the community around Flutter?
Flutter is gaining much popularity among the developer community which is open to all. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the highlights of Flutter version 2.0 release with Dart 2,12 and more. Flutter SDK is a rapidly growing and vibrant community with 700+ professionals contributing with 14k+ live projects supporting the Flutter online developer community and Flutter ecosystem with exclusive resources since its launch in 2017.
Some popular platforms for connecting with the global Flutter community:
- How big is the community around React Native?
React Native is supported by a strong open community of developers contributing to its development since the launch of React Native in 2015. The JavaScript-based framework has become one of the most popular open-source platforms on GitHub. The core of React Native is worked on full-time by Facebook's React Native team. But there are more than 3000+ developers around the world using React Native who make key contributions and fix things with 20k+ live projects.
Where you can find React Native developers, projects, conferences, and live events:
Modularity comparison in Flutter vs React Native
Application project growth and increased complexity make it hard to keep your code and project structure maintainable and reusable. Modular provides a bunch of solutions to deal with such problems. The best suited for both Flutter and React native.
Let’s check whether Flutter and React Native compare in terms of Modularity.
- Does Flutter support modularity?
Flutter offers a public package system that allows the division of project codes into different modules and better accessibility for diverse teams. The plug-in feature allows you to create different modules and add or change codebases easily.
- Does React Native support modularity?
React Native may offer less modularity support than Flutter. Developers of the Android, iOS, and Reactjs platforms may find it hard to communicate. The code fragmentation problem in React Native may be problematic for teams without expertise.
Code Maintainability
It relates to how easy it is to make changes to code correctly. These best practices require organization-wide coordination, on finding, reusing, and changing code from other teams while managing dependencies.
- How convenient is it to maintain code in Flutter apps?
Maintaining a Flutter application is easy. Developers are better able to detect problems, find external tools, and support third-party libraries when code is clear. Hot Reloading eliminates problems immediately when it is in full effect, as well. Quality updates and making immediate changes are more convenient with React Native than with hot reloading.
- How convenient is it to maintain code in React Native apps?
Probably the biggest challenge with React Native is upgrading and debugging. By forking a framework's code to suit your application, you interfere with its logic and slow down its development. Moreover, most of the native components may be dependent on a third-party library. The issue is that these libraries are often outdated and cannot be maintained properly due to the issues that come along with them.
CodeFencers’ Advice
Even though React Native is one of the largest communities and has official support, there are challenges to maintaining the language for your application. Flutter is easier to maintain than React Native.
Comparing user experience in Flutter vs React Native
- Flutter’s ability to give the best user experience
Flutter has simple tools, elements, and customized widgets for a great user experience. Dart has a robust junk collection feature that helps create UI frames for temporary object code. As a result of Dart's pointer bump feature, avoids UI clutter, junk, and shutter lag during development.
- React Native’s ability to give the best user experience
It's tough for React Native to keep up with the constant changes in native platform requirements as Material Design in Android and Style Design in iOS transform every day. Additionally, ready-made React Native UI kits such as React Virgin, make it even more difficult to create consistent designs across platforms.
CodeFencers’ Advice
An engaging user experience also allows you to define online journeys that are most conducive to your business's success.
Application size
- Size of the application in Flutter
In Flutter, a simple hello world app weighed 7.5 MB. Flutter's virtual machine and C/C++ engine determine how big the app will be. To avoid size concerns, Flutter can self-contain all codes and assets. The use of a special tag, such as –split-debug-info, can help reduce the size of the code.
- Size of the application in React Native
Hello, World with React Native had an initial size of 7 MB, and when native dependencies were added, the size increased to 13.4 MB. In contrast to Flutter, React Native can iterate faster and at a smaller size.
CodeFencers Advice
The choice of a mobile framework can greatly affect the size of the application code. For a large project, the application size should dominate the framework size. Smaller is better here.
Learning curve
- How good is the learning curve of Flutter for developers?
Another reason for Flutter's rapid growth among developers is its simplicity. It offers seamless detailed documentation and a large number of examples that make learning easy. Creating code with Dart might seem unusual at first, but that's what makes it easier to develop with Flutter. This framework can be learned with some basic understanding of Android or iOS development. is very important for developers who want to learn a new platform, a set of tools, or a language.
- How good is the learning curve of React Native for developers?
Those who have built applications using JavaScript should have no trouble learning React Native. However, web development is different from mobile app development, so mobile developers may find it hard to learn and implement the framework. Since its release, React Native has released various libraries, extensive documentation, and tutorials, which have improved the learning curve.
CodeFencers’ Advice
There are different learning curves for Flutter and React Native, so it will be difficult to underline which is better flutter or react native. And how feasible is it to learn Flutter and React Native?
Comparison of team size in Flutter vs React Native
- How big should be the required team size for Flutter?
Flutter framework has a simple learning curve that not only makes it easier for developers to write code but also makes it easier for new developers to understand that code. Big players like Alibaba, BMW, Watermaniac, and PostMuse, among others, have built their apps using Flutter with as few as 5 developers. Because Flutter and Dart's training is inexpensive, even a newbie developer can be trained quickly, and you won't have to hire numerous experienced engineers.Which ultimately down the need for a different developer for every different project.
- How big should be the required team size for React Native?
You may require roughly 5 to 10 developers to build a React Native application. The team consists of people with different skill sets and experiences, with at least two React Native professionals on hand to guide them through the development process. Because code maintenance across several platforms is critical to the success of a React Native application, you should work with developers with comprehensive technical experience.
CodeFencers’ Advice
Regardless of the benefits and drawbacks of Flutter and React Native, determining the team size before starting development is critical. This will allow you to budget and make well-informed decisions based on the Mobile app development company or hiring cost of mobile app developers.
Conclusion
- When Choose Flutter
- Does not require full native functionality.
- Have a limited budget and a tight deadline.
- To write scripts faster and get them out into the market as soon as possible.
- Save on development expenses with a single codebase
- Create applications that run at a frame rate of 60 to 120 frames per second.
- Use widgets to personalize the UI and do less testing.
- When Choosing React Native
- To use cross-platform modules to scale your existing apps.
- Create native applications like apps that are lightweight.
- Seeking out-of-the-box ways to develop shared APIs.
- Looking to construct applications with a high-end responsive user interface.
- Have enough time to deliver and funds dedicated to the project.
Putting it all together
There are a lot of developers grappling with the question of Flutter VS React Native. We understand your concern about what software will help your business grow in the future.
We can help
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Our Flutter App Development team has a firm grasp on the SDK, allowing them to create stunning mobile apps with expressive UI and a natural feel. Contact us for Flutter app development costs, and connect with our experts to know more about SDK packages, the Best React Native app development solutions, consultation, and more.
