Flutter vs. React Native: Which one to choose for 2024?

Creating an application has become more accessible and popular recently than it was years ago. There are more options or platforms with which techies can develop applications. Multiple platforms have sprung up and brought healthy competition into this space, and this has made the creation process efficient, faster, and more satisfactory.

Two popular and successful platforms making the airwaves are React Native and Flutter. They are both popular because they are native app development platforms, and so they are better suited for mobile devices. These two app development have also been praised for providing offline support to their users through offline libraries.

Both React Native and Flutter are hybrid app platforms with one code for all applications. This is a “one size fits all” situation, and it makes them easier to maintain.

But here is the thing.

When deciding on which of the two platforms to use, you will usually look out for the one that best suits the preference or need of the app owners and future users. As a developer, you will note down what the prospective app owner wants for the UI/UX (user interface/ user experience). You will take into consideration the services to be provided and target users of the app.

With this knowledge, a developer can select between both app development platforms. But it is at this selection point that confusion may set in. Many developers do not know the properties that define React Native and Flutter. Therefore, it may be challenging to know what is best suited for the intended app.

This is where this article comes in. The information in this write-up is put together to assist you in understanding the characteristics of React Native and Flutter. By the time you’re done reading, you should have enough clarity to decide whether you will use React Native or Flutter in the year.

stackoverflow

In the meantime, here are the things you should expect from this article:

CONTENTS

1. What is React Native?
2. What is Flutter?
3. Differences between React Native and Flutter
4. Similarities between React Native and Flutter
5. Choosing between React Native and Flutter
6. FAQs

What is React Native?

Firstly, React and React Native are two different things. So, throughout this article, we are referring to React Native. React Native was developed by Meta in 2015 based on React. With React Native, developers use the JavaScript programming language to write codes to create applications that are supported on mobile and the web.

The bridge communication permits communication between the native code and JavaScript. The modified architecture also eliminates serialization and message exchange in the setup process. With a single codebase, you can develop applications for both Android and iOS. The framework also supports cross-platform development.

Before you got curious to hire React Native app developers in India, here’s the big deal about React Native to uncover!

Here is the big deal about React Native.

The framework of applications created with React Native is said to be of high quality. The app development platforms allow for fast refresh, and you can edit the source code while on it. Another advantage of this feature is the loading of native modules that helps you scale through limitations.

React Native has extensive third-party libraries that make it a stronger competition in the game. It is also easy and fast to install because of the Node Package Manager. And when it comes to testing, you do less testing with React Native. So you don’t have to test the app you create on all platforms.

Aside from Meta-owned applications like Instagram and Marketplace, other popular organizations that integrated React Native are Walmart, Tesla, Skype, and Airbnb.

Well, the fact that JavaScript is the basis of React Native makes it a widely used and very compatible app development platform. This gives it an edge over others since JavaScript is easily accessible.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is a Software Development Kit (SDK) toolkit or framework that assists developers in cross-platform development. With its toolkit, developers can customize, build, and deploy an appealing application for mobile, desktop, and websites.

Flutter’s engine is written in C++, and it has a thin layer of C/C++ code. It uses Skia, which is a 2D graphic library, for its user interface.

The platform was developed by Google in 2018 and has been praised so far for delivering the same experience on the web as on mobile. For its support, Flutter offers you the avenue to compile its source code to a native desktop application, whether Windows, MacOS, or Linux.

Flutter also offers plug-in interoperability, where you can install plug-ins that support the desktops or create your own.

It gets even better.

From the same codebase, you can build Android, iOS, and web applications with Flutter because its web support offers the same experience on all three.

Flutter has some features which make it an outstanding app development platform. To accommodate your creativity with its widgets, which are customizable and appealing. This feature is based on Flutter’s rendering engine, which makes these widgets fast as well.

But there is more.

Remember that React Native is based on JavaScript? Well, Flutter, on the other hand, is based on Dart, which is object-oriented programming. The Dart framework lends its sound null safety feature to Flutter. But like its counterpart, Flutter adopts a reactive architecture.

Flutter has mentioned some development possibilities it provides for developers:

1. Single Page Applications (SPAs)
2. Progressive Web Applications (PWAs)
3. Existing mobile apps created with Flutter

So far, many organizations of repute have opted to hire app developer in India and have adopted Flutter aside from Google themselves. The likes of BMW, Alibaba, eBay, and The New York Times have used Flutter in their app development.

excellentwebworld

Differences Between React Native and Flutter

One key difference is that two tech giants created them, but there are several important differences you should pay attention to before making a choice.

• Compatibility: React Native has so far been compatible with Android 4.0 and iOS 10. Flutter, on the other hand, is compatible with Android 4.0 and iOS 8; it also allows Google’s plug-ins, such as Google Maps.
• Architecture: The architecture of React Native is Flux and Redux. Redux is particularly popular among React Native users. The architecture of Flutter is the Business Logic Component (BLoC) architecture.
• Development Time: This is where it gets tricky. The architecture of Flutter will allow you to create apps faster, irrespective of the platform. But if you choose a different design for Android and iOS, it becomes slower. React Native, on the other hand, does not match the pace of Flutter in the development of apps. But if the design is different across platforms, it might be faster!
• Time to Market: This is another measurement of the time difference between React Native and Flutter. The pre-structured user interface components of Flutter make it faster compared to React Native, which requires optimization for each platform.
• User Interface Support: Both React Native and Flutter provide native support in this light. But here is what differentiates them in this context: Flutter support requires developers to carry out additional coding for the specific interface. React Native, on the other hand, has an interface that is optimized for each platform.
• User Interface Consistency: The interface consistency on React Native requires additional tools; otherwise, the application will appear differently across platforms. On the other hand, Flutter is consistent across all platforms and, therefore, does not require additional tools.
• Documentation: Flutter boasts of organized and good documentation, which makes it very informative. With this feature, developers can find things to be written in a single space. On the other hand, React Native documentation is highly user-friendly, making it accessible for non-experts.
• Platform Availability: React Native has out-of-box support for iOS and Android. It also has support for Windows and the web, which would require extra tools. Flutter has out-of-box support for iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, web, and MacOS.
• Third-party Libraries vs Widgets: Developers using React Native will have to rely on third-party libraries and tools for testing. Developers using Flutter have widgets and libraries within its architecture, so there is hardly any need for third-party libraries.
• Application Update: The update of an application built with Flutter is more automated than that built with React Native.
• Programming Language: React Native uses JavaScript programming language, while Flutter uses Dart. But while React Native does not compile its codes into a native mobile language, Flutter does so using the “Ahead-of-Time” (AOT) compilation feature. The advantage of compiling is that it reduces the need to refer to the programming layers again and again. The disadvantage is that compiling has the potential to reduce speed.
• Maturity: React Native appears to be more mature than Flutter, and this maturity is reflected in their community support. So React Native has wider community support to address issues than Flutter.
• Learning Curve: Because JavaScript has been around longer than Dart language, React Native is easier to learn than Flutter. Many developers are already familiar with the JavaScript programming language, so building an app on the React Native platform is familiar.

Similarities Between React Native and Flutter

Just as both web development have features that differentiate them, they also have similarities.

• Hot Reload: Both React Native and Flutter support hot reload.
• Native Performance: You are sure to enjoy fluid and reactive apps on both React Native and Flutter. This is because they both have frameworks that are structured for native modelling or performance.
• Cross-Platform Development: Both React Native and Flutter are cross-platform development platforms. This means that they are compatible with multiple operating systems, that is, Android, Windows, iOS, MacOS, and Linux.
• Open-source: Another similarity is that they are both open-source, which means the source code for development is available freely for adoption, modification, and redistribution.
• UI Support: If you decide to use either React Native or Flutter, you get to enjoy the rich user interface support that they both have to offer.
• High Code Reusability: The preexisting codebases of both Flutter and React Native are reusable or can be repurposed in developing a new application. This makes them both economical.
• Third-party Integration: Both React Native and Flutter integrate well with third-party applications.

Choosing Between React Native and Flutter

You should choose React Native if:

• You are working with a large budget and enough time.
• You want to create an app with attractive user interface.
• You want your intended application to have a simple native-level structure.
• You want to ascend an already existing project.

You should choose Flutter if:

• You have a limited budget and timeframe to develop the application.
• You need an app development that has a customizable widget.
• You need a codebase that is compiled for multiple support.
• Your intended application does not require native-level functions.

On a Final Note

In this article, we have shown you the two most popular app development platforms and which you should use in 2024. Your choice of whether to adopt React Native or Flutter should first be based on what you intend to achieve for your application.

In the end, you should remember that both platforms have their advantages and downsides. So, to make a valid choice between Flutter and React, it is worth hiring mobile app developers in India. With the expert advise of app developers, you can evaluate your project needs and able to under which is the best choice of framework for your next project. For more details you can contact us or drop a query below!

FAQ

Are React Native and Flutter both open-source application development?

Yes, both app development platforms are open-source and are available freely for adoption, modification, and redistribution.

Do React Native and Flutter both have the same architecture?

No. React Native architecture is Flux and Redux. The architecture of Flutter is the Business Logic Component (BLoC).

What platforms are supported on React Native and Flutter?

React Native has support for iOS, Android, Windows, and the web. Flutter provides support for iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, web, and MacOS.

In Plain English 🚀

Thank you for being a part of the In Plain English community! Before you go:

• Be sure to clap and follow the writer ️👏️️
• Follow us: X | LinkedIn | YouTube | Discord | Newsletter
• Visit our other platforms: Stackademic | CoFeed | Venture
• More content at PlainEnglish.io