The mobile app development market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 14%. So, indeed, with a mobile app, you can make lots of money.
But, that’s not an easy task because you have to first make a very hard decision—whether to hire a Flutter developer or React Native developer?
Why?
Creating a powerful, user-friendly, and highly functional cross-platform mobile app—Flutter and React Native are the two splendid frameworks.
Flutter vs. React Native debate has always been going on for ages without any solid conclusion in the history of mobile app development. That’s because when Google and Facebook are directly in front of each other, making a pick is very difficult.
Today, we will help you decide between hiring a React Native app development company or a Flutter app development company for your next project. Try to read each detail carefully because your app’s success depends on it. So, no pressure!
A Flutter Development Tale:
What is Flutter?
“Flutter is Google’s UI toolkit for building beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.” – Google.
Flutter is an open-source and free mobile UI framework developed under Google flagship in 2017. It is a framework that lets you create native mobile applications with a single codebase. Flutter’s main highlight is that developers can use one programming language and codebase to create two iOS and Android apps. Mainly, the Flutter framework contains:
- Dart – It is an underlying programming language.
- Software Development Kit – This kit consists of tools that are required to develop a mobile app and compile codes into native machine code.
- UI Framework Library – To personalize your app, all the reusable UI components such as buttons, sliders, text, etc.
Flutter’s Striking Features
At Arthonsys, we often advise our clients to hire a Flutter developer because he or she brings the following features to the table:
Multiple Compatibilities – Flutter is easy to access and integrate a framework that can improve your app’s flexibility and scalability. Flutter has multiple capabilities—you can redesign your legacy applications to meet the prevailing trends and create an MVP model to show potential investors.
Hot Reload – Usually, developers have to wait for some time to change codes on their screen. Fortunately, with Flutter’s feature called Hot Reload, developers can quickly change codes and save their time, efforts, and money.
Complete Solution – Whether you have to develop, deploy, or manage mobile apps’ UI, Flutter can handle everything. You don’t need to use different frameworks to perform different tasks anymore.
Powerful Widgets – When you hire a Flutter developer, using the internationalized libraries and widgets, he or she can seamlessly develop native Android and iOS apps. The widgets can integrate all the native functionalities in the application, including fonts, navigation, scrolling, etc.
Interactive Animations – Flutter widgets enables developers to embed interactive and engaging animations to your application from the huge collection. You can quickly create a highly attractive and functional program with it.
Popular Flutter Mobile Apps
In mere a few years of release, Flutter has been opted to develop numerous popular mobile apps, such as:
- Google Ads – The app that you use to manage your ad campaigns daily—is a live Flutter example.
- Xianyu – Flutter has empowered Alibaba to create a fast, easy, and smooth Xianyu app to improve its users’ shopping experience.
- Reflectly – This Flutter based journal app has been seamlessly storing your daily thoughts.
- Watermaniac – It is a new version of a health and fitness app that has been using Flutter widgets to track your daily water intake level.
- Hamilton – The official American Broadway musical—Hamilton app is also Flutter powered.
Reasons to Use Flutter
Nearly 2 million developers have used Flutter since it was released. The reason behind such a huge response is:
Faster Testing – When a developer has to create a codebase, Quality Assurance specialists also have to test one program. This way, your Flutter app development company can quickly deliver your app.
Customize Design – Experienced developers can customize exciting Flutter widgets so you can smoothly give a unique UI to your app.
UI Supporting Older Devices – Without any additional cost, you can make older Android and iOS devices support your new app look. Flutter runs on iOS 8 and Android Jelly Bean or above.
Suitable for MVP – If you want to create a minimum viable product to present to your investors, Flutter is perfect for the job.
Faster Development – One codebase and easy changing features like Hot Reload has made Flutter app development very fast.
Reasons Not to Use Flutter
Nothing is perfect in this world—so Flutter has a few shortcomings that may stop you from hiring a Flutter app development company:
Less Native Features – Google has done a remarkable job in creating various Flutter libraries and widgets. But, these libraries still lacks native development rich features.
Lacks Integration – Currently, Flutter isn’t supported by many CI platforms like Travis or Jenkins. So, automatic development, testing, and deployment are still hard. However, the Flutter team is constantly adding new features to the platform, so very soon, this issue is expected to be fixed.
A React Native Development Saga:
What is React Native?
“The biggest mistake we made as a company was betting too much on HTML as opposed to native.” – Mark Zuckerberg.
When a man behind the leading social media network—Facebook, acclaims that opposing Native has been his biggest mistake, a robust platform like React Native emerges.
To overcome HTML5 shortcomings, Facebook launched to React Native in 2015. This mobile app development is written in Javascript, C++, Python, Java, and Objective-C++ to support all the leading OS such as Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.
It is ReactJS based library used to create mobile user interfaces. React Native enables developers to create native-looking apps in a comfortable Javascript environment. When you hire a React Native app development company, your mobile application will look and feel like a native app.
The React Native platform consists of numerous components, including View, State, Style, Flex layout, Handling text inputs, and so much more.
React Native’s Striking Features
An open-source mobile app UI framework backed by Facebook isn’t the only React Native’s resilient features. It has so much more to offer:
Modular and Intuitive – When you hire React Native developer, it becomes very easy for your other developers to delve into the code and make changes. It helps in creating a flexible development team and effortlessly upgrade your apps.
Fast Response – One of the significant React Native features is—React oriented pages load way more quickly that reduces down the chance of users abandoning it. Additionally, Google scans and scores them better because they have strong attributes.
Code Reusability – Approximately 90% of codes can be reused between Android and iOS. That means when you have to develop and deploy one codebase to React Native, you can save time, effort, and money.
Live Reload – It is just like Flutter’s Hot Reload that let you quickly observe the most immediate changes made to code. When you have multiple developers working simultaneously on a codebase, this feature helps them in staying on the same page.
NPM Libraries – The setup technique has always been a headache for developers. But, thanks to the React Native NPM (Node Package Manager) installation technique, now non-java skilled people can easily apply it.
Popular React Native Apps
React Native is the most popular cross-platform app development framework, as 42% of software developers use it. Additionally, numerous popular mobile apps are developed on React Native, such as:
- Artsy – The largest online marketplace with over 1 million artworks is React Native based. When you want to build a large online community, you should only hire a React Native developer.
- Bitesnap – Your healthy eating habits are programmed through the React Native UI framework.
- Bunch – A gaming social network platform that supports group video chats while playing mobile games.
- Bloomberg – React Native has also made it possible to follow global finance and business news via an app.
- Knowt – With React Native, developers can also smoothly create AI, machine learning, and AR/VR powered mobile apps. Knowt is a perfect example of an AI, and machine learning supported educational app.
Reasons to Use React Native
Are you compelled to hire React Native app development company to support your new project? Then, that’s great because there are many reasons to use RN:
Quick Development – The framework offers a plethora of ready to use components that can quicken the app development process.
Team Building – Your globally scattered developers team can easily coordinate and modify codebase to produce a groundbreaking program.
One Team, One Code – No need to hire two separate teams to create Android and iOS codes as one team is sufficient to write one codebase.
Simplistic UI Design – RN has a declarative programming setup that can effortlessly implement native UI.
Large Community – Roughly 50,000 active RN contributors are available on Stack Overflow. So, when you have strong communal support, you can smoothly develop a flawless mobile app.
Reasons Not to Use React Native
Indeed, RN has some problems that can’t be overlooked in the over-competitive mobile app development industry, such as:
Compatibility and Debugging Issues – RN might be already used by tech giants, but developers still have to face various package compatibility and debugging issues.
Fewer Custom Elements – The framework is still under development phase, so it lacks some custom native components.
Native Developers Are Required – That’s correct; you still required native developers to implement some core native features and modules.
Straightforward Comparison Between Flutter and React Native
Definitely, Flutter and React Native are two powerful mobile app UI framework to develop cross-platform apps, but they still have a few fundamental differences like:
| Basis of Difference | Flutter | React Native |
| Programming Language | Dart | JavaScript |
| Analytical Results | Dart has less analytical features. | JavaScript is better at providing analytical results. |
| Architecture Structure | Skia C++ engine supports all the protocols, compositions and channels. | React Native uses the Flux architecture from Facebook to bridge communication with the native modules. |
| Installation Setup | Flutter can be downloaded by installing the binary for specific platform from GitHub. | It can be easily installed using the Node Package Manager. |
| Documentation | Detailed documentation is available. | Not detailed documentation available. |
| UI Components | Flutter framework is enriched with UI rendering features, navigation, testing, and device API access. | React Native has to rely upon third-party libraries to access most of the native modules. |
| Easy to Use | It is good to start demo project, but as the complexities grow, developers need to learn new flutter concepts. | For a skilled JavaScript developer, it is a fairly easy to use framework. |
| Community Support | Flutter community is growing rapidly, but less than React Native. | It has a vast developers community. |
Conclusion – Who Wins?
Nobody. What?
Yes, in the debate whether to hire Flutter app Development Company or React Native app Development Company for your modern mobile app—no one wins. That’s because both platforms have their own pros and cons, which can help you in different situations. Therefore, it depends on your app development requirements—which platform to pick.
In Which Situation Hire a Flutter App Developer?
- When you want to develop MVPs;
- Have to create tech documentations;
- Need to do some freelance work, etc.
In Which Situation Hire a React Native Developer?
- To create a heavy user base platform like Facebook or Instagram;
- Need to achieve the native feel and look;
- Require large community support, etc.
So, if we can also say that—to develop a modern app to meet all the situational needs, you should hire a complete mobile app development company where you’ll get Flutter as well as React Native support. At Arthonsys, we have highly experienced Flutter and React Native developers ready to discuss your innovative mobile app idea anytime.
