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.