GetX vs. Bloc in Flutter: Which State Management Approach is Better?

Published in

DhiWise

3 min readJul 31, 2023

Get a comprehensive comparison of GetX and Bloc, the two most popular state management libraries for Flutter, and discover which one is the best fit for your project.

What is State Management?

State management refers to managing states of different components in interface controllers like TextFields, Radio Buttons, Switches, etc. State management makes implementing services like handling data from data sources very easy.
There are multiple ways of implementing state management in flutters like GetX, Provider, Bloc, Redux, MobX, and many more.
Here we will compare GetX vs. Bloc to identify which is better for managing states according to your requirements.

Increase Popularity

Bloc has the most extensive popularity as per checking its GitHub repository. Also, it is mainly used for big projects. And its maintenance is long and longer than any other. But many beginners prefer it for learning and exploring state management approaches because you have to write a lot of boilerplate in the code.
Nowadays, GetX is the widely used and most popular state management library. Also day by day it is becoming more and more popular. GetX is very simple and can be used for a variety of tasks. Compared to Bloc, you don’t have to write unnecessary boilerplate codes. Also, it can be learned quickly and conveniently for new developers.

Simplicity of Code

With the Bloc, you must write many lines just for the boilerplates. But with the GetX, it can be done within a few lines.
The table below shows the same code with the different state management approaches.

No stateful widgets

with Bloc; you have to create stateless widgets. As Bloc will update the data.
By using GetX, you don’t need to use stateful or stateless widgets. Instead, you can use GetxController with Obx or GetBuilder for state updates and GetView, which you can use instead of StatelessWidget.

class PostController extends GetxController {
  RxList postList = ["one", "two", "three"].obs;
  //list can be manipulate with some api or other data
}class PostListView extends GetView<PostController> {
  @override
  Widget build(context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Obx(
        () => ListView.builder(
          itemCount: controller.postList.length,
          itemBuilder: (context, index) {
            var post = controller.postList[index];
            return ListTile(
              title: Text(
                post,
              ),
            );
          },
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Features other than state management

Bloc provides only state management functionalities with various approaches. Not more than that.
While GetX can provide many functionalities such as Navigations, Snackbar, Dialogs, and bottom sheets without worries about any contexts, it also provides functionalities like storing data like shared preferences and easy data localization.
Mainly GetX can be used for the Easiest state management.
GetX provides multiple utilities like validations, API calls, dependencies management, etc.

Community Support and Resources

While Bloc has a larger developer community and a more active GitHub repository, GetX also has a burgeoning developer community and thorough, user-friendly official documentation. Additionally actively maintained, the GetX package receives frequent updates and bug fixes.

Conclusion

The use of state management in Flutter can be done in a variety of methods, to sum up. The two well-known state management libraries, GetX and Bloc, do differ from one another.

Due to its lengthy existence and sizable user base, Bloc is well-maintained and suitable for usage in large projects. However, developing a lot of boilerplate code is required, making learning for newcomers challenging.

However, because of its brevity and usability, GetX, a more recent library, is quickly gaining prominence. Beyond state management, it offers a variety of features that can help developers save time and effort, like Navigation, SnackBar, Dialogues, and Bottom sheets.

In conclusion, GetX may be your best alternative if you’re seeking a state management library that is effective, simple to learn, and has extra capabilities. However, Bloc might be a better option if you’re working on a more significant project and require a reputable library with a sizable community.

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