React Native Vs Flutter: Which Platform to Choose for Mobile App Development 2021

React Native Vs Flutter -One of the biggest challenges that developers face is building mobile applications quickly. Sure, you may have a lot of ideas to make it a possibility, but it takes too much time to create them.

For every mobile app development company, both Flutter and React Native are great tools for building applications; the question still hovers around the head of the developer as to which platform supersedes the other.

A developer’s decisions may include factors like its performance, its cross-platform functionality, its responsiveness, and so on. Both the frameworks have their own sets of benefits and drawbacks that sometimes make developers switch or stay with the platform they’re currently super loyal to.

But we will take a more significant leap and scrutinize both these platforms closely to conclude! (hopefully)!

Let’s start with a bit of backdrop. 

All About React Native

Facebook open-sourced a new platform to create mobile apps called React Native. Most React Native app development companies let you use the widely-used programming language JavaScript and deploy your code on many platforms, including iOS, Android, and web.

Advantages Of React Native

Features that stand out when using React Native are as follows:-

i) It is open-source software, which means it’s out there for the developers to use and unleash the platform’s full potential. It’s free!

ii) React native app development offers cross-platform functionality that means any developer can reuse code sets and run them for many different touchpoints.

iii) You’ll essentially get the React Native benefits mainly similar to the native code, depending on your device and operating system.

iv) When you make changes to your codes, you don’t have to worry about your browser having to refresh. You can instantly view your coding changes compared to the traditional coding process. Credit goes to react Native’s hot reloading trait; your revisions are there without you having to stress over losing it.

v) The responsive design and interactive UI components of React Native allow the application to auto-sense for different screen sizes and adjust its content and schema appropriately.

vi) React Native has diverse third-party components in its collection, which makes your app interactive. Using third-party components saves you time during development and makes your app more engaging.

vii) The deployment of previously written codes allows for faster execution of your development projects, ensuring higher productivity.

All About Flutter

Flutter is a tool used by a mobile app development company for building mobile applications that can run on Android, iOS, Linux, Windows, Google Fuchsia, and the web. It’s not tied to any particular framework so that you can use it with your existing code.

Advantages Of Using Flutter

Flutter application development would have never been the same without the platform was being designed to enhance your user experience. It gives you a better platform to engage with your customers.

When you use the platform to develop mobile applications, you can get benefits not available on any other medium available. 

i) Easily Accessible Open Source file because it’s free. It’s a platform that gives you all the power-packed features that can be readily accessible.

ii) Flutter is a mobile app SDK for mobile developers that helps you build modern apps for iOS and Android. Like any other language, Dart has its own set of learning challenges, but it allows you to create the UI and how you like them with minimal to no coding knowledge.

iii) By consistently using the same internal codes across multiple projects, developers can create better internal communication and achieve higher efficiency in their work. Plus, it enables cross-platform development.

\iv) You can do cross-platform development (also known as “write once, run anywhere”) by using standardization. It leads to a delightful experience for your users and makes it easy to develop your mobile applications. It’s more fun to build software when using the same components and APIs on multiple platforms.

v) Via flutter application development, you can quickly fix bugs with a feature that allows you to make changes directly to your existing code. You won’t have to wait long to see the changes. It’s called the Hot Reloading feature. The compiler will immediately reload your code so that you can fix bugs without any lag.

vi) Material and customized Cupertino widgets to match your business’s branding and style with Flutter.

An Overview: Differences Between Flutter and React Native

Parameter	Flutter App	React Native App
Release Date	The initial release was in May 2017 and was introduced by Google.	The release was in June 2015 and was introduced by Facebook.
Programming Language	It is backed by Dart to create mobile apps.	It is backed by JavaScript to create mobile apps.
User Interface	Widget libraries can help you push out code faster. It makes it easy to add several interactive elements hassle-free.	Libraries like native UI controllers can help you create native user interfaces with less work.
Hot Reloading	Effective hot reloading	Decent hot reloading supported
Architectural Overview	The architectural layout followed is Business Logic Component (BLoC)	The architectural followed is Redux and Flux
Documentation	Flutter maintains a highly organized documentation procedure.	Except for the difference between documentation procedures, react native is easy to work with.
Preference	The use of Flutter is rising every day, creating a positive feedback loop making people switch their everyday platforms rapidly.	React native gets an upper hand among the developers who are still inclined towards staying loyal to this platform for their mobile development stage.
Performance	C and C++ resemble machine languages and can offer better native performance than other programming languages.	The end performance of react native is often less impactful and slower than the end performance of iOS and Android apps.
Testing	Flutter has its own testing framework, which includes integration, unit, and widget tests.	With React Native, you’ll make use of third-party libraries to get testing tools.
Third-party packages	Flutter allows you to choose from a number of packages based on your development needs.	As a mature platform, react-native has a larger pool of components and resources, such as third-party packages.
Reusable code	Flexibility to reuse the codes without any restrictions.	The reusability of codes is permitted – with some exceptions.
Community reach	While Flutter believes they have a superior product, they need to do more marketing and social outreach to build a credible community like that of React native.	The popularity of React Native can be seen in the fact that there are already a lot of developers who are familiar with it.
Development time	The apps get built and developed fast.	The apps get built and developed dash slower than flutter.
Popular Apps	Some popular apps are as follows:- Google Ads, Hamilton	Popular apps- Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, Skype, Bloomberg
IDE support	While Android support has many features, it can’t be used to implement IDE support, IntelliJ IDEA, etc.	IDE support is not a concern given due importance by the JS support.

The Bottom Line

We must recognize that Flutter is still a small community, although it’s growing at an impressive rate. But we don’t know yet if it will show the same level of success as React Native, which has a large community of users and is already well-established.

Both platforms are great, and it’s hard to make a single suggestion. We can’t make any firm recommendations about which platform to use. Ultimately, it’s a matter of your personal choice.

Quokka Labs is a mobile app development company that is an ideal destination for businesses of all sizes. Starting from React Native app development, flutter application development, and building stand-alone iOS/ Android apps, we do it all! 

We combine all the most relevant, modern technologies with comprehensive project management tools and efficient teamwork to build unique software for the success of your digital projects. Let us know about your project, and reach out to us to get a free quote today!