Flutter vs. React Native – What to Consider for your app in 2022?
Tags: reactnative, flutter, webdev, appdevelopment
Published: 2022-01-17 08:58:28

Want to build apps as quickly as possible? And not sure whether to consider Flutter or React Native development services? Read on as here is a complete guide for app and business owners to determine which framework Flutter vs React Native is an ideal fit for your cross-platform app development. Get the brief history of Flutter/React-Native along with the top apps developed by Flutter vs React Native.

In this blog post, you will get Flutter and React Native with the best Flutter and React Native app examples. So, let’s dive into this.

**Flutter vs React Native Introduction & Overview:**

Let’s first cover the fundamental details of these two cross-platform app development technologies.

**What is Flutter?**

Flutter is a portable UI toolkit. To put it in simple words, it’s a comprehensive app Software Development Kit or SDK, complete with tools and widgets. Flutter allows cross-platform app development. It gives app developers an easy means for building and deploying visually appealing, natively-compiled apps for mobile, web, and desktop – all utilizing a single codebase.

A team at Google created Flutter. However, as an open-source project, Google, as well as the Flutter community, contributes to its further development.

Below is the list of famous apps made using Flutter:

- Xianyu by Alibaba – one of the biggest eCommerce firms in the world. 
- Hamilton – official application for the Broadway Musical
- Google Ads app
- Reflectly
- Topline by Abbey Road Studios

**Features of Flutter:**

Flutter gives you easy and simple ways to create beautiful mobile and desktop apps with an extremely extensive selection of material design and widgets. The most significant features of Flutter include:

- It’s free as well as open-source
- It’s based on Dart – a quick, object-oriented programming language. Google launched Dart 2.3 with support for UI-as-code features. Dart is currently in its 2.6 version. It is relatively new and very easy to learn, particularly for experienced developers who are more familiar with C# and Java. 
The architecture is based on the very famous reactive programming – it pursues the same style as React.
It offers its widgets – these are attractive, fast, and customizable. 
- Because of the Widget experience, Flutter apps entail an amazing look and feel.

**What is React Native?**

It is an open-source mobile app framework that utilizes JavaScript. React Native is a potent framework for the following:

- Cross-platform development
- Developing mobile applications utilizing JavaScript language
- Building apps for both iOS and Android utilizing a single codebase.
- Utilizing the same design as React.

Keep in mind that applications developed utilizing React Native aren’t mobile web applications. React Native utilizes the same basic UI building blocks as standard Android and iOS apps. This implies that rather than developing in Swift, Java, or Kotlin, you’re placing the same building blocks together, utilizing React and JavaScript. And React Native utilizes components analogous to Flutter’s widgets.

Facebook is the one that created React Native.

Below is the list of popular apps developed using React Native:

- Instagram
- Facebook
- Skype
- Tesla
- Wix.com
- FB Ads Manager
- Pinterest

**Features of React Native**

React Native provides many advantages in the creation of mobile-based apps. A few of the most important functions available in React Native are given below:

- React Native is open source and free source. This means that anyone can use it easily.
- It gives users the capability to “Write once and use it across all platforms” It lets you develop applications that can run on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.
- React Native is focused primarily upon UI. It creates an interface that is extremely fluid.
- React is a powerful and efficient technology. React Native is built in the native language. This allows it to run on any operating system to provide more functional and native-looking features across every platform.
- Hot Reloading involves making small changes to your application’s code which will be visible immediately during the development process. If the logic of business is changed, the reflection of that logic is live-loaded and displayed on the screen.
- React Native is compatible with many third-party libraries to create an application that can be interactive.
- Developing faster Rapider Development Native lets you reuse the code you’ve previously created. This feature lets developers develop apps faster. It uses an open language to build applications that work across Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.

**Flutter vs React Native Statistics:**

The growth of mobile apps has significantly affected the development field. With an estimated 3.6 million mobile users across the globe, the development of mobile applications demands innovative solutions that are more efficient and less time-consuming. In 2021, two major hybrid frameworks that used to create apps: Flutter vs React Native. Both are well-known and their usage of them is increasing.

42% of programmers choose React Native for building apps and Flutter is preferred by 39% of programmers by the year 2020. Flutter framework has been used by more than 2 million developers and more than 500,000 people utilize it each month. These numbers are astounding but they are largely dependent on the performance of mobile apps and their customers. 

92% of mobile users spend their time with apps as well as social networks, but only 8% use websites. For entrepreneurs making their website accessible on every platform is vital and they want to engage customers through various methods.

**Pros and Cons of Flutter and React Native:**

When we search for the benefits of Flutter vs React Native then both have several features that they have in common. It is the fact that they are not native, which could create some problems with the process of development. With a good library and assistance, there are no advantages. We suggest taking a look at the pros and cons associated with Flutter and React Native to identify the factors that are crucial to you.

The key pros and cons of Flutter or React Native for app owners depend on their requirements. When you’re having a hard time deciding whether to go with React Native or Flutter development services, the best thing to do is to check out the Flutter vs React Native cross-platform app development technologies with pros and cons.

**Advantages of Flutter:**

There are so many advantages and disadvantages of using the Flutter as like any other framework. We can develop web, desktop, and mobile apps with Flutter and get the best Flutter’s desktop and web support. 

Choosing the best frameworks for cross-platform application development is an important task by comparing the performance of both the frameworks and also it is up to the developer. Below is the list of Flutter pros:

Below is the list of Flutter pros:

- Hot Reload = Fast Coding
Flutter provides a more dynamic and quicker app development. It is one of the amazing things that Flutter entails and is loved by every top mobile application development firm. Developers can do modifications to the codebase on the fly and witness them right away reflected in the app. It is the so-called Hot reload feature and it usually takes milliseconds for modifications to show. The feature assists teams introduce features, resolving bugs, and experimenting using new ideas.

- One Codebase, Two Mobile Platforms, and More
Using Flutter, app developers can write one codebase for two apps – covering both Android and iOS platforms. This cross-platform development technology is platform-agnostic as it entails its own widgets as well as designs, implying you can have the exact same application on two platforms.

- Ideal for MVPs
If you have to develop an MVP for your application, Flutter is the ideal choice, particularly if you’re short on time.

**Disadvantages of Flutter:**

While Flutter’s list of benefits is impressive, there are a few cons that are still to be assessed.  In some cases, the benefits and cons of Flutter can be an important consideration when choosing the right framework to develop with that’s cross-platform.

Below is the list of Flutter cons:

- Support and Libraries – Impressive but Yet Not as Rich as Native App Development
For Flutter, Google’s support is impressive. However, it is yet quite new. It implies that you can’t always have the functionality you desire in existing libraries; thus, your developers may have to develop custom functionality on their own and it takes time,

- Platform Risk
Though Flutter is open-source, if Google concluded to pull support for the project, it would lead to disaster. That said because the Google team launched the Flutter beta version and it has just ramped up its efforts, as demonstrated by Flutter’s prominent role during Google IO ’19, along with the latest Flutter Live event.

**Advantages of React Native:**

Both the Flutter vs React Native frameworks have some peculiarities that attract the developers more or less. If you are still confused about whether React Native is worth it or not, the pros and cons below will help you make your mind. 

Below is the list of React Native pros:

- Fast Refresh = Fast Coding
In essence, the same features are just like Flutter. Hot Reload tends to speed up the app development procedure by enabling an app developer for injecting new code directly into a running application. Thus, a developer can witness changes right away, without redeveloping the app. To enhance the developer experience through hot reloading, the React Native team incorporates in the 0.61 version a new feature known as fast refresh unifying live and hot reloading.

- One Codebase, Two Mobile Platforms, and More
Like Flutter, you can write a single codebase in order to run two applications and cover both Android as well as iOS platforms. Better yet, JavaScript offers you a leg up while writing cross-platform apps by sharing code with web apps. It is achieved by formulating abstraction parts you can compile for targeting platforms.

- Freedom of Choice
React Native allows developers to develop cross-platform applications – no more and no less. It enables developers to conclude precisely what solutions they like to use – in accordance with the project’s requirements and the developer’s preferences.

For instance, if a developer wants to conclude how to tackle the global state, select a router library, or select between TypeScript or JavaScript.

**Disadvantages of React Native:**

React Native limitations or cons evident that no tool or framework is perfect when we talk about any of the cross-platform development.

Below is the list of React Native cons:

- It Isn’t Actually Native
Like any cross-platform technology, neither the performance nor the UI experience will be the same as in native applications – merely close.

However, yet, it is easier to accomplish a “native feeling” through React Native than Flutter.

- Fragile UI
React Native utilizes native parts under the good should offer you confidence that, after each OS UI update, your application components will be right away upgraded. That said, this could break the application’s UI but it occurs very rarely. On the other hand, with Flutter, the application UI is quite more stable.

**9 Top Differences between Flutter and React Native:**

In this software development, both these Flutter vs React Native share the same core features and occupy the same niche. In the Flutter vs React Native differences, we can compare their platform support, performance, project size, etc. but both are good at building mobile cross-platform MVP by re-using the code later. 

Now, the question is – How are they different? What is the main benefit of Flutter over React Native? and vice-versa. So, let’s start the Flutter vs. React Native comparison and dive deep into this.

**1. Flutter vs React Native platform support**
Flutter’s tools aren’t exclusively for mobile or the internet, but embedded devices and desktops too. It’s helpful for applications that are designed to work on any device, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, or even an information system for the automobile display.

**2. Flutter vs React Native Performance** 
Flutter projects follow native code, leading to overall better performance, and here’s a case study to illustrate this. However, it has performance issues when the graphic routine it’s using isn’t regularly optimized.

**3. Flutter vs React Native – Installation**
Installation is an essential element when considering the two different platforms. Installation should be simple and free of complex installation procedures. In addition, the entire process of installation must be described in the official documentation for use.

You can install Flutter by downloading the binaries of the platform on their official site and then setting some path variables. In addition, React Native can be quickly downloaded using the NPM. Developers who have a background in JavaScript are in a position to get React Native up and running.

**4. React Native vs Flutter Apps Graphics and Design Capabilities**
All of React Native, as well as Flutter, are incredibly attractive, However, they employ completely different techniques to create User Interfaces. High-quality graphics with perfect pixels and flawless animations are possible making use of each technique.

React Native is a native app that inherits its native style and functions such as buttons and navigation menus buttons, and more. These elements appear natural to the user and provide a seamless user experience. When updates to the operating system components are made, they will be updated and maintain the feel of being native and resembling native applications.

With Flutter, the app will appear identical, regardless of the model or version of OS. The navigation and the other features won’t change unless modified by the program’s development team. If your app was created in a hurry or is not properly designed, Android users could catch bizarre menus that look similar to iOS as well. 

**5. Flutter vs React Native project size**
React Native projects tend to be lighter. This might not seem an advantage at the moment but consider small wearable devices. You must be aware of the free space used.

**6. Flutter vs React Native Architecture Support:** 
It is important to note that the Flutter structure is multilayered. The structure of an application developed using this framework starts with the most basic root functions, specifically designed for specific platforms. 

There are the widgets that function with the platform and the render layer. In the rendering layer, there are animation gestures that send API calls to the core part of the application. Also called Scaffold, it operates with an engine in C/C++, and is more specifically embedded for this platform.

Under the hood, React Native possesses a bridge that connects the Native thread to its JavaScript thread. In this way, the JavaScript code can interact with the device, as well as can communicate with the Native API. For iOS, React Native uses JavaScriptCore independent of the JavaScript code, while it integrates JavaScriptCore within React Native for Android. 

**7. React Native vs Flutter Compatibility, App Features, and CI/CD**
Flutter is compatible in various resolutions on devices that run Android 4.1+ OR iOS 8+. React Native supports Android 4.1+ and iOS 10+. In some cases, there is the possibility to add Native development for each of Flutter and React Native for more advanced features. Writing native components could help with some issues, but they will reduce the benefits of keeping the cross-platform solution since it requires a variety of tools to make minor modifications to. 

Furthermore, it takes longer and takes more effort than conventional Android and iOS creation. Widgets created in Flutter or already built libraries in React Native typically contain native code injections as well. This allows for near-native performance, integrating complex features, as well as communicating with the hardware of devices.

**8. Flutter vs React Native Popularity, Market Shares, and App Examples**
Based on Stackoverflow’s research React Native is in 6th place and has 11.50% of votes of the most used non-web frameworks, libraries, and software. Flutter with 7.20 percent votes and sits 9th. Together, they make up the two most popular cross-platform software.

According to the TIOBE index, JavaScript (React Native) was ranked 7th in the top software languages in the world. This isn’t any surprise considering the wide range of frameworks and solutions for that it’s utilized. Dart’s popularity decreased from 24th to 30th last time. The height of its popularity is the date of its first release.

From an adopter’s point of view, React Native currently is the most popular application when it comes to acceptance. Flutter has witnessed a significant growth in the time that it has been in the market however, despite expanding its reach it’s fighting hard to keep up with React Native.

**9. Flutter vs React Native Ease of Testing**
The effortless execution of code that takes the most work and energy is one of the primary goals of creating. In this section, we’ll have a look at how simple to make testing using Flutter and React Native applications.

How easier is it to test a Flutter VS React Native app?
Flutter nevertheless offers many options to automate testing because it is a built-in dart. It does not just offer a range of tests for testing applications at the widget, unit, and integration levels, but also in addition to complete documentation of the application. 

Furthermore, Flutter has comprehensive documentation for users to build and publish Android or iOS applications to as well App Store and the Play Store and App Store and App Store and App Store, respectively. Additionally, Flutter has its deployment process also documented.

React Native is proud of the absence of officially recognized support of UI level testing or Integration testing. In addition, it’s only certain unit-level testing frameworks that could be utilized for testing RN software. Without official support, developers have to depend on third-party software like Appium or Detox to identify bugs with the tools.

**When Choose Flutter, if:**
 

- Your concept doesn’t need an entire native function.
- You have the constraints of your budget and timeframe to complete.
- You’d like to write faster codes and then release them to the market quicker.
- It’s your goal to reduce development costs by creating a single codebase that supports different platforms.
- You’d like to build applications that run at a speed of between 60 and 120 FPS.
- The aim is to customize the UI through widgets and also to reduce testing.

**When Choose React Native, if:**

- You’re planning to extend your current applications with cross-platform apps.
- The objective is to develop light Native applications which are lightweight as well as portable.
- You’re looking for ways to build shared APIs out of the box.
- The aim is to develop an app that’s synchronized in its development and has highly flexible in its user’s interface.
- You’ve got enough time and money to put into the business.

**Future of Flutter & React Native – Which one to Choose in 2022**

- A rising number of businesses are attracted to Flutter. At the end of the day each month, we’re seeing enhancements in Flutter’s Flutter SDK since Google is constantly improving its Flutter tool. Furthermore, the Flutter framework for web or desktop users is always helpful and encouraging. 
- Furthermore, Flutter lets us create not only mobile apps as well as apps for desktops as well as webs. (Flutter’s desktop-specific support is now available in a beta release on stable channels. ).
- Overall, when you consider that some of the biggest companies such as Alibaba have already implemented Flutter The future is bright for the Flutter toolkit as a toolkit.
- In the context of React Native Well, Facebook is currently working on a major overhaul of React Native.
- Its team is doing to improve support for React Native users and the wider crowd. In addition, it’s now possible for users to propose improvements to the core features of the framework using an RFC process that is based upon the exclusive GitHub repository.

The actual results of these enhancements in architecture include:
Hermes is an open-source JavaScript engine that has been optimized for mobile applications that improve the speed of interaction, as well as reduce the size of the application and the amount of memory used.

Significant changes introduced with the 0.60 Version (find the full summary on this page):

It’s much simpler to manage iOS dependency using the most well-known tool for managing dependency CocoaPods by default.
You can also move React Native onto AndroidX, 
You can avail of features available as an integral part of the core’s lean process.
Establishing an open discussion space regarding React Native is a significant step. It’s an indication of the technology’s continuous advancement and also a signpost for the future of the technology.

Based on React Native is in being able to maintain its market position and is on the path of continuous development and growth, it’s not likely that we’ll disappear soon. 

Yet, Flutter is an imposing rival to React Native.

**Flutter vs React Native – Who is the Winner?**

React Native and Flutter both the framework have some pros and cons but Flutter does a great job of creating MVP apps and came out as the winner in this software application match. While React Native is good at building simple cross-platform and native apps. Some predictions by industry experts say that Flutter is the future of mobile app development but don’t blindly trust these predictions and compare both the frameworks on your own.

So, which one to consider whether to go with Flutter development services or React Native? It entirely depends on your project’s requirements and the balance of your app developer team’s skills. For instance, if your developers are aware of Dart, then Flutter is the right option. If your developers are good at JavaScript, then go with React Native.