Flutter Vs React Native – Which Is The Better Framework?

Have you ever heard of the phrase two peas in a pod? That’s what React Native and Flutter are like – they’re one in the same frameworks yet different from one another.

The mobile app development world has become hyper-competitive in recent times. Developers now demand more agility with increase efficiency from the frameworks they work on and this is exactly why frameworks like React Native and Flutter were invented.

The frameworks allow mobile app developers and brands to build a single app for multiple platforms.

However, they’re both great for cross-platform app development, making it difficult to choose between React Native Vs Flutter.

That’s why I’m here today.

I’ll be giving a detailed rundown of both the frameworks, and by the end, hopefully, you’ll be able to decide.

The Major Difference Between Flutter And React Native

While they’re both open-source frameworks, the major difference is that React Native is one of the first cross-platform development frameworks, while Flutter is fairly new.

React Native offers a smooth development with significantly decreased loading time, while Flutter is commonly useful for developing PoC solutions.

Image Source: Statista

According to Statista, in 2020, React Native was preferred by 42% of mobile app developers, while Flutter was the number one choice for 39% of mobile app developers.

The numbers are quite close, which indicates that both frameworks are equally preferred.

What Is Flutter?

Like I said before, Flutter is a cross-platform, open-source framework that allows businesses to develop a single app for multiple operating systems.

The UI software development was created and introduced by Google in May 2017.

The SDK has all the necessary tools to develop a hybrid application. It uses Dart to translate apps for different platforms.

Google has put immense effort into making the framework easy to understand for new developers.

Have a look at this video:

Features Of Flutter

The features offered by Flutter are:

• Easy integration – Flutter offers easy access to developers, which means it’s also easy to integrate. The framework makes it easy to scale the app to new markets or build a quick wireframe. The integration is that simple.
• Hot reload –This is the newest feature that has made developers’ life easy when they sit down to code. Before, they had to wait for minor changes to reflect on their screen, but Flutter offers a hot reload feature that reflects the changes within seconds.
• Ready-to-use widget collection – Developers love Flutter because of the extensive widget library it has to offer. In addition to that, it also has a library filled with interactive and exceptional animations.

Why Choose Flutter?

Here’s why you should choose Flutter:

• Speedy development – Flutter aids developers in high development velocity. Customizable widgets, hot reload, and complete tools bring the app to life faster than conventional development.
• Design flexibility –Developers have the room to customize their UI as they please. They have complete control over every pixel.
• Multithreading support – Flutter has a multithread mechanism that allows developers to perform long-running tasks. The feature ensures that the app or program doesn’t lag.

Drawbacks Of Flutter

Flutter isn’t just about the pros, though. Let’s look at the reasons why developers go for React Native over
Flutter.

• Immature framework – Since the Flutter is fairly new, it lacks complete stability. There are still some unresolved issues, and the framework is still in the post-development stage, where it’s constantly changing.
• Immature programming language – Flutter uses Dart, a new language compared to Swift or Kotlin.
• Max storage needed – Flutter apps are very heavy and require more storage than React Native apps, which means not every smartphone user can download a Flutter app.

What Is React, Native?

React Native is an open-source, cross-platform app development framework just like Flutter.

Facebook developed the framework after Mark Zuckerberg quoted: “The biggest mistake we made as a company was betting too much on HTML as opposed to native.”

He promised his users that they would soon leverage a Facebook app to deliver an exceptional user experience. Shortly after that, Jordan Walke found the ultimate solution.

He began by generating iOS elements from a background JavaScript thread, and thus React Native was born.

The technology-enabled them to create hybrid apps with ease.

Another fun fact about React Native is that it’s the first-ever cross-platform app development framework – which gives it an edge over others.

Let’s look at this video about React Native:

Features Of React Native

Here are some exciting features offered by React Native:

• Full support from Facebook – Since Facebook is one of the top-visited websites and it backs up React Native, it’s an indication that they will put in all efforts to make the framework top-rated.
• Community-driven – The launch of React Native dates back to 2013, which means it’s been a part of the open-source community long enough to reach perfection (almost). The strong community has pushed numerous updates and kept them maintained.
• Live reload – LikeFlutter, React Native also has hot or live to reload, which means the developers can study the codebase changes instantly.

Why Choose React, Native?

Here are some reasons developers love React Native:

• Outclass performance – While hybrid development was a fresh concept, React Native is the one framework that allows developers to build apps without any lags (depending on the developer’s experience).
• Wide community – Because React Native is more than five years old, it has a large community that is always ready to help one another. As a developer, if you’re stuck, you can rely on anyone from the community to help you.
• Third-party plugins – The framework allows the easy integration of third-party plugins and APIs, which also means you can access everything inside and outside of React Native.

Drawbacks Of React Native

Now let’s look at some reasons why developers shy away from using the framework.

• Still in beta –As I said, React Native is still (almost) perfect, which means it has some unresolved issues. The common issues developers face is with debugging and packaging compatibility.
• Still need native developers – Of course, while React Native is a great solution for developing hybrid apps, it’s not ideal for native app development. Companies still need to hire native app developers.
• UI development –React Native offers declarative programming, which means developers can easily create compelling UIs and spot any bugs.

One On One Comparison – Flutter Vs React Native

Now, let’s compare the five main features of the battle: Flutter Vs React Native.

I’m sure by now you can tell both frameworks have a lot in common, so the decision is still hard. I will be using a point system that will help you understand which one is best for you.

1.      The Programming Language

A significant difference between the two is the language. Even though both offer similar features, mobile apps are still in different languages.

React Native Uses JavaScript

The popular language is backed by a very large community that allows the developers to build an app with very little knowledge.

Flutter Uses Dart

The Flutter language is Dart – an invention by Google that was launched in 2011. The language is still changing every day, so it’s still unstable.

Final Statement:

The point goes toReact Native for using a language with a wide developer community.

React Native – 1

Flutter – 0

2.      Technical Architecture

The technical architecture relates to the internals of each framework, and they’re important to know.

React Native Uses Flux

Flux is the architecture by Facebook to compile all the native code in runtime.

The usage of the JavaScript bridge affects app performance because of the need to communicate with native modules.

Flutter Uses Skia

Dart has its technical architecture known as Skia. It comes with all the built-in components and doesn’t require any bridge to communicate with the native modules.

Final Statement:

The point goes to flutter because it comes with all the tools for mobile app development.

React Native – 1

Flutter – 1

3.      Framework Installation

When developers install a new framework, they want the process to be smooth and quick. Let’s look at which framework has easier installation – Flutter or React Native.

React Native Uses NPM

The React Native SDK comes with an NPM (Node Package Manager). If you’re a developer with a JavaScript background, you can install the framework very easily.

For new developers, you need to study the NPM, locate the exact binary, and then run a few commands to install React Native successfully.

Flutter Uses Binary Download From Source

The installation of Flutter is a little more complicated because you need to add the binary to the PATH, download it from a source code, and then start the installation.

Final Statement:

The point goes toReact Native because the installation requires fewer steps as compared to Flutter.

React Native – 2

Flutter – 1

The Bottom Line

I think the comparison has given you a clear picture of which framework is the winner. It’s clearly React Native, which makes sense because it’s the foundation of cross-platform development.

While the clear choice is to React Native, personally, I think your choice should be the one that’s easiest for you.

Both frameworks have their pros and cons – so study them in detail and then make a decision!

If you’ve made up your mind, then let us help you guide you through the entire process here

Shameen Kalim

Shameen Kalim is a content specialist at Cydomedia. She has over five years of experience in content writing and has the expertise to develop content for articles, guest posts, on-site blogs, webpages, marketing campaigns, email marketing, etc. Her content expertise is relevant to technical writing for software houses, e-commerce websites, and everything fashion!