Flutter vs React Native: What to choose for Your App in 2023

To be or not to be? Flutter vs React Native is the quandary that developers face when starting their app project and selecting the appropriate technology. This article will help you decide on your app development project by comparing and contrasting the two tools. In the end, we will also learn how ZEGOCLOUD can set you free from the boundaries of either selecting Flutter or React Native for your RTC app development.

Flutter vs. React Native cross-platform app development

First, let’s clarify what we mean by ‘cross-platform development.’ As the term suggests, multiplatform development is creating a single application – specifically a mobile app – that operates seamlessly across several operating systems. Developers can produce and distribute mobile assets compatible with Android and iOS without recoding them separately for each platform by sharing the source code of cross-platform programs.

One-third of mobile developers employ cross-platform technologies, with the remainder relying on native tools. Flutter and React Native are the most powerful and most used. According to Statista’s 2021 developer poll, 42% of software engineers choose Flutter as their primary cross-platform mobile framework, and 38% use React Native.

As a result, one must thoroughly study the capabilities, benefits, and drawbacks of Flutter vs. React Native.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is a Google open-source framework for creating attractive, natively built, multi-platform apps from a single codebase. Google team launched it in 2017 and advertised several advantages over native app development. Flutter has indeed become a benchmark for application development.

Flutter is based on the Dart programming language developed by Google in 2011 as an open-source, general-purpose, object-oriented programming language with C-style syntax. The development process is speedy due to its unique structural features, making it appropriate for producing quick prototypes, MVPs, and sophisticated apps and games.

Many famous apps use Flutter, such as Alibaba, Google ads, and Hookle.

Evolution of Flutter

Google has upgraded Flutter, releasing two new versions to developers.

Flutter 2.0 was released in December 2020, and it had several unique new features:

Add to App; developers may add Flutter screens to existing Java, Swift, or Objective C apps.
Developers may use NestedScrollView to construct scrollable lists within other scrollable lists.
Developers might construct sliders that automatically adjust to the user’s screen size.
WebView allows you to incorporate online information into your Flutter project without writing additional code.

Flutter 3.0 included several bug fixes, performance enhancements, and new design widgets. These are made feasible by the new Hummingbird project, which compiles Flutter code into JavaScript using Dart 2.7, resulting in quicker startup times and reduced app sizes. Furthermore, Flutter 3.0:

Include desktop app support for macOS and Linux,
completely integrates Flutter with Firebase
offers native development support for Apple Silicon.
Adds a new text editing controller for mobile devices that optimizes text input
Improved support for right-to-left languages

Advantages of Flutter

One characteristic that distinguishes Flutter from other frameworks is the Dart programming language. It compiles applications into native machine code rather than by a virtual machine at runtime. As a result, performance improves, and development times shorten. It also enhances user experiences and promotes app adoption. The major pros are:

lower development costs, leading to more flexibility and adoption; no license fees or related charges
simple implementation with a single codebase to create apps for Android, iOS, web, and desktop
Quicker app development owing to Flutter’s hot reload feature; you can make changes to your code and see the effects in real-time without restarting your app.
Thanks to their excellent material design, flutter widgets provide programs with a slick, modern look.
A headless testing framework allows you to test your app on devices that do not have a UI, which is perfect for automated app testing.
Flutter’s support for internationalization allows you to reach a worldwide audience by developing an app in various languages.

Disadvantages of Flutter

Regardless of its multiple benefits, Flutter is not perfect. Several drawbacks can affect the nature of your project. The most relevant ones are the following:

Dependence on the platform, since Google might abandon the Flutter project one day, even if this is a remote chance.
Platform dependency implies Ecosystem Scarcity, which is somewhat constrained due to Flutter’s relative infancy and the specialized nature of Flutter’s language choice.
For the same reason, there is a more Limited Development Community; the JavaScript programming language is more popular than Dart, even if the situation has altered dramatically in recent years, with over 500,000 Flutter apps on the market and a growing developer community.
Apps must incorporate the framework’s engine and widgets, resulting in heavy apps; due to tight footprint limits.
Flutter might feel somewhat constraining to developers who are used to constructing applications from the various available frameworks and libraries; they may sometimes require custom scripts while testing and implementing changes since it does not natively support all CI/CD (continuous integration and deployment) technologies.

What’s React Native?

React Native is an open-source mobile app development framework in JavaScript language. It is ideal for developers who want to create native-looking mobile apps for iOS and Android. It’s built on React, Facebook’s JavaScript framework for developing user interfaces, although it’s geared toward mobile devices rather than browsers. React Native facilitates cross-platform app creation since most of the code can be shared between platforms; therefore, it builds apps for Android and iOS simultaneously. React Native is highly scalable, making it suitable for any size app project.

Popular apps made with React Native are Instagram, Tesla, Facebook, Pinterest, and many others.

Evolution of React Native

The leading mobile OS suppliers, Apple and Google, never partnered to create a single platform for app creation. Meta (previously Facebook) has provided the finest solution by tackling the most confusing difficulties faced by native app developers.

In 2015, Meta released the first stable version of React Native, where developers had to modify the code just once and supply it to the various play stores after compilation. For these reasons, millions of developers have utilized React Native to quickly and economically create applications that provide distinctive user experiences.

There have been several new versions, with features constantly improving and addressing key structural error types accessed via arrows and tabs. At the beginning of 2021, Meta made many changes, including support for react-navigation, react-viro, react-native-auth0 auto-linking, and C++ turboModules.

Facebook and the community then released React Native 0.66 in October 2021, supporting Android 12 and iOS 15 with many enhancements and bug fixes. The most recent React Native 0.69 enhancements include the following:

Improved compatibility with M1 users and C++ 17
New configuration file.xcode.env
The most recent status bar API
iOS debug menu hotkeys

Advantages of React Native

React Native’s API is more robust and dependable than its competitors. Aside from that, the framework strongly emphasizes resolving any underlying difficulties. The following are the significant advantages when adopting React Native:

Platform maturity, as seen by the React Native team and Meta’s consistent advancements with reliable upgrades and more efficient features.
Steady mobile app growth since framework components understand how to promote an app on a popular platform.
Hot and live reloading allows React Native app developers to see their changes in real-time, reducing app waiting time and allowing for a quick refresh.
The substantial development community because it is an open-source, free platform that anybody can use and be a part of community-driven technology.
A single codebase that React Native developers can use on both the iOS and Android platforms; also, the JavaScript language in React Native works well with web apps.
Pre-made solutions and a thriving library aid in building mobile apps
Developer total control over the creation of the project

Furthermore, because there is no downtime with React Native, developers may transition between platforms as needed. Although there are several benefits to adopting React Native, it comes with challenges and may not be the best answer in every circumstance.

Disadvantages of React Native

Among the downsides of React Native, we find:

Too many new advances and upgrades at a quick speed may be taxing for the developers, who do not have enough time to respond to the changes.
For the same reason, React Native has amassed many resource libraries and repositories. Many of these are obsolete and thus might waste your time and work.
Challenges to determining the UI since it provides the most fundamental ones. The rest will have to be designed and customized by you.
Debugging mobile apps developed using React Native is tricky and time-consuming because these apps are created in Java, C/C++, JavaScript, and other programming languages.
Developers must have a solid understanding of both the web and native technologies. They must be familiar with JavaScript, project configuration, CI, UX principles, etc. It is tough to find developers with in-depth knowledge of both in today’s world.
Apps consume more device storage than native apps because they run from the JavaScript VM, which will be loaded from the application itself.

As you may understand, React Native offers benefits and drawbacks, and it’s up to the business organization to decide what is best for their enterprise. If your website and mobile apps have the same target audience, React Native applications will be more beneficial. It will also reduce the app development cost.

Flutter or React Native: a comparison.

React Native and Flutter are excellent solutions for designing cross-platform applications. Nevertheless, as we have seen, they have numerous peculiarities that set them apart. Flutter and React Native has several benefits and limits in terms of functionalities. So a React Native vs Flutter comparison will help us assess what to choose.

1. Language

React Native is slower than Flutter since it requires JavaScript bridging. Because of its object-oriented philosophy, Flutter uses Dart, which compiles faster and takes less time to build code.

On the other hand, Dart is not commonly used and is impeded by the fact that many IDEs do not support the language. React Native has a more extensive community following since it embeds JavaScript, which benefits developers who don’t need to learn a whole new language. As a result, while comparing languages, JavaScript enables React Native to grab the lead.

2. Building a Developer’s team

React Native has a more established and experienced developer community than Flutter due to its earlier release and more popular Javascript programming language. On the other hand, Flutter is now the market leader in the cross-platform application development tool business, and the developer pool is catching up quickly.

When it comes to recruiting developers nowadays, they are almost certainly familiar with React Native. More quantity does not automatically imply lesser pay; according to Glassdoor, the average yearly salary of a React Native developer is somewhat more than that of a Flutter developer.

3. Flutter vs React Native Structure

As we know, React Native uses JavaScript as a programming bridge that Flux architecture requires to run the scripts. As a result, it naturally reduces app rendering time, which is a disadvantage of Flux compared to the BLoC architecture of Flutter. The BLoC design is straightforward, testable, and effective. Along with Dart language, Flutter’s architecture design shortens the time required to become acquainted with a project, which is especially important when working with tight timelines. In conclusion, Flutter wins the structure ‘battle’.

4. Installation and Development

Although Flutter is one of the quickest cross-platform frameworks for app development, installation time is slower than in React Native.

Because Flutter does not employ program bridges, you must download the whole binary for the platform from its GitHub source. Additionally, it is necessary to include separate code files for Android and iOS platforms when an app needs complex UI components. As a result, the Flutter installation process takes longer and involves more steps. On the other hand, Flutter offers access to many third-party UI frameworks with ready-to-use components, accelerating the development time and making it more manageable. Thus, when it comes to the development process and UI ease, Flutter takes the lead in Flutter vs. React Native match.

Vice versa, you may choose React Native based on installation issues. The node package manager quickly and easily installs React Native.

5. Flutter vs. React Native Documentation

Flutter is a newer framework that prioritizes extensive documentation with well-planned how-to videos and resources. Because it is primarily reliant on third-party libraries, React Native documentation is hardly updated. Although the documentation for React Native is not very outstanding, many developers find it more user-friendly.

Overall, both documentation guides are excellent.

6. Quality and Performance

The key factors to consider when assessing performances are speed and app size.

Flutter has a minor performance advantage over React Native, and the apps load somewhat faster. Dart language and BLoC architecture provide decent performance by default, with a smoothness setting of 60 frames per second contributing to the app’s speed. On the other hand, Flutter generates enormous file sizes.

React Native’s performance is somewhat hampered, albeit minimally, by using JavaScript bridge to operate the apps. Even if it may look so, Flutter does not outperform React Native in terms of performance. Nevertheless, many developers agree that Flutter has too many additional features, making it a preferable choice.

Regarding quality assurance and testing, it’s impossible to pick a clear winner. Flutter incorporates numerous Google testing and integration features while providing fewer third-party testing tools. React Native, on the other hand, allows you to circumvent such constraints by utilizing different third-party testing tools such as Detox or Jest.

7. Device Compatibility

In this case, we have a clear winner, Flutter.

Flutter apps are compatible with iOS 11 and, React Native apps. For Android, Flutter requires Android 4.1 or above, while React Native requires Android 6.0 or higher.

Flutter vs. React Native: a wrap-up.

Flutter and React Native are good frameworks for developing cross-platform mobile apps. These two technologies profit from enormous success and long-term trust.

Flutter’s popularity has evolved in recent years. React Native was famous in 2018, but Flutter currently has the upper hand. However, because of the many widgets and components, as well as the Dart language, many users prefer to avoid Flutter.

Flutter’s complexity is both a hindrance and a benefit because it is more powerful and versatile. Your decision will be influenced by who you are, what you want to do, and the resources available to you. For something simple but with a more limited range, React Native may be the way to go, but if you’re ready to invest time and effort in achieving pixel-perfect design, Flutter is the way to go.

Choose Flutter, for example, if you want to save time advertising an app that requires a lot of customization or specific tasks. Choose React Native if your project requires 3D rendering, cross-platform support, or code reuse for a web application.

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