Flutter vs React Native: The Best Framework for App Development

Neo Infoway - WEB & Mobile Development Company | Festival | Neo | Infoway | Leading software Development company | Top Software development company in India

Overview: Flutter vs React Native

According to a Grand View Research report, the global market for mobile applications is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% from 2022 to 2030. Statista also predicts that revenues from mobile apps will be at a high by 2025. This highlights the enormous potential for web application development

It is necessary to compare two of the most popular cross-platform technologies: Flutter and React Native. Google’s Flutter is an open-source framework for developing cross-platform mobile applications. Dart programming is the basis of this framework, which is open source. Flutter is a toolkit that developers use to build cross-platform apps for Linux, Mac OS, Android, Windows Phone, iOS and web applications. Flutter is also useful for developing expressive and flexible UIs, as well as native performance. React Native is a JavaScript framework that’s highly compatible with iOS, Android, and other platforms. It is a combination of XML, JavaScript and Esque markup JSX. React Native allows developers to create native interfaces and elements with a native feel.

Each framework has its own pros and cons. Both frameworks have their own pros and cons. Both offer a marketplace for cross-platform mobile app development.

Flutter vs React Native Pros and Cons

The ongoing debate of Flutter vs React Native remains a pressing question of which of the two is better than the other. Both cross-platform frameworks have proven their ability to reduce time to market and have extensive communities. However, there are a number of Pros and Cons that both frameworks possess, let us have a look at them:

Pros and Cons of Flutter

Pros

  • Single Codebase
  • Fast Performance
  • Custom UI
  • Hot Reload
  • Community Support

Cons

  • Limited SEO Libraries and Tools
  • SEO Learning Curve
  • Third-Party Integrations
  • Platform Dependencies
  • SEO Performance Monitoring

Pros and Cons of React Native

Pros:

  • Cross-Platform Development
  • Reusable Components
  • Hot Reload
  • Native Performance
  • Large Community and Ecosystem

Cons

  • Platform Limitations
  • Performance Bottlenecks
  • Learning Curve
  • Dependency on Facebook
  • Limited Access to Native APIs

React Native vs Flutter Similarities

Both React Native and the Flutter framework have a variety of features that can help you decide which is best for your project. Flutter and React Native share many similarities, which makes them similar. Before we look at their differences, let’s first examine the similarities.

Cross-Platform Development

The frameworks allow developers to build mobile apps that can run on iOS and Android. This allows for flexibility and efficiency when developing applications.

Realtime Code Changes

React Native, Angular, and other frameworks offer hot reloading, which allows developers to see their changes in code in real time without having to restart the application. This enhances the development process.

Native-Like Performance

Both frameworks provide a high-performance experience for users by rendering UI elements directly on the device. This results in a smooth and responsive performance of apps that mimic native applications.

Active Community of Developers

The Flutter and React Native communities are large and have a wealth of resources and tutorials. They also provide support to developers.

Customizable UI/UX

This Two frameworks allow for UI/UX customisation, allowing developers to create engaging and visually appealing user interfaces in line with their brand and design guidelines.

Native APIs Access

Developers can access native APIs for the platform to enhance app functionality.

Single Codebase

The frameworks allow developers to create code once, and then use it on different platforms. This eliminates the need for separate codebases and saves time.

Flutter vs React Native Comparison

Comparison Versus React Native (also known as Flutter) and Cross-Platform Application Development Frameworks (also called cross-platform development frameworks) are popular tools for developing mobile applications. Both frameworks allow developers to build high-performance applications that are visually appealing and fully functional. They also work seamlessly on different platforms. These tech stacks are very different. Let’s look at a table comparison before diving into a more in-depth analysis.

Parameters Flutter React Native
Backed By Google Facebook
Language Dart JavaScript
UI Framework Widgets (Custom UI toolkit) Components (Declarative UI)
Type Software Development Kit Software Framework
License Open-Source Open-Source
Cross-Platform Yes Yes
Platform Support iOS, Android iOS, Android, Web Apps
Native Performance High Moderate
Learning Curve Moderate Easy
LHot Reload Yes Yes
Development Environment Flutter SDK React Native CLI
Documentation Simple and Streamlined Disorganized
IDE Support IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio Visual Studio Code, JetBrains WebStorm
Architecture Reactive Component Based
Code Reusability 50-90% 90%
Testing Support Built-in Requires third-party libraries
Community Support Growing Large
Access to Native APIs Yes Yes
Platform Specific UI Yes Yes
Components Library Smaller, non-inclusive Large inclusive library
Adaptive Components Non-adaptive, Need to be configured manually Few adaptive automatically
Learning Curve Difficult to learn, especially for new developers Easy to pick up, primarily if you are used to Reacting or Javascript before
Hot Reload Supported Supported
Time-to-market Comparatively slower Fast
GitHub Stars 152k 109k
GitHub Forks 25.2k 23.2k
Release Date May 2017 March 2015

The table above was a quick comparison between the two frameworks. Now let’s look at the other details of the Flutter and React Native comparison.

Programming

React Native is built on JavaScript, a dynamic language that is used to develop mobile applications. As an interpreted programming language, JavaScript is known for being flexible and dynamic. JavaScript has a large developer community and is used for front end web development. Flutter, on the other hand, uses Dart by Google which is a statically-typed programming language.

The code is converted into native machine code first, which improves performance. Dart has a similar syntax to C-style language like Java or JavaScript, but it will require developers to learn another language.

Popularity

According to the Stack Overflow Survey for 2024 Flutter has slightly more votes than React Native, at 12.64 % compared to React Native’s 12.57 %.

React Native is more popular with professional developers (13.62% votes) than Flutter (12.56%). Flutter, on the other hand, is gaining in popularity with people who are just learning to code. It has 17.63% votes, compared to React Native’s 11.39%.

Market Trends and Further Technologies Evolution

Referring to the data available that are available from Google Trends, it is clear that, even though Flutter saw a decline in popularity between 2021 and 2021 however, the two technologies Flutter as well as React Native have become remarkably well-known, despite React Native being on the market for a longer time, Flutter has emerged as the most popular technology in the current trends.

Likewise technologies continue to show an upward trend which suggests that they’re poised for more growth in the near future.

Marketshare

In the Statista graph, Flutter is overpowering React Native quite effectively. It’s in the first place. The last year saw a rise from 38 percent to 42% of the market share of flutter.

According to the same report, React Native stands second after Flutter in the ranking of cross-platform apps with an estimated 38% market share.

UI Components

Flutter is a full set of components, compared with React Native. The framework comes with a wide range of UI rendering components including libraries, navigation API accessibility, and other features that let you create amazing apps. The widgets available from Flutter help make UI creating on Android and iOS effortless.

The user can completely customize with its widgets. And that is the primary benefit for using Flutter in comparison to React Native as the widgets are automatically in line to Material Design to Google as well as Cupertino in Apple.

React Native UI Components

Flutter is a full set of components, compared with React Native. The framework comes with a wide range of UI rendering components including libraries, navigation API accessibility, and other features that let you create amazing apps. The widgets available from Flutter help make UI creating on Android and iOS effortless. The user can completely customize with its widgets. And that is the primary benefit for using Flutter in comparison to React Native as the widgets are automatically in line to Material Design to Google as well as Cupertino in Apple.

Application Architecture

In the war in the battle between React Native vs Flutter application design, which one you select for your application is contingent on the frameworks these two frameworks are able to offer in their respective pockets. Let’s find out which one is the winner in Flutter against React Native development speed.

Technology Flutter has a layered structure whether it is web or Flutter’s mobile application architecture. If the developers wish to have an independent presentation layer and the business layer, then they should look into Flutter Bloc architecture.

Flutter makes use of Skia which is an open-source 2D graphics rendering software which provides APIs common to all platforms. are compatible with a variety of platforms for both hardware and software, and also the Dart language VM with a specific shell for each platform. Flutter compiles Dart’s code in advance to create native code. This is a crucial aspect. Its code is an easy and quick solution, which can be integrated easily to iOS as well as Android.

Innovation Flutter does not need the headache of creating bridges that programmers use to make things work. Itf Flutter Bloc is not necessary to program bridges in order to ensure that things are working. This feature only allows Flutter an advantage over React Native because of its design.

React Native is an intermediary between native and JavaScript thread. In this way it allows the JavaScript code to communicate via Native API. React Native mobile apps use JavaScriptCore to function on iOS as well as Android applications.

Performance Comparison

The Flutter and React native performance is the subject of disagreement. There are a few elements that can aid in understanding the performance of each. Regarding speed, and general quality, Flutter is undoubtedly a superior choice over React Native, especially when it comes to processing that is heavy on CPU and memory consumption. If you’re looking for an application that has attractive animations and a unique UI Flutter is the right choice for you.

Flutter has its standard for animation set at 60 FPS which is enough to show its power. Furthermore, it is built straight into the native ARM codes to work on iOS and Android and does not hinder its performance. A straightforward “Hello world” APK file in Flutter generally runs about 5.6 Megabytes, making it quite light and thus more efficient.

While React Native is an extremely powerful framework, it’s not quite as good with regards to speed. It utilizes a mix with native as well as JavaScript programming languages. This requires developers to engage in additional interactions to ensure fast and smooth performance. The base “Hello the world” APK file size in React Native is around 8 MB, which is more when compared to Flutter.

  • Desktop Performance

  • A comprehensive benchmark investigation that compared JavaScript as well as Dart from Debian involved completing 10 scientific tasks and looking at applications to show both the advantages and disadvantages of every technology. The research concentrated on execution times as a measure of performance, as well as memory consumption, which is a measure of efficiency in resource use, the results are listed below:

    Based on the information above it is clear that JS has a quicker execution speed than Dart and uses less memory, which makes it a much more powerful and efficient choice for server programming, as well as other environments suitable for it. Thus, React Native has a distinct advantage over all other operating systems and gadgets.

    A community of startups on Medium has conducted tests of performance using actual Android as well as iOS smartphones to test the time required to execute Pi-digit calculations made with Flutter as well as React Native. The results available within the below table were awe-inspiring.

    It is evident how React Native is slower than Flutter in all ways and, therefore, under this circumstance, Flutter gets one point more than React Native.

  • Web Performance

  • React is widely regarded as the most popular technology used for web development as well as JavaScript being among the main front-end languages, along with HTML as well as CSS. Contrary to that, Dart is not an extremely popular language for web development, and does not have benefits, the infrastructure or solutions JS, PHP, Java or Ruby provides

    Although it is possible to create an online site using Flutter’s mobile application code quickly, it’s not the most effective option when site performance is essential. Customized web development tools could provide better performance for websites than Flutter.

    So, the ability to build a website using Flutter is a desirable feature that will significantly cut down time to market if the app already has a functioning prototype of a mobile application.

Documentation

Documentation is one of the strengths for Flutter and, consequently, it has the advantage of React Native in this segment. While Flutter has a slower development, it comes with a large and well-organized documentation to help developers to resolve their problems and concerns. Developers can go directly to the Flutter website, which is open source,Flutter’s documentation (docs.flutter.io). Flutter’s documentation (docs.flutter.io) to access the relevant information. With the efficient arrangement of the documentation, you will be able to find what you’re searching for. But, contrary to this view, a lot of users believe the React Native documentation is better organized than Flutter’s vast documentation. It is true that the documentation for the React Native library isn’t as comprehensive as that of Flutter; however, it is more user-friendly and has more illustrated content instead of technical information, which includes guides or popular topics that are popular with developers, thus making it more attractive.

Ecosystem

Flutter was launched in the year following React Native, giving React Native an edge in its ecosystem. However, Flutter is fast becoming more competitive with the numerous mobile development tools that are available to the public due to its committed community. There are currently more than 23,000 Flutter-compatible apps available.

However, React Native, being more established, has had the time to build a large number of development tools which is beneficial to developers. React Native also supports hot refresh, which makes it much easier for developers to monitor the changes in real-time. Flutter’s performance however is far superior to React Native, and is a more modern method of developing apps. Furthermore, Flutter’s widgets can be customizable and allow for fast UI development. Therefore, deciding between them is based on the specific requirements that your website has.

Minimal Required SDK Version

React Native allows you to create applications that work with iOS 9 or higher and Android 5.0 or later SDK versions. However, the older SDK versions could provide limited options for your apps. Hence it is recommended to use the latest version. is the best option in case you want to enjoy the most recent features and upgrades, along with more efficient outcomes. Flutter is, however, allows you to create apps that run on android 5.0 as well as later ones, while React Native using the latest SDK version is the best option for users who want to use the most recent SDK versions. For iOS Flutter, it requires iOS 8 or later versions However, when you use older APIs you might experience running time crashes having to be aware.

Community Support

The two React Native and Flutter possess active communities and have active communities, which is evident in React Native having 109k stars and 23.2k forks on GitHub and Flutter is home to 152k stars as well as 25.2k forks GitHub.

But Flutter’s array of widgets and extensive documentation offer a much more simplified experience as compared to React Native’s numerous library choices, which can sometimes become overwhelming. Furthermore, Flutter’s built-in functions are a benefit, cutting down on the requirement for third-party libraries. In contrast, React Native may require additional research and integration.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

Flutter comes with an interface for command line (CLI) and a suite of tools, including Flutter Doctor, that helps in configuring the IDE you prefer as well as iOS and Android development. By looking at the tools installed on your system and confirming the settings, Flutter Doctor simplifies the setting up of your environment to create a mobile Flutter application.

However installing React Native requires some level of expertise. This React Native getting started guide does not provide enough information or help in the process of creating an application. However, React Native offers Expo an array of tools to help speed up the process of creating React Native apps.

Development Tools

Flutter has a range of development tools to the convenience of developers. The most popular ones can be used to build your app include VS Code or Android Studio. Flutter also supports hot Reload. But, React Native has limited tools, but you can choose text editors such as VSCode, Sublime, or Atom to make your life easier. The process of designing UIs with React Native is similar to web development. React Native also supports Live Reloading.

IDEs or Integrated Development Environments

The process of creating cross-platform applications using traditional notepads has become outdated for developers. With the variety of IDEs available and a variety of development tools, the process has been made more efficient and efficient. IDEs come with built-in support for various tools, such as Code editors, debugging tools, build automatization tools, compiles and many more.

Flutter provides a variety of IDE choices for developers to pick from, such as Android Studio, Visual Studio as well as IntelliJ IDEA. In contrast, React Native in contrast supports IDEs like Visual Studio Code, WebStorm and Atom. For developers with experience working in Android developing, Flutter is a more suitable option because of its resemblance to Android Studio, which is specifically designed to facilitate developers’ needs.

Testing

This is a crucial element to choose a specific framework to efficiently run your business activities. Here are the test capabilities of each framework. Flutter helps developers in a large way by implementing an automatic Flutter unit test, due to its op-oriented programming language Dart. It has detailed documentation on tests of performance in Flutter apps at every level- integration widget, integration, and unit level.

Although, technically React Native does not support UI level testing or integration testing. It does have some unit levels to use it to use the React Native testing library. The greatest benefit is that developers are able to use Apium, Detox, unearth bugs as well as. tools for testing React native applications. Developers must deploy their apps with Xcode.

Learning Curve

The process of learning Flutter or React Native isn’t rocket science. Both are incredibly easy to master in terms of APIs, but it’s dependent on the level of expertise of the developer. React Native and Flutter have large communities that are accessible for help and are constantly creating new tools and components designed for novice developers.

In the end The concept is straightforward. If you are familiar with the fundamentals of Javascript understanding, then integrating into or learning React Native is relatively easy. But, you must be familiar with arrays and array manipulation. Node.js as well as React.React Native is preferable for beginners as it includes predefined components that are useful for creating iOS and Android applications. It is possible to learn a single thing at a time, without having to be concerned about understanding all the APIs that are used to render views.

In contrast, Flutter is new to the developers. Therefore, novices may have a difficult time trying to master the programming language of Flutter Dart by starting from the ground up. However, Flutter is ultimately recommended over React Native for experienced developers since the APIs available by Flutter are comparable to the APIs offered by iOS as well as Android. Furthermore, Flutter is focusing more on battling the developer experience offered by React Native and other SDKs.

Flutter and React both give you a significant amount of security when it comes to mobile apps that need to be compliant with legal requirements such as HIPAA. The minimum. suggested measures are as follows:

  • Better to save less information on the client side.
  • It is better to avoid using third-party libraries
  • The authentication tokens must expire once the user exits the application or closes the screen. Additional authentication verification is required.
  • Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Data encryption for mobile client data stored

Code Comparison

To gain a better comprehension of the two frameworks React Native vs Flutter, let’s look at the source code of these two frameworks and discover the differences by writing a simple program for printing “Hello there”

Flutter

                        
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 
void main() => runApp(DemoApp());
 
class DemoApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      title: 'This is a Flutter App',
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(
          title: Text('This is a Flutter App'),
        ),
        body: Center(
          child: Text('Hello There!),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

                        

                    

React Native

                        
                            import React from 'react';
                            import { Text, View } from 'react-native';
                             
                            function DemoApp() {
                             return (
                               
                                 Hello there!
                               
                             )
                            }
                            export default DemoApp;
                              
                        
                    

It is evident how the React Native application is designed to be a straightforward implementation procedure. By importing relevant libraries and using JSK it is possible to create UIs that require just 15 lines. In order to use Flutter, widgets need to be imported to iOS or Android. It is important to be aware that components in React Native are especially mapped to the native platforms of their respective devices which means the widgets are able to be used on the two platforms iOS or Android.

Compatibility and Application Features

Flutter allows various resolutions in Android 4.1+, and iOS 8+ and React Native supports Android 4.1+ and iOS 10+. Each requires native programming for a variety of important features. This may decrease maintenance benefits and may require additional resources for minor adjustments.

Furthermore, native development may be difficult and time-consuming when compared to cross-platform tools for development. But Flutter, a few other tools as well as React Native provide widgets and libraries that have native code injections that allow close-to-the-native performance, with advanced features and hardware-based communication.

Geolocation and Mapping

Flutter comes with official Google plugins that provide exceptional tracking experience, and React Native works well for only-in-time location tracking. However, continuous tracking could be a problem with React Native and may require some native programming.

Camera, Video Chats, and Streaming

Flutter typically don’t have any issues with their camera, however React Native might require more time and resources to achieve maximum performance. Flutter offers a few additional plugins that allow for custom video chats. React Native supports native video chat features.

Analytics

The two platforms Flutter along with React Native support popular 3rd analytics tools from third parties like Google Analytics, Firebase, AppsFlyer and Adjust. Flutter’s performance is not typically affected by analytics, however React Native may experience performance drop if there are lots of analytical events to track.

Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)

Flutter lets you deploy via the CLI However, iOS apps store tools for CI/CD can be complicated. React Native lacks integrated CI/CD tools, however it supports third-party services such as Fastlane, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions as well as Microsoft AppCenter.

Developer Rates Comparison

Cost is the primary aspect in deciding on the design of your project. Here is a cost comparison of hiring an Flutter developer and a React Native developer based on Glassdoor information. Here is a simple cost comparison table, comparing costs of React Native application development costs and the development costs for Flutter apps.

Top Companies Using React Native vs Flutter

Flutter as well as React Native have both established themselves as market leaders by virtue of their distinct capabilities and features, as evident in the manner that a number of major companies have decided to use them in their products. Here are a few examples:

Companies using React Native

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Walmart
  • Skype
  • Tesla
  • Bloomberg

Companies using Flutter

  • Google
  • Alibaba
  • eBay
  • Tencent
  • BMW
  • The New York Times

React Native vs Flutter Use Cases

Our team of experienced developers conducted extensive research and checked to find the best use cases for web application development. These use cases can help you determine the best framework for your project, based on your requirements and needs. Here’s a quick look:

Flutter Use Cases

  • Apps that run on OS features
  • Apps with a material design
  • High-performance applications using the Skia-rendering engines
  • MVP mobile apps
  • Advanced OS plugins using simple logic
  • Flexible UIs using enhanced widgets
  • Reactive apps with massive integration of data

React Native Use Cases

  • Flexbox is a great way to create apps with a responsive and remarkable UX.
  • Apps with a simplified and easy-to-use UI
  • Quick prototype Apps
  • Synchronous APIs
  • Apps using reusable components

React Native vs Flutter When to Use What?

You can choose React Native when:

  • You wish to expand your app by adding cross-platform modules.
  • When creating a lightweight native application.
  • Generate shared APIs out of the box.
  • You have enough time to develop your project if the budget is large.
  • You want to build an application that has a fast-reacting UI and an asynchronous build.

You can choose Flutter when:

  • You have a tight deadline for your project and a small budget.
  • If you want to reduce development costs by using a single codebase across multiple platforms.
  • You are not required to develop native functionality.
  • You need to quickly write code and get it into the market.
  • It is better to use widgets for personalizing the UI and do less testing.
  • You focus on developing high-performance applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Flutter is a UI toolkit developed by Google for building natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.
  • React Native is an open-source framework developed by Facebook for building mobile applications using JavaScript and React.
  • Flutter uses Dart programming language, while React Native uses JavaScript.
  • Flutter offers a rich set of customizable widgets for building UI, whereas React Native relies on native components.
  • Flutter compiles to native code for better performance, while React Native uses a bridge to communicate with native modules.
  • Flutter has a hot reload feature for instant code changes, whereas React Native requires a reload for code changes.
Flutter often boasts better performance due to its ability to compile directly to native code, resulting in smoother animations and faster startup times compared to React Native’s JavaScript bridge.
  • React Native has a larger community and a mature ecosystem with a wide range of third-party libraries and tools, making it easier to find resources and solutions to common problems.
  • Flutter’s community is rapidly growing, and Google actively supports it, providing extensive documentation and resources.
  • Flutter might be preferred for apps requiring a high level of customization and complex UI designs, such as gaming or multimedia apps.
  • React Native might be a better choice for apps that prioritize time-to-market and leverage existing web development skills, such as e-commerce or social media apps.
Both Flutter and React Native offer cross-platform development, allowing developers to build apps for both iOS and Android platforms from a single codebase.
    Flutter has a strong and rapidly growing community support and ecosystem, offering extensive resources, libraries, and active developer engagement.