Flutter vs React Native - How to Select the Right One for Mobile App? (with Detailed Comparison)
Though native and cross-platform have their own pros and cons, organizations prefer cross-platform technologies for mobile app development due to many reasons.
Some of the competitive benefits offered by cross-platform technologies are cost-effectiveness and less time-consuming mobile app development.
Another reason people select cross-platform app development is it constantly evolves and launches modern technologies, frameworks, and platforms to meet the growing needs of the businesses and customers.
Flutter and React Native are the two leading cross-platform frameworks that are competing with each other to prove their worth for mobile app development. This post will help you to explore the key differences between these two technologies. Let’s have a detailed comparison.
Flutter vs React Native: A Detailed Comparison
Programming Languages
Flutter is based on the Dart programming language. It is very easy to learn and write the code. But, it is not so popular programming language and not used widely expect Google.
The adoption rate of Dart in the industry comparatively low. Moreover, the programming language helps in compiling the native code faster and simplifying the widget customization.
React Native used JavaScript as the core programming language. Undoubtedly, JavaScript is one of the highly popular technologies these days.
It is the highly preferred technology by developers for mobile app development. JavaScript is a powerful and widely accepted and adopted technology across the industry after years of use.
Verdict: JavaScript-based React Native is a more stable and reliable cross-platform framework to consider for your mobile app development.
User Interface
When it comes to create a user interface of mobile apps or build block components, Flutter and react-native are quite different from each other.
Flutter uses its proprietary visual, platform, structural, and interactive widgets. These widgets are inbuilt UI components and competent to replace the native UI components.
The framework has a flexible layered architecture that creates a customized UI design with native support and dynamism.
Well, the only drawback of Flutter is it doesn’t offer all the components that are essential for designing an app UI. The result is you need to compromise on user experience.
React Native uses native components of iOS and Android to create the UI. Moreover, it allows to select from the external UI kits such as React Native Elements, NativeBase, and React Native Material Kit.
Enabling developers with a large number of UI kits, it helps to design a robust UI for your mobile app.
Verdict: React Native is the best choice to create an engaging user interface for both the mobile operating systems.
Performance
If we talk about the app performance, then definitely Flutter wins the competition. Are you eager to explore how? Here you go.
Flutter develops apps without using the bridge of javascript for initiating interactions with the native components of the Android and iOS platforms. Thus, the speed of Flutter based development is expedited drastically compared to React Native.
React Native performs excellent when it comes to native app development. But when it comes to hybrid app development, sometimes developers face issues with application architecture.
Compare to React Native, Flutter allows developers to reuse the code. Moreover, the framework has a C++ engine that works flawlessly and supports the technology.
Verdict: Flutter gets the highest point in terms of delivering the best app performance as it runs hybrid apps with greater speed than React Native.
Would you like to explore from Flutter and React Native which one allows you to build robust yet cost-effective mobile apps?
App Development Time
Flutter takes more time when it comes to mobile app development. The technology is new and requires considerable time for mobile app development. Flutter enables developers with high-quality usability but the framework demands more recognition compared to React Native.
React Native enables developers with the ready to use components that help them to utilize all elements to build an app without confronting many problems. It improves time to market of the mobile app, adds more to the user interface, and reduces development time tremendously. Using the capabilities of React Native, the app development process becomes quick and simple.
Verdict: React Native is the best option to pick to leverage accelerated mobile app development due to react to use components. While Flutter widgets are not adaptive so developers have to make the platform-specific adoption manually.
Documentation
Documentation one of the very time consuming and complex processes of mobile app development. And, Flutter facilitates developers with better documentation that simplifies their life by allowing them to create documentation of the mobile apps. Thus, as far the documentation is concerned, Flutter is the best choice.
Well, Flutter doesn’t have a strong community as React NAtive. But the support of the Google team is really good about the documentation. The Google team answers to the queries of Flutter documentation in a limited time span that helps the developers to get started with the Flutter sooner than React Native.
React Native has not so organized documentation process. Moreover, the framework removes the components which are useful in making the documentation process smoother. The framework offers general documentation and uses the external dev kits.
Verdict: Flutter is the clear winner when it comes to effective documentation of mobile app development.
Customer Base
Introduced in 2015 by Facebook, React Native leverages the larger customer base and industrial adoption than the Flutter that is introduced in 2017 by Google. React native is used by big brands such as Uber, Tesla, Walmart, Instagram, etc. On the other hand, Flutter is implemented by AppTree, Tencent, Alibaba, and more in their mobile apps.
React Native is already a well established and stable platform supported by a large community. Flutter needs time to gain stability like React Native. It has a bright future for sure and the ability to build next-generation mobile apps.
Verdict: Both technologies have their pros and cons. Developers need to make the right selection as per their design and development requirements.
Credencys Develops Cross-Platform Mobile Apps Using Flutter or React Native
Credencys has 10+ years of industry experience in developing Native, Hybrid and Cross-platform mobile app development. We have a team of 150+ seasonal developers to build custom mobile solutions. Though we have proven expertise in developing Flutter applications we hold more skills and experience in developing React Native mobile apps.
We have developed robust mobile solutions for startups, SMEs and large scale enterprises that help them streamline their business operations, boost customer engagement and retention, and cut down overhead costs. Get a cost-effective mobile solution by sharing your business ideas with our skilled team.
Frequently Asked Questions about Flutter vs React Native
Is Flutter better than React Native?
Tracking Flutter vs React Native performance, you can make the right choice for your mobile app development. Flutter allows developers to reuse the existing code. Thus, it makes their life easy. While React Native faces some issues with hybrid application architecture.
Will Flutter replace React Native?
Flutter uses its own components for Android and iOS app development by rendering them through an engine. On the other hand, React Native allows developers to bridge native models and native UI components.
Is Flutter faster than React Native?
Flutter compiles C/C++ library to Dart to make the app development less complex. This is consumed faster by the native code than a bridge between native models and native UI components of React Native. Thus, Flutter will deliver faster performance than react Native.
What is the difference between React Native and Flutter?
To build a mobile app, React Native uses components of the react library. The technology uses virtual DOM to communicate with the mobile platform UI components. Compared to Flutter, React Native provides less widgets. Moreover, the React Native components are highly adaptive.
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