React Native vs Flutter – The Framework Hustle

What is React Native & Flutter, and how these two frameworks are different from each other? Also, what will be your pick between React Native vs Flutter for creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?  But before answering these questions, we need to know the rise of these frameworks. Why are we even using them or […]

Updated 27 February 2024

Anand Prakash
Anand Prakash

VP – Pre Sales at Appventurez

What is React Native & Flutter, and how these two frameworks are different from each other? Also, what will be your pick between React Native vs Flutter for creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? 

But before answering these questions, we need to know the rise of these frameworks. Why are we even using them or depend upon them?

To answer it easily, we did our research, understood the experts’ opinions on it, and came up with a conclusion that is explained in a detailed way in the blog.

First things first, the mobile app development industry has been around us for more than a decade. We have reached a stage where we depend upon it and are always in to try out something new about it.

As simple as it may sound, several things are the major concerning factors for businesses that want to develop a mobile app. One of them is budgeting.

However, This made companies focus on multiple platforms that allow them to target large audiences and develop apps for all platforms. But it is easier said than done.

Companies work on iOS and Android platforms that are vastly different from each other. To develop an Android or iOS app, a different team, design, development code, and testing team is required. To overcome this, cross-platform apps come into play.

The major reason why companies and mobile app developers prefer cross-platform is due to its efficiency and interactive nature. In addition to this, several best cross-platform app development frameworks make it easy for developers to come up with the best solutions.

However cross-platform is not that easy as with the major advancement come the top frameworks as well. Xamarin, Flutter, React Native, Titanium, and so many other frameworks are used to develop the cross-platform.

But two of them are extremely popular due to their long run in the framework – Flutter and React Native. So, let’s understand the concept of React Native and Flutter. These points will help you to understand the basic differences between Flutter and React Native.

What is React Native?

React Native is one of the best cross-platform app development frameworks in the market. The React Native app developers work on the React library that is built using JavaScript, created by Facebook.

In 2013, Facebook launched React Native as an internal hackathon project with its final public release in 2015. Here is an insight into the drawbacks, and benefits of using React Native for app development, and apps built on React Native. 

To understand the working on React Native, let us walk you through the major aspects.

Development

Several components are used in the React Native app development instead of going for the web components such as H1 and Div. React Native developers can access these components from the React Native library.

In addition to this, virtual DOM is used in React Native to interact with the native UI elements for development. Also, there are adoptive components that help in identifying the mobile app operating system – iOS or Android – to easily render the code as per the platform. 

Ecosystem

React Native is supported by several editors along with hot reload support. This makes mobile app development easier. In addition to this, several packages are offered to developers for faster app development. The ecosystem is also faster and more stable since React Native has been available in the market for many years. 

Performance

React Native is a major framework for native app development due to the compilation of UI components that are equivalent to native ones. To establish the bridge between the components, JS runs in a separate thread. This makes it easy to build mobile apps in React Native with components that can communicate with the native modules. As a result, React Native is faster and helps in increasing app performance. 

Documentation

The documentation of React Native is extremely user-friendly and includes all the major components, their requirements, and their use. In addition to this, the React Native document includes the modules, specific components, and app development process. 

Architecture

Flux and Redux are the two major patterns when it comes to React Native app development. These frameworks store the state of the app at a key place. Along with this, it includes the unidirectional data flow and makes the components stateless. The states can be managed easily in React with the Context API.

These are the major components that make React Native a good choice for mobile app developers. Due to its efficiency and performance, many mobile app developers take online courses to learn the framework in detail.

The major online courses that are opted for by the React Native developers or those pursuing to be the developers are:

  • Free Mobile App Development with React Native Course (edX)
  • React Native – The Practical Guide (Udemy)
  • Multiplatform Mobile App Development with React Native (Coursera)
  • React Native: Advanced Concepts (Udemy)
  • Free React Native Courses (LinkedIn Learning – Lynda)
  • The Complete React Native Course (Udemy)
  • The Complete React Native + Hooks Course (Udemy)

What is Flutter?

Flutter, developed using Dart and C++ language, is used for best cross-platform app development. Google developed Dart and then Flutter to offer the ultimate and best solution to the mobile app industry. In May 2017, the alpha release of Flutter was introduced in the market. There are so many things about Flutter such as its pros, cons, and apps built on the framework that is mentioned below. 

Flutter is the platform that is used for reactive programming. Let us explain it in a bit of detail, the null reference is something that the developers working around Java and Android are aware of. The null reference can go out of control since a stream of user clicks is sent to the server without receiving the response.

The unresponsiveness and clutter of clicks create paradigm issues that can be sorted out easily with the help of reactive programming with the Dart language.

With this said, let us understand the major components of the Flutter app development.

Development

Widgets are the major development part of Flutter including the major implementation of the material design concepts and ready-to-use widgets. Flutter includes two widget types such as ash stateful and stateless. However, the un-adaptive nature of the widgets requires manual adoption of the platform specification.

To start working with Flutter, the developers just need to download and install the setup. Along with this, the addition of Android Studio must be downloaded for the mobile emulator to test the app without using the phone.

The Hot Reload feature of Flutter is a plus point for mobile app development since it allows the Flutter app developers to rerun the apps with the major updates to test the app. In addition to this, the speed of the app is also maintained with a hot reload. Flutter supports Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ Idea, and Android Studio,

Ecosystem

React Native is better with the ecosystem due to the release years as compared to Flutter which is still young. Due to years of running in the market, React Native is a bit ahead in terms of packages. However, Flutter has included many core packages (approximately 1450 packages) that can be used by the public, and the increase of the Flutter community has also come up as a major addition.

Performance

Flutter offers a different app performance as compared to React Native. The C or C++ libraries are used with the Flutter app for better native performance and work on the machine language. The best thing about Flutter is the compilation of the UI components and others for enhanced user experience. 

Documentation

The whole Flutter documentation is extremely helpful and insanely good to understand. For the fresher, it might be a bit difficult to understand the whole concept but once they get a hold of it, it is easy to understand the whole document. 

Architecture

The implementation of the architecture in the app is not certain since Flutter is young compared to React Native. Nevertheless, there are architectural options that are used by the developers. This includes the Business Logic Component (BLoC) that is depicted by Google. There are other options such as the realm of flutter that uses Redux and Flux whereas the components can store the state for the small apps. 

Due to the efficiency of the Flutter app development, the developers learn to use the framework in detail. The major online courses that are opted for by the developers or those pursuing to be the developers are:

  • Dart and Flutter: The Complete Developer’s Guide (Udemy)
  • Flutter Tutorials (Official)
  • Flutter & Dart – The Complete Flutter App Development Course (Udemy)
  • Learn Flutter & Dart to Build iOS & Android Apps (Udemy)
  • Flutter – Intermediate (Udemy)

Flutter vs React Native – Head-To-Head Differences

The major differences are covered above, let us give you a head-to-head explanation of them.

Flutter vs React Native

Apart from this, there are a few factors that can give you a better idea about React Native vs Flutter 2020. Let us walk you through the remaining factors.

User Interface

React Native Apps are similar to native apps due to the involvement of native components. The native-like look and feel of an app can be easily achieved using third-party libraries. Whereas for Flutter, the operating system plays a vital role in the user interface. The newer OS works well with the app as compared to the older one.

Due to the one codebase in Flutter, the similarities between iOS and Android can be eliminated with Cupertino and Material Design. As a result, the apps will look natural on the respective platforms similar to the native apps. 

Code Sharing

React Native works well with Android and iOS. However, some libraries make it easy to integrate the code with Windows 10 and the web as well. The shared code can be extracted to a separate repository in the desktop, web, and mobile apps. Then the code is transferred to another dependency that makes developers work on platform-specific code.

Whereas Flutter frameworks allow developers to focus on cross-platform apps (iOS and Android). However, Flutter will make it easy for the developers to integrate with the web, and desktop as well with integrated solutions. The web support is available on the beta channel and its final release is yet to be launched.

Time-To-Market

React Native is assumed to be much faster but can easily bridge the gap between the app and native elements. However, widgets might require separate optimization that is mainly platform-specific. Whereas with Flutter, the apps are developed at a faster rate as compared to the native app development. 

Stability

While constant work is being done to make Flutter app development services a lot more stable. The fact remains that because the framework is still fairly new, you cannot expect to develop a complex application on it.

React Native, on the other hand, has tested the waters and knows the ins and outs of the domain. Above all, it comes backed with a very strong community, which altogether makes the framework very strong.  

Competitive Advantages

Why is React Native beating Flutter? It is not true. Both platforms have their competitive advantage in the market. React Native is in the market for 5 years now, easy to learn, reusable code, a penalty of libraries, tutorials, and a vast community. Whereas Flutter offers a great look & feels, a rapidly growing community, difficult-to-beat development time, and excellent documentation. 

Key Takeaways

This is the aptest Flutter vs React Native to give you a clear understanding of the platforms. React Native and Flutter have their pros and cons that make them ideal for mobile app development. However, both platforms have easily bridged the gap between Android and iOS.
If we go into it deeper, then many developers feel that Flutter is a platform that can be a bit difficult to learn as compared to React Native. Especially for the developers that don’t have prior knowledge about the Dart platform.
In addition to this, Flutter stands out as a significant game-changer in the mobile app development landscape, boasting impressive performance and a lack of constraints. Flutter’s ability to easily resolve bugs has captured the attention of developers, creating a noticeable inclination towards its adoption. Despite these merits, the question arises: Will Flutter replace React Native? The answer lies in the unique requirements and considerations of each app. It becomes imperative to carefully choose the primary framework that aligns with the development process. While Flutter undeniably poses strong competition to React Native, the ultimate decision should be guided by the expertise of a seasoned mobile app development company. For personalized insights into practices, approaches, requirements, and skillsets, feel free to reach out to us, your trusted React Native development company, to assist you in launching your new venture in mobile app development.

FAQs

Q. Is Flutter better than react native?

Either this or Will Flutter overtake React Native is usually the most common question that is asked by the community. However, for now, React Native is not going anywhere due to its large community, more libraries, and enhanced performance. Flutter might have a glowing future but it is yet not confirmed. We can’t be sure but we can keep you updated on the growth of Flutter. 

Q. Between Flutter and react native, which one to choose in 2020? 

There is no telling which platform is better without knowing the project requirements. There are so many aspects that help in determining how to choose the framework. This includes the requirements, approaches, features, and so on of both platforms. So, it completely depends upon the project that will help in choosing the ideal one. 

Q. Is Flutter the future of cross-platform development?

Yes, mobile app development for the cross-platform may depend upon Flutter in the coming time. However, we can’t be sure about anything for now since several cross-platform app development frameworks are already ruling the market. This makes a neck-to-neck competition to Flutter. The future of Flutter and React Native is not that difficult to understand, Flutter is giving great competition to React Native with regular improvements and version additions. Google is refining the tool now and then while eliminating the bugs. The growth in community and growth can be a drastic plus point for Flutter's development. In the future, it is expected to build web and desktop apps with Flutter as well. Flutter holds a promising future for the mobile app industry and small businesses that want to dive into the app world.

Q. What is the future of React Native?

Facebook is an evolving company that is making sure that every technology gets attention. Facebook is planning to re-architect React Native on a high scale to improve its support and help the community to understand the technology in a better way. The ongoing improvement of React Native is a great point for the developers to work in the open-source environment. Significantly, React Native has a brighter future with several additions and updates. 

Q. What is the basic salary of React Native and Flutter developers?

As per Glassdoor, in the USA, the basic salary of the Flutter app developers is around $95,504 annually whereas for React Native developers, the amount is around $120,000 annually. This depends upon the experience of the developers and their knowledge in the field. 

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    Anand Prakash
    Anand Prakash

    VP – Pre Sales at Appventurez

    Anand specializes in sales and business development as its VP - Sales and Presales. He supervises the pre-sales process by upscaling on establishing client relationships. He skillfully deploys instruments such as cloud computing, automation, data centers, information storage, and analytics to evaluate clients’ business activities.