This document compares the cross-platform mobile app development frameworks Flutter, Xamarin, and React Native. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each, including development speed, code reuse, and support features. While Flutter excels at fastest development and React Native has strong performance and community support, Xamarin allows high code reuse. The best choice depends on the specific needs of the project. Overall, these frameworks each provide unique benefits for building cross-platform mobile apps.

1. FLUTTER VS. XAMARIN VS. REACT NATIVE - WHICH
CROSS PLATFORM MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT
FRAMEWORK TO CHOOSE IN 2020?

2. The significance of cross platform development is there
for every one of us to see. In today’s business world,
where a mobile app or a web app is a must to take your
business to the next level, cross platform app
development has become very popular, especially while
building mobile apps.

3. When we talk about cross platform, two common names heard
across the technology sector, that we want our applications to
work on, are either iOS or Android or both. The question
however is that with many available frameworks to choose
from, which would be the most suitable one?

4. WHICH IS THE MOST SUITABLE ONE?

5. The main objective behind organizations choosing cross
platform development is that, it works out as a cost
efficient venture for them, as well as saves time. The
most popular cross-platform frameworks which are used
on a consistent basis are React Native, Xamarin and
Flutter. A cross-platform framework reduces the cost of
application development by half. The time taken for
developing the application i.e. the life cycle of the
development of the application also reduces to a greater
extent, as the same code can be reused for developing
applications across platforms. Almost 97 % of the code
is sharable for all the platforms. Now, to understand
which one would suit your business the best, we’ll go
through each one of them and by the end of this article,
you would have arrived on your choice of the
framework.

6. AN INSIGHT INTO FLUTTER

7. One of the most popular open-source frameworks
developed by Google, Flutter is most sought after
for building quality user interfaces. Why developers
choose to look at Flutter is because it offers
readymade gadgets, command-line tools and APIs
required to build an application. Front-end
developers appreciate Flutter a lot as it allows
reusing codes. Having said this, frameworks do
have certain advantages and disadvantages. Flutter
is no different. Let’s take a closer look.

8. ADVANTAGES

9.  With Flutter, codes can be implemented at a rapid
pace.
 Supports faster error fixing.
 The extension of Flutter called as Flutter SDK is
effective on desktop, web and embedded devices
as well.
 Being one of the most sought after open source
framework, Flutter is easy to code.

10. DISADVANTAGES

11.  The size of a Flutter App being large, developers
have to re-think on the size of images to be used in
their applications.
 Though Flutter continues to gain more visibility due
to the plus points it brings, it is still not yet that
strong and feature rich when compared to native
apps.
 Flutter is not supported by continuous integration.
 Flutter is yet to mature to its fullest capacity since
its libraries are not yet completely established and
hence developers have to give that extra bit of
focus while building applications.

12. AN INSIGHT INTO XAMARIN

13. As one of the oldest cross platform, mobile app
development framework, Xamarin assumes more
credibility as it associates with C#. Xamarin is
simple to begin with and facilitates reusing of codes
up to 95%. Xamarin is suitable to build most types
of mobile apps as the technology is divided into
three different and critical parts in, Xamarin
Platform, Xamarin Insights and Xamarin Cloud.
This framework is free for teams below the size of a
maximum of say 5 members. Above that, it is
necessary to obtain a licence. Like Flutter, Xamarin
too comes with some highs and bit of lows as we
can see below,

14. ADVANTAGES

15.  Xamarin is known to support hardware features like
Camera and GPS.
 Xamarin supports the use of plug-in software to
enhance its performance.
 Xamarin is compatible with the MVC and MVVP
architecture
 Xamarin framework works to the satisfaction of the
developers as it performs almost like a native app.

16. DISADVANTAGES

17.  Complex applications might need some more time if
being developed in Xamarin
 The size of Xamarin app being large, it usually is a
bit slow during deployment and takes time.
 This framework is not completely free for all users.
 Xamarin has minimal community support.

18. AN INSIGHT INTO REACT NATIVE

19. React Native is an open source framework that
comes in with two major plus points. It makes use
of the JavaScript Language as well as Native API’s
which delivers a very effective end user
experience.An open source framework, React
Native was developed by Facebook and can be
applied on both iOS and Android platforms. The
performance of React Native can be improved
suiting upgrades technology, newer versions and
user needs. React Native comes in with certain
advantages and disadvantages.

20. ADVANTAGES

21.  React Native helps in building robust user
interfaces, especially for mobile applications.
 Supports faster application development.
 Being open source framework, it is available for
free and helps in cost effective application
development.
 Compared to Xamarin, React Native enjoys a good
community support.

22. DISADVANTAGES

23.  React Native based applicationsare slightly slower
compared to the other two frameworks.
 Allows the use of plug-in software but does not
guarantee the security of the software.
 Not Suitable for building and deploying highly
complicated applications.
 The apps built using React Native might have to be
upgraded on a frequent basis.

24. COMPARISON IN A NUTSHELL

25. Understanding each of these three frameworks in a
greater depth would have given you a better idea in
choosing the best out of these. However, there are
certain specific parameters, based on which, these
three well known frameworks can be analysed, to
give us an even better idea.

26.  When it comes to global popularity and acceptability, recent
studies indicate that Xamarin scores above React Native and
Flutter.
 However, when it comes to global performance, React Native
enjoys a better position. The main difference here being the
effective use of the Dart code by React Native. As a result
applications developed by React Native are a bit stronger as
compared to either a Flutter or a Xamarin. React Native and
Flutter can be used to develop all type of Apps as compared to
Xamarin.
 The diameter of the flutter framework is much bigger as
compared to either a Xamarin or React Native.While the core
engine of Flutter uses about 2.7 MB of the space plus the code
space, the codes in React Native, are differentiated to multiple
blocks that make the proceeding easy. Xamarin uses MVC and
MVVM architecture that helps it to accelerate the process of an
application with fewer diameters.

27. CONCLUSION

28. By now, I guess you might have got an idea as to which framework, would best suit
your application development needs. All of the three frameworks mentioned above
come with their fixed set of advantages and disadvantages. They have contributed to
some of the finest apps, used across various business sectors, across the globe.
While Flutter and React Native are good from the cost-efficiency perspective,
Xamarin excels in terms of delivering a smooth user experience.
In a nutshell, Flutter offers you the fastest development, therefore if you want an
app in a short period of time, go for it. Comparatively, React Native is popular, simple
and with good community support. If you’re looking at these qualities in your
application, you should select React Native over Xamarin or Flutter. Finally, Xamarin
allows 96% reuse of the code, which is higher than any other cross-platform
development. As a result, the choice of the best framework completely depends on
your specific project needs as all the three offer unique advantages over each other.
At the end of the day, it is a developers delight to work on any of these frameworks
to build a smart mobile application.

29. AUTHOR
Mohamed Sathik Ali handles Digital Business
Promotional Activities for DeveloperOnRent, a
formidable organization in the Information
Technology sector in Bengaluru and initiates
creating thought provoking data to keep readers,
connected with technology, updated on real time
developments, as they unfold. The author also has
good amount of experience in working with the
three major platforms discussed in this article. The
author has handled independent assignments in
each platform, enabling him to come to a logical
cobclusion, through data analysis.