Get insights into Flutter app development and React Native to develop cross-platform applications. Know more about them and their pros and cons.

1. Flutter VS React Native App
Development: Which one to Choose
When it comes to developing applications, there are multiple
options one has in the market. Today developing
cross-platform applications is way easier than before because
of the number of tools available. There are multiple
frameworks like Flutter, React Native, Xamarin, Adobe
PhoneGap, and more. But, with the increasing number of
frameworks and programming languages, there is also
confusion as to which one should choose.

2. If you are thinking of developing an application and unsure
which framework is perfect for your cross-platform
application development, you are in the right place. Here, we
are going to talk about two of the most used frameworks for
cross-platform app development i.e. React Native and Flutter.
Herein, I will provide you details about each of these
frameworks, their pros and cons, and which one to choose and
why.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is a portable UI toolkit used to develop cross-platform
applications using a single codebase. In simple terms, it is a
software development kit used to develop applications easily.
Developers can easily develop intuitive, flexible, and
expressive UI. Flutter is loaded with a large amount of in-built
libraries and widgets; it helps to make the development
environment faster. The best part of Flutter app development
is the ease it provides developers to develop applications and
works like native applications.
Flutter is free and open-source technology which makes it a
go-to solution for developing applications. Moreover, Flutter

3. uses Dart programming language, which is object-oriented
and easy to learn. Because of the in-built widgets, app
rendering is faster and has a great look and feel.
Google developed and launched Flutter in 2017 intending to
provide users ease to develop applications and launch it.
Today, it is one of the fastest-growing frameworks and Dart is
the fastest-growing programming language. According to
research by Statista, Flutter is the second most popular
framework to develop cross-platform applications.
With the latest release of Flutter 2, they now support
developing applications for different operating systems like
Microsoft, Linux, iOS, and macOS. Additionally, it even aims to
provide better experience to web browsers like Chrome,
Firefox, Safari, and Edge. You can also use Flutter to develop
applications for cars, TVs, and smart home appliances.
Pros and Cons of Flutter:
Pros:

4. ● Hot Reload:
Flutter provides dynamic and fast application development,
which developers prefer. They can make changes in the code
base and can immediately see the output of it. As the output
comes in milliseconds, it is known as Hot Reload.
Using this feature, the developer can add features, fix bugs,
and try new ideas. Hot Reload is very easy to use for
developers and designers as they can quickly make changes
and see the output in a fraction of a second.
● Single Code-Base:
One of the biggest benefits of Flutter is its single codebase.
Developers need to write code once and run it on multiple
platforms. Flutter is platform-independent, so developers can
use its functionalities for multiple platforms. Moreover,
developers don’t need to change the style, or functionalities of
apps depending on the platform, saving a lot of time and
resources.

5. ● Faster Apps:
Flutter apps work smoothly and fast without cutting or
hanging while scrolling as it uses Skia Graphics Library. Due to
this, the UI is completely redrawn every time when the view of
the app changes. Most of the work is done using GPU, which
means Flutter UI is smooth and delivers graphics in 60 fps.
● Seamless Integration:
With Flutter, it is easy to integrate third-party applications.
Developers don’t need to write different codes to integrate on
different platforms. Flutter depends on Java for Android
integration and Swift for integrating with iOS, so there is no
need to code or get into any technicalities.
Cons:
● Less Developers:
Flutter is still in its early stages of development and as a result,
it has fewer developers available. It is very rare to find a
developer who has experience in Flutter app development. So,

6. while developing complex applications, you are very less likely
to get experienced developers.
● Flutter App Size is Larger:
Applications written in Flutter are larger than native
applications. They occupy a lot of space and are difficult to
download or update. People prefer an application that is small
in size and occupies less space on their phones.
● Weak iOS Support:
Some of the Flutter features provide very little support to iOS
applications. Often, there are problems with iOS SDKs as they
do not work perfectly with them. Additionally, most of the iOS
features like VoiceOver, Guided Access, Captioning, and Audio
Descriptions are not supported by Flutter. But, over the years,
we hope it will get better.
What is React Native:
React Native is an open-source mobile application framework
that uses JavaScript. It is useful to develop applications for

7. both Android and iOS using a single code base. Similar to
widgets in Flutter, React Native uses Components to make the
development process easier.
The applications developed using React Native apps have
similar performance and UX of native apps, which helps in
providing users with a better experience.
Developers can easily develop flexible, interactive, and
intuitive applications using React Native. Facebook owns React
Native and revolutionized the way developers develop
cross-platform applications. According to research by Statista,
React Native is the most popular development platform to
develop cross-platform applications. Roughly we can say that
React Native powers every second application we see.
Today in the developer circle, React Native has one of the
largest communities and provides large resources to learn.
There are tons of resources available like blogs, tutorials,
videos, monthly and yearly conferences, and constant updates
from Facebook, making it better. As React Native is open
source and easy to learn, you will easily find many React
Native developers.

8. Going further, let’s see the pros and cons of React Native
application:
Pros and Cons of React Native:
Pros:
● Build Applications Faster:
One of the major USPs of React Native is less development
time. The framework provides many ready-to-use components
which make the development process faster. React Native
provides access to one of the largest package ecosystems as it
depends on JavaScript. Developers have access to many
extensive bases of packages and can help in saving
development time.
● One Framework for Multiple Platforms:
Using React Native, you can reuse the codebase between iOS
and Android applications. It provides a single code base for
multiple applications and can work seamlessly. Some features
will work in npm (node package manager) packages, while

9. others you will need to create from scratch. Additionally, using
React Native, you can share your code between React Web
applications. Thus, it provides consistency among different
platforms and provides users with a better experience.
● Fast Refresh:
This works similar to Hot Reload and provides developers with
the perfect solution to fix their bugs, create new features, and
more. The best part is developers can make the changes and
see the results in seconds.
● Simplified UI:
React Native is used to creating mobile UI. In native app
development, you will need to develop a sequence of
applications. React Native helps in a new method of app
development, i.e., declarative programming in which such an
order of implementing actions is an old practice. Hence, it is
easy to spot bugs and quickly fix them.

10. ● Large Developer Community:
React Native is the open-source JavaScript framework that
allows developers to contribute and make the framework
better. Today, it has a large number of developers and
resources to learn. New developers have access to blogs,
videos, tutorials, and more, making it easy to develop
applications.
Cons:
● Compatibility and Debugging Issues:
Being a top framework for developers can sound absurd, but
React Native has an issue with debugging and compatibility
issues. Many developers struggle with debugging their
applications.
● Lack of Custom Modules:
React Native lacks many components and is still
underdeveloped. There are many custom components
available, but you will need to make your components from

11. scratch in some cases. While developing custom components,
you might end up having three codebases i.e., React Native,
Android, and iOS for a component instead of only one. In each
of those codebases, there might be differences in behavior of
the app.
Which one should you choose:
Both the frameworks are best in their way and serve a
purpose, i.e., to ease the development of cross-platform
applications. Depending on your apps’ requirements you need
to decide which framework you prefer. Consider parameters
like users’ requirements, app functionalities, current market
trends, discuss with your team members, budget, and more
before taking the final decision.
Wrapping Up:
The demand of responsive applications and frameworks has
increased the demand of different frameworks. And to fulfill
this demand, companies have played a major role in the
developer community. Both Flutter and React Native serve a
purpose and have matured a lot over the years. If you are still
confused and need expert advice, you can reach out to us, and

12. our developers will help you. Depending on your
requirements, our experts will help you decide whether Flutter
app development is better or a React Native app.
Source:
https:/
/www.biztechcs.com/blog/flutter-vs-react-native-app-
development-which-one-choose/