Flutter: The Game Changer Cross-platform Framework for App Development

The talk-of-the-town framework, Flutter, is all set to change the game of app development with its recently released version, Flutter 1.17. The competition in the field of mobile app development is rising exponentially, and there is a constant increase in the popularity of cross-platform mobile app frameworks. Amongst the many, like Xamarin, ReactNative, Cordova, Flutter outshines all of them. The framework has received 92.1K stars, 12.4K Forks, and 18760 commits on GitHub while we are writing this. This blog shares insight about, “What is Flutter,” “How does it help in developing cross-platform apps?”, “Why choose flutter for app development” and many more. To get the details about the latest version 1.17 update. For Flutter insights, keep scrolling down.

Flutter entered in the race of cross-platform app development frameworks in the year 2017, but, within no time, it gained popularity and topped the competition. Flutter is Google’s mobile app development SDK, which assists developers in building apps for mobile, desktop, and web using the same codebase. It uses Dart as a programming language, using which the developer can write code only once and use it across various platforms.

During the early days, Flutter was known as “Sky” and was used only for Android app development. But with every passing year, Google planned to keep releasing its stable version for app development. And as of today, Flutter version 1.17 is available with Dart version 2.8.

The developers who miss building native apps have loved the approach of Flutter. The reason being, it completely blends the native app quality and flexibility of cross-platform apps. The look and feel of the app built using the Flutter framework are almost similar to that of native apps.

The flutter app development companies like us, encounter each day with lots of queries regarding Flutter app development from the startups and companies that have,

1. Less time and budget for app development;

2. Wish to develop apps for two-platform at the cost of one;

3. When they can not spend time and money behind native app development;

4. Also, who have already built apps using other cross-platform frameworks but failed;

Flutter is a complete SDK that helps developers in creating fantastic UI to meet the demanding rise of applications. The latest version of the framework entirely focuses on performance improvement, extends its support to Metal and Material Widgets.

It is possible to achieve high fps of around 60–120 fps using C++ in Flutter’s core. The programming language Dart uses the Skia C++ graphics engine that comprises all the protocols, compositions, and channels. Additionally, there is minimal interaction required with the Operating System’s components. Hence, developers don’t have to make a bridge for communication.

So what is so special about Flutter?

Flutter is just getting better each day. The things that make Flutter special are its features, flexibility that helps in developing a classic application at a cost-effective speed. Here is the list of advantages that will convince you to start using it for your web development project.

Native-app like a performance:

Flutter satisfies every developer’s need to deliver a native app experience. The open-source framework’s plugins enable developers to mitigate tech issues and develop a native-like app. There is no need to bridge the native components for interaction like other frameworks, which makes Flutter more favorable amongst developers.

It is not dependent on any intermediate code representations, which thereby gives a boost to the performance. You will be surprised to learn that the latest version, Flutter 1.17, will observe a speed rise by 20 to 37%.

Additionally, the gallery size of Flutter 1.17 is reduced to 8.1 MB from 9.6 MB. Are you excited to build an app that is almost indistinguishable from the native app? All these factors will contribute significantly to native-like app performance.

Open-source and cost-effective:

What if we say, you can build two apps at the cost of one? Yes, Flutter is an open-source framework and helps in building apps in a jiffy. Additionally, you do not have to invest in hiring Android and iOS developers separately; instead, you can accomplish the project with just Flutter app developers.

You will be surprised to know that Flutter app development requires almost two times lesser man-hours when compared to Android and iOS app development. If you are tight on budget and wish to build an app fast to test your app idea, then you can definitely go for Flutter app development.

Faster app development:

Native-like apps usually were built using Swift/Objective C languages for iOS and Java/Kotlin for Android. But, Flutter provides the sharing of codebase between the two platforms. The cross-platform framework allows the programmers to write a single code, unify it, and use it across various platforms. This process reduces the risk and increases the speed of development.

Well, if you do not believe this, contact our team of developers, and they will let you know how we develop apps in days and not months.

Also, the Hot Reload feature that is grabbing the eyeballs of thousands allows you to view the changes applied in the code instantly. This means if any part/service of the app is changed, then the developers can view the impact of the changes with the updated code of the feature.

The updated source code can be injected into the running app without disturbing the user experience. Thus within no time, you can deliver a new feature without affecting the whole codebase. You can also add new features quite frequently in order to maintain unique user experience.

Same UI and Business logic across all platforms:

All cross-platform frameworks allow you to share the single codebase across all the platforms. But, there is something unique about Flutter. Flutter allows you to share UI code & UI both across the platforms. This means Flutter doesn’t need platform-specific UI components to deliver the UI. The framework needs only a canvas to draw the UI and show it across the apps.

This approach mitigates the risk of UI inconsistencies across the apps and makes Flutter excel in every other framework.

Suitable for MVP:

There are times when startups run out of time and have an urgent need of showcasing the product to the investors. In such scenarios, Flutter is a blessing in disguise. Within no time, it lets you build apps for both Android and iOS, which helps investors to have a better idea about the product. Thereby Flutter helps in enhancing the productivity of the team as a whole.

Few other benefits on the list are:

• Flutter has its own rendering machine. Flutter makes use of Skia to render itself and launch the app across various platforms.
• Flutter allows the developers to customize anything they see on the screen irrespective of its complexity.
• Flutter lets you go beyond just mobile app development. It lets you build apps for the web and desktop.
• Another big advantage of Flutter is it can be used by even partially sighted programmers. They can use voice prompts and signals to create a UI for the app.
• The big names on the list of Flutter users are Google Ads, Stadia apps, Xianyu, Alibaba.com, Reflectly, and Google GreenTreeApp.

Read Also: Why Choose Flutter for MVP Development?

Any drawbacks of Flutter?

Flutter, no doubt, has won hearts in just no time, but it has its drawbacks over which the team needs to work. Here are the things where Flutter falls short.

Relatively new and has small proven expertise:

Flutters’ popularity may have risen, but as compared to other frameworks in the competition, the framework is fairly new. Though many big names have invested in Flutter development, companies do hesitate in trying a fresh new framework. They don’t wish to take the risk of switching to Flutter when their native app is working seamlessly. The Flutter community is also growing slowly, which is why users fear that there will be fewer releases and updates.

Less third-party libraries:

As mentioned above, Flutter is a new but growing framework. So, when compared to the native app development toolkit, there are less third-party libraries. However, in the recent Flutter update 1.17, there are many updates with respect to dev tools, and Google is planning to launch new libraries frequently.

Dart language is less popular:

Dart is Flutter’s programming language, which is fast, object-oriented, and backed by a huge tech company. It has an easy learning curve, but it is new for the developers. So when asked to choose between competitors like Java, Kotlin, or Dart, any developer would choose native and popular languages over Dart.

Large app size:

Flutter apps size is around 4.7 MB for Android and 10.9MB for iOS. Whereas apps built using Java have 539 KB size and those built using Kotlin have 550KB size. Thus, you can easily see the difference Flutter apps have in terms of app sizes.

But this surely doesn’t mean that Flutter apps are slow anyway. The latest updated version 1.17 focuses solely on increasing app performance. The Google team also reduced the Flutter gallery size of Android from 9.6 MB to 8.1 MB.

To everyone’s surprise, it is difficult to build apps for 32bit iOS devices like iPhone 5. Well, the development community is constantly working behind improving the Flutter framework and also creating fresh new third-party libraries. In our opinion, Flutter looks promising, and you can always rely on it for your app development.

So, is Flutter a Suitable Solution For your Business?

In simple words, Yes. Flutter offers stability, which a developer needs to build an application. Since it is Google’s child, you can expect guaranteed updates and improvements. Additionally, Google’s team is working on developing a Fuchsia OS, which will work just fine with Flutter.

Additionally, with the growing popularity, a lot many developers have shown interest in learning the Framework. Hence, it wouldn’t be a trouble for you to find the developer.

Owing to the ease of integration, many big companies have adopted Flutter app development at an early stage of it. Hence, you can rest assured that you will be successful in developing an app without compromising the quality.

How long does it take to build a Flutter App?

Flutter is a cross-platform framework that helps in building apps for Android and iOS, both using just a single codebase. Approximate time for building a Flutter App is around 700 hours in which you have your app for the Android platform as well as iOS. The cost of development may vary depending on various factors like the agency you choose, the features, location, and more. You can also hire flutter developers who charge on an hourly basis. Here is our approximate cost list of app development.

Location — —Rates

• India — 20–30 USD/hr
• USA -100–150 USD/hr
• Canada -100–150 USD/hr
• UK -50–100 USD/hr
• UAE- 30–60 USD/hr

For any further queries, you can always talk to our experts.

Concluding Words:

Flutter framework can be used across different verticals of the industry like shopping, food delivery, Social media apps, Fitness apps, Dating apps, and more. With the flexibility and ease of development, it seems like Flutter will be the future of app development, and companies will quickly shift their focus towards it.

Flutter is gaining everyone’s attention, and the extraordinary features make Flutter different as compared to other frameworks. Flutter is a gift for the developers and a strat-up friendly tool for app development. It is helping developers in creating user-friendly & engaging apps for all platforms.

With the latest release of Flutter version 1.17, developers have started expecting more from Google. Well, Google will not disappoint the developers anyways!

Have any queries? Call us today