With the advancement of cross platform or hybrid applications, the options for developing those have also increased. The era that began with technologies such as PhoneGap, Ionic, and others now have a more robust and developer friendly options in the form of React Native and Flutter.

Flutter vs React Native has been a point of debate since their introduction. Both the entrepreneurs and the developers alike have been facing the dilemma on what to chose. While we covered the same topic for the entrepreneurs and founders in the comprehensive manner earlier this year, we are back again with the same topic for the developer community. Developers who are trying to switch the technologies need a proper guidance on what to choose.

Being one of the top mobile app development companies, we feel obliged to give it back to our community. Presenting a rather more technical comparison of the two technologies with a view to enable the developers to choose the best for their clients.

Parameter
Flutter
React Native


**Creator + Company**
Google
Facebook


**Languages Used**
Dart
JavaScript, TypeScript

Frameworks Available Flutter React

Year of Establishment 2017 2015

Developer Community Size Growing Rapidly Large

No. of Apps in the Market Over 100,000Famous Apps: Google Ads,** Alibaba, Reflectly, Tencent Over 1 million Famous Apps:** Facebook,** Instagram, Airbnb, Discord

No. of Available NPMs** Over 15,000 packages Over 1 million

Platform Compatibility Mobile, Tablet, Web, Desktop, Embedded Mobile, Tablet, Web, TV

Ease of Code (Rating from 5 stars)

Learning

Coding

Error Handling

API Implementation

State Management

3rd Party Integration

Overall Rating

**What one have which other doesn’t**




  - Dart language, which can be easier for beginners.

  - Skia Rendering Engine for more consistent UI across platforms.

  - Rich set of pre-designed widgets, Strong support for 60fps animations.

  - Better performance due to ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation.





  

  - Wider adoption in the industry.

  - A more mature ecosystem with a large number of libraries and tools.

  - Uses JavaScript, which is more widely known than Dart.

  - Easier integration with existing native apps, Larger community support, and more third-party plugins.

Looking for a hybrid mobile app development? Contact Nimblechapps today! **Contact us

Based on the table of comparison above, one can get an idea about which technology would work for the requirements. Considering the above table, how to be sure when to choose Flutter or React Native? is the questions which would still be causing the dilemma. So, let’s explore which is a better option a bit more technically.

Choose Flutter when:

  • The applications are expected to include complex animations.

  • You want a near native experience for the applications

  • Speedy development is required for the applications courtesy the hot reload feature.

  • MVPs and prototypes are to be developed.

  • Don’t want to use much third party libraries courtesy the pre-designed widgets.

Choose React Native when:

  • App size is required to be smaller despite of it being feature rich.

  • You don’t want to invest much time in steeper Dart learning curve for Flutter.

  • The applications are more performance oriented rather than aesthetics. Typically, the organizational applications.

  • You want to keep JavaScript as a standard and first language.

  • Web version of the application is to be developed as React Native is focused towards mobile apps.

Conclusion

Both Flutter and React Native are powerful tools for cross-platform mobile app development. Each framework offers its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and the ideal choice depends on your specific project requirements and developer team skillset.

The decision between Flutter vs React Native relies on your project's needs and your development team's strengths. Consider factors like performance requirements, desired UI design, team experience with JavaScript or Dart, and the importance of a single codebase for both platforms. By carefully weighing these aspects, you can choose the framework that empowers you to build exceptional cross-platform mobile apps.

Remember, the mobile app development landscape is constantly evolving, and both Flutter and React Native are actively maintained and improved. Staying updated on the latest advancements in each framework will ensure you have the knowledge to make informed decisions for your future projects.