Everyone knows that both React Native and Flutter are the most popular and demanding technologies when it comes to cross-platform mobile app development.
According to the reports, React Native and Flutter is the most demanded mobile application framework for two years in a row. They are taking down the competition as their adoption rate continues to grow.
As a matter of fact, 92% of mobile users spend most of their time with apps and social media, and only 8% of them use web browsers. That is the reason business owners should present their apps on all platforms, so they won’t miss a chance to attract clients via different channels.
However, for most businesses building a native app for each platform is an intolerable waste of time. That is why they are looking for some technologies that will help them develop a cross-platform mobile app. And here comes that biggest question, what is better: React or Flutter?
The answer is Hybrid apps which are the best solution for the business. As the segment of hybrid apps is growing at lightning speed, it will overtake native apps within a few years.
So, why is Flutter and React Native apps so popular? Because it works better on mobile devices. However, professional users with technical backgrounds will notice that graphic transitions which take less time for UI rendering than cross platforming. Although, for amateurs, the difference will be almost unnoticeable. That is the reason, they start considering Flutter vs React native options.
Native frameworks use code to communicate with the IS core directly. But the only problem is that this framework is written in different programming languages depending on the OS and device. Therefore, creating a native app for Android and iOS devices will require at least two developers.
However, the mobile world is not limited to OS only as there are too many features involving more departments, thus spending more money.
Let’s talk about the Android app; in order to develop one, you will need to hire Java, C, and C++ developers. On the other hand, for iOS, you will need developers with knowledge of Objective C and Swift. Unfortunately, it is impossible for small and medium scale businesses to afford such developers.
So, why would you pay more when you can choose between React and Flutter, a cheap and fast way to build an app. The advantages of hybrid app platform have the following aspects:
- They are more cost-effective. This means developing an app on Flutter or React Native will save time, and the results are almost the same as Native apps.
- Can be developed in less time, thus saving additional company’s costs.
- There is no need to contact support anytime when something is wrong with the code because they offer offline support. It also comes equipped with offline libraries; the developer just needs to know where to find it.
- They are easier to maintain as well. It may seem a bit difficult to track how the updates affect various codes. With hybrid apps, you won’t face any such problems.
- No need to waste money and time developing an app one at a time, instead of both the apps can be run for both iOS as well as Android platforms.
- Easy to integrate with third-party apps.
So, will you still choose native apps over hybrid apps? The two perfect solutions for this is Flutter vs React Native. They both offer a huge list of features, have open-source frameworks, and are powerful enough for any native mobile app development company.
Now the question is, which is best for both? In order to know the answer, you will need to read the article till the end.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is basically a cross-platform framework that Google developed in 2017. When you compare Flutter with React Native, you will notice that Flutter is more popular among developers. According to stats, 39% of developers like Flutter as compared to other frameworks, including React Native.
So, what makes it so special? First things first, Flutter has the ability to develop applications using a single codebase. This means you don’t have to develop separate web, mobile, and desktop apps. Flutter is the one single tool that will help you develop apps easily.
As Flutter is the one tool for your apps doesn’t mean you have to compromise with speed, quality, or performance. This framework consists of Dart, which is a rendering engine designed predominantly in C++. The good is that apps built using Flutter are more intuitive and easier to navigate. That is because developers can modify UX in Flutter. Changing the variable in the state is required by this process. It is an extremely important point when talking about Flutter vs React Native.
Flutter 2 was announced by Google on March 2, 2021, which uses a codebase for 5 OS, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. Apart from that, it also targets browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This means Flutter will help developers in building apps for the web.
Development
As mentioned before, Flutter is considered the fastest cross-platform frameworks to build an app. Although, the speed of development is lower as compared to React native. That is because you have to add different code files for Android and iOS systems.
Flutter App Development Company has access to third-party UI libraries with ready to use components. And because of this, the development time can be decreased. In addition, these libraries make the development process more convenient.
Another great point about this framework is Hot Reloading or Hot Restart feature, with which a developer can see all the changes instantly.
Performance
Flutter is written in Dart language. That simply means compiling a code quicker than JavaScript. Also, Flutter has the ability to display animation at 60fps as a standard, all thanks to the Dart language. As a rule, all the Flutter apps have a high performance available by default.
However, it is necessary to consider some common problems that may affect the rate. Moreover, Flutter also offers recommendations that help to reach the desired results. These includes:
- Optimization of performance with tree shaking and deferred loading.
- Improvement of performance with image placeholders, preaching, and disabled navigation transitions.
- Creating flutter widgets that perform
Apart from these, Flutter also recommends controlling build costs, applying effects and widgets only when you need them, using lazing methods for grids and lists, along building and displaying frames in 16ms.
Remember that in comparison to Flutter vs React native performance, Flutter is not a winner there. Although, many developers admit that Flutter comes with many advantages, which makes it a better choice.
Documentation
Flutter is known for perfectly structured documentation; this means it has all the answers to all the questions. Flutter is a bit slow, but still many prefer this framework due to the documentation.
However, the only drawback is that you need to visit a website each time you need to check something. However, from another point of view, the documents are so well-structured on the website that the inconvenience is almost unnoticeable.
Flutter Document covers:
- Libraries
- Animation
- Cupertino
- Foundation
- Material
- Painting
- Physics
- Services, and many more.
What is React Native?
Similar to Flutter, React is another famous cross-platform framework that Facebook develops. As Facebook developed it, React Native has developed many popular apps, including Facebook, Uber Eats, Pinterest, Instagram, Walmart, and many more.
It is based on React.JS, which uses JavaScript to build mobile apps for iOS and Android. However, similar to Flutter, React can also develop an app using only a single codebase.
Development
It is best known for its fast development time and access to some third-party UI libraries with ready to use components that saves time during the React Native App Development Service.
Also, it offers new functionalities to supported platforms immediately, which requires less time. React native features various component that simplify and speed up the development process.
Performance
As React is written in native and JavaScript languages, it is not up to the mark to deliver high-performance apps. Therefore, developers need to add extra interactions with native ones.
The architecture of React Native is made up of two parts: JavaScript and Native, so this framework needs a JS bridge to interact with native elements.
Documentation
When it comes to documentation, React Native’s documentation is not that impressive as compared to Flutter’s, but the developers find it user friendly.
The documentation of React Native covers:
- Handling text output
- Using list views
- Core Components
- Troubleshooting
- Using a ScrollView and many more.
The Verdict
As you can read in the above article, React, and Flutter have so many things in common. To start with, both of them are open source frameworks that anyone can use. They both are developed by renowned companies: Google and Facebook.
Flutter is easy to use and more resistant to system updates. This simply means that when iOS and Android get OS updates, the app will remain the same. On the other hand, React Native depends on native elements, which may create problems in the launch app.
Another difference between the both is that Flutter gets plugins that are developed by Google, like geolocation and mapping. But React Native works better with one-time locations and does not require tracking.
All in all, Flutter and React native are the best choices for any mobile app development company like Groovy Web, as they will save time and money. So, if you are looking to develop a mobile app or even web apps, call Groovy Web and get a free quote today!
