React Native Vs Flutter

Balaji Pastapure
c-buddy
Published in
6 min readMar 2, 2021

Recently i was looking to build mobile app on basics of my experience which is in web development but last getting confused between React native vs flutter so decided to do some research between above two To build native like mobile app for mobile application development need to learn learn Java or Kotlin or swift to develop an app that can run on a particular platform. For Android, you can learn Java or Kotlin, and for IOS, you can learn swift, but what if I tell you that you can make mobile applications for every platform with the help of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills. Yes, it sounds a little strange that we can make applications with the Help of a Front-end web development tool; this is possible with mobile application Frameworks. Check the Complete difference between React Native vs Flutter.

React Native vs Flutter

This article will compare two Mobile Application Frameworks: React Native and Flutter, created by two Giants, Facebook, and Google, for the increasing demand for mobile applications across the Globe.

Mobile Application Frameworks

Mobile Application Frameworks are used to create Hybrid Applications for cross platforms. The Applications created by Mobile Application Frameworks (React native or Flutter) are not created for a specific platform like Android or IOS but the cross-platform. They need a browser to run them. Yes, basically, the Mobile Application Frameworks like React Native or Flutter are used to create a web application that gives the same interface as the Native application on your Operating system. The Applications created by the Mobile Application Frameworks known as Hybrid Application and the Application that has been created by using Java or Kotlin or Swift are known as Native application.

For instance, if you open the Facebook app that has been installed in your IOS or Android device, have the same interface if you open facebook.com on your IOS or Android browser.

That’s enough about Mobile Application Frameworks. Let’s Discuss the main topic of this article which is React Native or Flutter. But before the Quick comparison of React Native and Flutter, let’s look at the History of both Frameworks.

React Native:

It is an Open Source Mobile Application Framework created by Facebook. It is the most widely used framework for the development of cross-platform mobile applications. React Native was first introduced on 26th March 2015, and since then, it attracts a lot of developers to code on it and makes many amazing applications. The React Native uses JavaScript to build Cross-platform Applications.

Some Big tech Application use React Native:

  • Facebook
  • Facebook Ads
  • Walmart
  • Bloomberg
  • Instagram
  • SoundCloud
  • Towns
  • Gyroscope
  • Wix

Flutter

Flutter is an open-source Mobile Application Framework created by Google because of the increasing demand for Android App, which could run on the IOS platform. Google release it in May 2017. Google has used C, C++, Dart, and Skia Graphic Engines to but this framework. Flutter is released recently, which makes it a little less popular as compared to React Native. Still, developers are admiring its performance, and the community of Flutter is growing day by Day.

Some Big Tech Application uses Flutter.

  • GeekyAnts
  • Yakka
  • Droids on Roids
  • Appinventiv
  • BrainMobi
  • Intellivita

React Native vs Flutter: Head to Head Comparison

Here we are going to give you a brief comparison of React Native and Flutter. We would not compare them on the nitty-gritty of their technical term. Still, the comparison will be made on the basic performance and popularity, so a beginner can get enough information and idea which framework to choose or which not for their future career and projects.

Parameters :
React Native Developed by
Facebook Flutter by Google. React Native use JavaScript to make the cross-platform Application While you need to learn a programming language, Dart if you want to work with Flutter.
Installation :
To install the React Native, you can use Node Package Manager. And if you have some good experience with JavaScript, you won’t find it difficult to install React Native.To use Flutter, you need to download the binary for a specific platform you get in GitHub.

In macOS, you can download the Flutter.zip file and Add a path variable. The installation part could be tricky and complicated with Flutter. But once it has been done, you are free to use it.

User Interface (UI) Components :
User interface (UI) components are the most important factor in designing an Information device and React Native does not provide you with many UI components.On the Other hand, Flutter has many UI components that can help you enhance the application interface that you are creating.
Speed :
With Virtual DOM, the Performance speed of React Native is very Impressive.The performance Speed of Flutter is quite good but not as React Native.
Productivity :
As to start with React Native, you need to have some experience with JavaScript, and you are good to go. As JavaScript is quite Popular among Developers, that makes React Native more productive.To work with Flutter, you need to learn Dart, which is a programming language and not that famous among the Developer who has affected the productivity of Flutter. Reload feature is just like compiling a program, but reloading makes it faster than compiling and React Native support. This FeatureFlutter supports it too.Testing is used to get quick feedback about the written code, and in React Native, it has no official support for UI-level testing.While on the other hand, Flutter has testing features

Community : React Native is an Old player in the field of Mobile Application Frameworks which make it gained some community across the globeGoogle had just introduced Flutter in 2017. It does not have that much great community support like React Native, but its community is growing day by day.

Summary

Delivering projects on time is one of the most critical aspects of any app development.

The cross-platform nature of both React Native and Flutter reduce time-to-market. Plus, their third-party libraries and ready-to-use components make it more efficient to use them to build your app.

Better still, Flutter and React Native offer more than just speedy development, they can reduce project costs as well.

…and these are the key reasons you should consider either framework for your project. But which solution offers the fastest development time? Or fits your app idea best?

Well, that depends on the specifics of your project and the balance of your team’s skills.

  • Do your developers know Dart? If yes, then programming with Flutter will be a walk in the park.
  • Are your developers fluent in JavaScript? If yes, then React Native seems the logical choice.
  • Do you want to build your app’s GUI using native UI components? If yes, choose React Native.
  • Is brand-first design your priority? If yes, we suggest Flutter fits the bill.

Remember that each application is different, so you must consider each one on its own merits. It’s always worth discussing your project with an experienced team of developers: people capable of considering the different approaches, with a varied enough skillset when it comes to cross-platform development — as if you seek the advice of programmers who know just one framework, they’ll likely steer you to use that tool.

If nothing else, take confidence from this: both Flutter and React Native are very good technologies. They benefit from huge popularity and enduring trust.

Read also: 5 Legal Issues to consider in Mobile App Development.

Each of the frameworks can help your application spread its wings and fly. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you — best of luck with your next steps!

Thank you
Balaji V.P

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