When it comes to creating a fully functional mobile app that operates smoothly on various operating systems, developers face a challenging decision between two top cross-platform frameworks – Flutter and React Native. If you are struggling with this choice, this comprehensive guide comparing React Native and Flutter will provide valuable insights.
Both Flutter and React Native are currently highly favored by developers. However, the decision to create this detailed comparison guide was not solely based on popularity. React Native is supported by Meta, while Flutter is a product of Google, setting the stage for a showdown between two of the world’s leading tech companies.
You may think that since both frameworks are intended for cross-platform development, you can simply choose one and begin coding. However, it is important to note that despite their shared purpose, Flutter and React Native differ significantly in terms of performance, speed, architecture, user interface, and development time.
Let’s start this guide with the basics!
Flutter: Fundamentals
To better comprehend the differences between Google Flutter and React Native, it is important to have a fundamental understanding of each framework before scrolling down.
Flutter: What Is It?
Flutter is a cross-platform framework designed to let developers create apps that function across desktop, mobile, and web browsers. It is an open-source framework built on the Dart programming language, developed by Google.
With Flutter, developers can produce aesthetically pleasing and highly performant applications using a single codebase that can be instantly generated into native code for every platform. A sizable and vibrant developer community uses the framework to write Dart code to create incredible apps. Which is Best for Your Upcoming Task?
Flutter’s characteristics
There are numerous advantages to developing Flutter apps for both companies and developers. Here are several important Flutter features you should be aware of.
Quick Development
One of the newest platforms for developing apps is called Flutter, and it provides a quick and easy approach to make apps that work well on any device, regardless of its operating system.
Rapid Response
The platform increases the productivity and efficiency of developers by letting them view the changes they make in real time. Flutter has an advantage over its rivals since it enables creators of mobile apps to halt, edit, and resume coding from the same place in time. Increased effectiveness results from this.
Components
A consistent design and development approach is guaranteed by Flutter. Compared to other open-source frameworks, the components—which are built on Google’s technology—offer a better degree of performance and code quality. One significant advantage is that they are highly customisable and adhere to both Material Design and Cupertino’s style.
Reduced Coding
The framework facilitates speedier app launches and speeds up app performance. Flutter’s native codebase and third-party integration ease the burden on developers.
Pros and Cons of Flutter App Development
| Pros | Cons |
| Faster development speed | Comparatively bigger app size |
| Huge selection of widgets and third-party libraries | Low adoption of Dart programming language |
| Detailed documentation and learning resources | |
| Developers community |
React Native: The Basics
Now that you know what Flutter is, let’s go on to learn the principles of React Native.
What is React Native?
React Native is a framework that enables the development of applications that can be run on multiple platforms using a single codebase. It is built on React, which is widely regarded as the best JavaScript UI library. With React Native, developers can create apps that have a native look and feel on any device.
Developed by Facebook, React Native follows the same principles as React to simplify and expedite cross-platform development.
React Native shares many similarities with React, including the way components are styled, which is reminiscent of HTML. Therefore, if you have a good understanding and experience with React, you will find working with React Native enjoyable and rewarding.
React Native’s characteristics
There is no way that React Native’s feature set is inferior than Flutter’s. So let’s examine them now.
Improved Efficiency
The effectiveness of a platform is determined by how well it can increase performance using native controls and modules. React Native can communicate natively with iOS and Android components and generate native API code. Using different threads for native APIs or UIs enhances performance.
Rapid and Warm Reloading
The instant reloading functionality of React Native enables programmers to compile and view their changes. A fresh application file that begins at the beginning is also included with the simulator. The developer can inspect the code without having to recompile it thanks to the hot reloading functionality.
Basic User Interface
A straightforward and intuitive UI is provided by React Native. Its design resembles an open-source project rather than a conventional network. This platform creates apps in the correct sequence by eliminating extraneous elements from its software interface.
Contemporary Design
Modular design and architecture make it simple for developers to update or upgrade their apps. The user-friendly interface of React Native enables developers to collaborate on and enhance the work of other developers on their projects.
Pros and Cons of React Native App Development
| Pros | Cons |
| Faster development and great performance | Lack of custom modules |
| Quick fixes (OTA Updates) | Native code needed |
| Large community of developers | |
| Simplified UI |
Flutter vs React Native: 10-Points Detailed Comparison
After learning the fundamentals and ideas behind Flutter and React Native, let’s get to the much anticipated section.
This is a thorough comparison between React Native with Flutter:
1. Request
The comparison between Flutter and React Native will begin with a look at how popular each is in the market. As of 2023, Flutter has grown to be the most well-liked and extensively utilized cross-platform development framework, with a 46% market demand, compared to React Native’s 32%.
According to Google Trends, Flutter is more popular than React Native, yet both are growing in popularity. Since 2020, there has been an increase in the demand gap between the two frameworks.
Thus, we must concede that Flutter has a more promising cross-platform framework market demand.
2 Performance
When evaluating the performance of a development framework, two key factors to take into account are the speed and the size of the application.
Flutter excels in speed, with apps loading slightly faster. On the other hand, React Native utilizes a JavaScript bridge for running apps, which may have a slight impact on performance, although not significantly.
In terms of speed comparison between Flutter and React Native, Flutter boasts a default smoothness setting of 60 fps, which enhances the overall performance of the application.
3 Programming Language
React Native and Flutter utilize distinct native programming languages. React Native is based on JavaScript, while Flutter utilizes Dart. Let’s examine their differences.
JavaScript is considered easier to learn compared to Dart, and a larger number of developers are familiar with JavaScript. Therefore, in terms of language popularity, React Native holds an advantage over Flutter. However, it is important to note that Dart’s object-oriented features can facilitate faster code writing.
Moreover, JavaScript is known for its simplicity and abundance of learning resources. In case of any issues, developers can quickly seek assistance from the extensive developer community.
4 Architecture
Flutter and React Native adopt different architectures for app development. BLoC serves as Flutter’s official architecture, while React Native relies on the Flux architecture. Let’s explore their variances.
The BLoC architecture is widely recognized within the Flutter community for its simplicity, testability, and power. This architecture emphasizes building complex products from simple blocks.
Conversely, React Native’s Flux architecture requires JavaScript as a programming bridge, potentially impacting app rendering speed. This is a notable drawback when comparing the architectures of Flutter and React Native.
5 Installation
The efficiency of setting up the development environment (IDE) varies based on the architectures of Flutter and React Native.
The installation process for Flutter requires downloading the entire binary for each platform from its GitHub repository, without relying on any programming bridges. Additionally, for macOS installation, an additional .zip file is needed to set up a PATH variable. As a result, the Flutter installation process is more time-consuming and involves more steps.
On the other hand, if you are familiar with JavaScript, you can utilize the node package manager to easily and quickly install React Native. Therefore, based on the ease of installation, you may prefer React Native over Flutter.
6 UI and Development API
The Flutter UI development toolkits are specifically designed to seamlessly integrate with Apple’s Cupertino and Google’s Material Design. Additionally, it offers native compatibility with Google.
In contrast, when utilizing React Native, you may need to create and modify components using JavaScript and incorporate patches into your code to ensure proper functionality.
Hence, Flutter holds an advantage over React Native in terms of UI convenience.
7 Community Support
One of the significant advantages of being a mobile app developer is having access to a vibrant and supportive community that can provide valuable insights, updates, and solutions to common issues.
As mentioned earlier, React Native boasts a larger community due to its utilization of the widely popular JavaScript language and its longer history. On the other hand, Flutter is a newer framework that employs the less common Dart language.
However, when examining the GitHub statistics of both technologies, the situation becomes less clear-cut: Flutter has garnered more stars with 153k, while React Native has fewer with 110k. Conversely, Flutter only has approximately 1.1k contributors on GitHub, whereas React Native has more than double that number with 2.5k.
8 Packages and Libraries
As a relatively new framework with a smaller community, Flutter has a growing assortment of packages available on its package repository, pub.dev. The Flutter ecosystem offers a wide range of packages for user interfaces, networking, database integration, state management, and more.
On the other hand, React Native, having been around for a longer duration, boasts a more extensive and diverse collection of packages and libraries accessible on npm, the JavaScript package registry. Although primarily utilized by web developers, many of these packages can be employed for navigation, network requests, and other mobile solutions.
9 Development Speed
The availability of resources and support significantly impacts the overall development process and speed. Since Flutter is a relatively new framework, it may take more time to locate and train developers who are well-versed in its usage.
React Native, however, is built on the widely-used React framework, offering developers access to a wide range of libraries, templates, and guides. Additionally, React Native developers have the flexibility to select any IDE or text editor that is compatible with JavaScript.
10 Code Reusability
In terms of code reusability, React Native lags behind Flutter. With Flutter, developers can easily make changes to a single line of code, establish new logic, and repurpose their code for various applications.
Conversely, Flutter’s codebase is more user-friendly and visually appealing, simplifying the process of code reuse.
Flutter vs React Native: In a Nutshell
| Concept | Flutter | React Native |
| Developed by | ||
| Release Date | May 2017 | June 2015 |
| Native Programming Language | Dart | JavaScript |
| Architecture | Business Logic Component (BLoC) | Flux and Redux |
| User Interface | Custom widgets | Native UI controllers |
| Documentation | Detailed and organized | User-friendly but disorganized |
| Performance | Faster | Slower compared to Flutter |
| Testing | In-built testing functionalities | Third-party testing tools |
| Hot Reload | Supported | Supported |
| Popularity | 152k stars on GitHub (December 2023) | 109k stars on December (April 2023) |
| Latest Version | Flutter-v3.7.10 | React Native-v0.71.6 |
| IDE Support | Android Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, and Visual Studio Code, | Visual Studio Code and Atom, and Expo |
| Learning Curve | Steeper learning curve | Shallower learning curve |
| App size | Large | Small |
| State Management | BLoC, Provider, GetX, and Riverpod | Third-party libraries such as Redux or MobX |
| App Development Time | Faster app development time due to its Hot Reload feature | Fast development cycle |
Should You Choose React Native or Flutter for Your Next Project?
Cross-platform development is becoming more and more popular, therefore your software needs to be robust and competitive. Choosing the appropriate framework is essential to creating a high-quality app.
There are several benefits and drawbacks to both the Flutter and React Native frameworks. To assist you in selecting the scenario that best fits your needs and objectives, consider the following.
Consider developing a Flutter app if
- There is no native functionality required for your app.
- Your project has a constrained budget and a constrained deadline.
- You want to code effectively and release your product as soon as possible.
- A single codebase that works on several platforms is what you desire.
- A 60 to 120 frames per second app is what you desire.
- You want a UI that is customizable and easy to use with widgets.
Consider creating a React Native app if
- Cross-platform modules for scalability are necessary for your current project.
- You want to create native apps that are easy to use and light.
- Right out of the box, you want to develop shared APIs.
- You want an app with a really attractive user interface and an asynchronous construction.
Conclusion
We can conclude from our in-depth analysis of the differences between Flutter and React Native that both frameworks are excellent for creating cross-platform applications. On the other hand, Flutter offers the advantage of having well-written and understandable documentation that walks you through the development process.
However, the community for React Native is more established and has grown, so it can provide more resources and assistance. However, before deciding which of them is ideal, you should weigh the features, functionality, and compatibility of each framework.
We at Frequent Solutions are here to help, no matter if you need assistance with React Native or Flutter app development.
FAQs
Will React Native Be Replaced by Flutter?
No, React Native will not be replaced by Flutter. Both frameworks can coexist in the cross-platform development industry, each with advantages and disadvantages of their own.
Is There A Future For Flutter?
Indeed, Flutter’s future is bright. Google supports it and updates and improves the framework frequently with the help of an expanding user and developer community.
Is React Native Worse Than Flutter Web?
It is contingent upon both your choices and the project needs. A more recent technology called Flutter Web enables programmers to use Flutter to construct web applications. A more developed and reliable framework that can also be used to create React web applications is React Native.
Is React Slower Than Flutter?
Flutter typically performs quicker than React in terms of speed. Flutter builds high-performance applications with a native rendering engine (Skia) and a compiled language (Dart). To interface with the native platform, React makes use of an interpreted language (JavaScript) and a JavaScript bridge. This increases the application’s execution delay and overhead.
Why Opt for Flutter Instead of React?
Here are some arguments in favor of Flutter vs React:
- With the help of Flutter’s expressive and configurable UI toolkit, developers can produce stunning and responsive applications.
- Flutter is easy to learn and use because of its clear and uniform syntax and structure.
- It allows for quick and iterative development cycles with support for hot restart and hot reload.
