React Native vs. Flutter vs. Xamarin — The Search for the Best Framework in 2021
By: Olivia Cuthbert
Tags: React Native, JavaScript, Framework, Software Development, Programming

App development in 2021 is very different from a few years ago, and much of that is due to the advent of capable frameworks. Every app developer is repeatedly faced with the question of which framework is best or which framework is best for developing cross-platform apps.

The question becomes even more opaque when you consider frameworks like Flutter vs. React Native vs. Xamarin. The search for the best multi-platform app development has become a common question in the industry, which is understandable.

As the mobile app market overgrows, so does the drive to create the best mobile apps. Therefore, every company is looking for the most efficient apps, which is impossible if they have to split their devices between two different platforms.

It is where cross-platform development comes in. The technology becomes a comprehensive solution to issues such as:

Which platform is better for iOS and Android?

What is the best technology to create an app?

How much does it cost to create an app on multiple platforms?

How to decide between hybrid apps and native apps and cross-platform app development?

If you’re also struggling with these questions, read on. Here we’ll find out which framework is best between Xamarin and React Native, and Flutter.

Finding the best platform to build your app

If your business needs an app for iOS and Android, it’s best to choose cross-platform app development. It allows developers to use the corresponding language on different platforms, saving time and resources.

With hybrid app development, the app development cost is cut in half while shortening the development process, with nearly 97% of codes sharing various benefits.

Even if you identify your needs, finding the best framework between Xamarin, Flutter, and React, Native is difficult. That’s why we used benchmarking to find out which mobile app development framework is best for you.

Comparing React Native vs. Flutter vs. Xamarin

Choosing the best cross-platform app is difficult, so we’ve put together a few parameters for you to decide.

Performance

Relevance/popularity

Framework/architecture

Community

Performance comparison of Xamarin vs. React Native vs. Flutter

Choosing the right framework for application development always involves a performance analysis:

| React Native

React Native offers performance similar to some native apps because it can render code for functions, especially native APIs. It also allows developers to use native models in native languages to write complex code.

Depending on the complexity of the application, you can share almost 80% of the code. Since React uses JavaScript, rendering large datasets is a challenge. In addition, it is not unified with Android or iOS, so it lags behind some native systems.

| Xamarin

With Xamarin, you can quickly build and release apps. It now also provides Hot Reload, Visual, Hot restart, and Shell to simplify and reduce development time. It offers,

An ideal space to describe the visual hierarchy of your application,

Perfect UX

The built-in search evaluation tool

Xamarin’s integrated applications can compete with native application development standards, but the platform is not as efficient as demanding graphics.

| Flutter

When compiling a list of the best frameworks for app development, it would be unfair not to add Flutter to it. The platform helps developers use native code and offers a familiar native environment with an excellent UX.

Dart’s code sets it apart from the competition because compiling with the C library removes the complications with JavaScript. With Hot Reloading, you can also track every change in seconds.

Comparison of popularity/importance of Xamarin vs. React Native vs. Flutter.

The list of the best frameworks for app development changes regularly due to new entrants. Here is a summary of the popularity of these platforms:

| React Native

Calling React the most popular framework for cross-platform app development is not an exaggeration. Google Trends has placed Flutter and Xamarin on the most popular frameworks for app development right next to React Native.

| Xamarin

The period 2015–2016 was golden for Xamarin, as the platform topped the list of the most popular multi-platform app development.

In mid-2017, competition heated up and was eventually overtaken by React in 2018.

| Flutter

Although React tops the most popular frameworks for app development, Flutter is still a close competitor.

However, the Flutter community is overgrowing, showing how promising this platform can be.

Architecture/framework comparison React vs. Xamarin vs. Flutter.

Architecture plays a significant role in choosing the ideal platform for app development,

| React

The platform uses an architecture called Flux to build web applications on the client-side. These frameworks usually follow the Model View Control (MVC) framework. With an intuitive approach, React helps developers modify an existing project.

React Native vs. Flutter vs. Xamarin — the hunt for the best framework in 2021

| Xamarin

The Xamarin framework provides a visual design-based platform for building native applications. It also leverages the MVVM and MVC architecture to speed up packaging processes for shorter diameter applications.

The MVVM model allows you to build separate processes with identical code.

The MVC model helps define the difference between application and presentation logic, leading to a faster application development process.

| Flutter

When it comes to Flutter, you can see a reactive user interface to use. It also includes the Dart application framework with unidirectional data flow based on Flux and RefluxJS.

React Native vs. Flutter vs. Xamarin — the hunt for the best framework in 2021

However, due to Flutter’s size, developers can be frustrated using it. Even if you minimize it, the application is still bigger than common platforms.

Proper community support is always a good sign for any platform, and the same goes for these three.

| React

React was created when developers were looking for an alternative to the combination of native React and better mobile app development.

It has one of the best communities with over 83,000 stars on GitHub, along with over 2,000 contributors working to improve the platform.

| Xamarin

Of the three platforms, Xamarin has minor community support. Therefore, it is not surprising that GitHub considers Xamarin’s repositories, contributors, and users far less prevalent than React.

| Flutter

Unlike Xamarin, Flutter has good community support on GitHub with over 82,000 stars, almost as many as React. There are also more than 500 contributors working to improve the platform. Can also see flutter developers actively on various Q&A pages.

| Conclusion

React, Flutter and Xamarin can undoubtedly describe some of the best frameworks for mobile app development in 2021. However, a company cannot invest in all three at the same time.

Therefore, we have tried to highlight each of them in this blog. If you are looking for react developer, flutter developer, or software developer there are many software outsourcing companies and react development companies that may help you in finding the best framework for your project.

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