Flutter Vs. ReactNative: Benefits of Both Frameworks

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There’s always a lot of debate on which framework you should use to develop an application. Some argue that Flutter is the right choice, and some tell you to go for ReactNative. But how do you decide? Well, for starters, you could just get in touch with a custom mobile app development company and they could guide you to choose which framework is the best for you.

But if you’re looking to build one yourself, then in this blog, we’ll dive deeper into what a framework is, what are the differences between Flutter and ReactNative, and how to choose the right one for your needs. Let’s start off with what a framework really is.

Overview of Frameworks

A framework is basically the technology you build your application or software on. There exist many different types of frameworks, each unique with its own set of features and purpose. Think of it like building a house. Your application or software is the house and the framework is the foundation of that house.

Sure, you can build it from the ground up yourself but wouldn’t you rather opt for the relatively cheaper and quicker option, knowing the result will more or less be the same? This is the idea behind a framework. Flutter and ReactNative are the two frameworks we’ll be discussing and juxtaposing in this blog. So let’s get right to it.

What is Flutter

Developed by Google and first released in May of 2017, Flutter is a cross-platform framework used in web development, desktop app development, and mobile app development. What makes Flutter a unique and sought-after framework is that it uses a singular codebase for all types of applications, with very little to no tweaks.

Performance

Flutter applications are generally high-performance applications because of the Dart programming language, which enables quick compilation of code and smooth displays (60 fps)

Development

The development time in using Flutter is greater than that of ReactNative. Although you can use a single codebase for both Android and iOS applications, it’s still necessary to add different code files for Android and iOS.

Pros of Flutter

These are the pros that come with the Flutter framework

1.    Hot Reload

Hot Reload is a very useful feature in an application’s development. You can make changes to the source code without the need to stop and reload the entire code. This helps significantly increase development time as developers do not need to go back and forth after each edit.

2.    Single Codebase for Multiple Platforms

Flutter has another unique feature that enables application development for both Android and iOS using a singular codebase.

3.    Quick Testing

Since Flutter uses a single codebase, it makes Quality Assurance easier as it cuts down the testing time by at least half, as opposed to native components, which take longer to test.

4.    Native 2D Graphics Library

Instead of relying on third-party libraries, Flutter lets you use its own Graphics Library known as Skia. Skia takes advantage of the GPU to deliver great speed and smoothness up to 60 frames per second. You can specifically program the redrawing process of elements during the coding and development phase.

5.    Creating Great Designs

Flutter allows the creation of custom widgets and designs by using its own graphics engine that is dynamic across all platforms, ensuring you always get a consistent UI design regardless of the platform.

6.    Same UI Across All Versions

Flutter is able to work smoothly across multiple platforms and even on older versions of android.

Cons of Flutter

Here are the cons that come with the Flutter framework

1.    Small Development Community (or is it?)

Now the reason why JavaScript is more popular compared to Dart and why Flutter has a much smaller community of developers as opposed to ReactNative is primarily that Flutter came out two years after ReactNative. But, it is important to point out that in recent years, trends have begun shifting, and people are shifting towards Flutter as their go-to framework for developing applications.

2.    Limited Support & Libraries

Although Google has made efforts to build a sizable database of Flutter documentation, libraries, and other support resources, it will still take time to compete with the native documentation and resources that developers can easily find.

3.    Lack of CI/CD Support

Flutter lacks support for continuous integration and continuous deployment tools (CI/CD), forcing developers to use custom scripts in testing and implementing changes.

4.    Platform Dependency

Since Flutter is developed and managed by Google, if they (worst case scenario) decide to scrap the project, it will leave the developers in deep waters. Although it is worth mentioning that the chances of such an occurrence are relatively low. But that certainly doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be aware of the risks associated.

Examples of Famous Flutter Apps

Here are some prominent examples of world-famous apps developed using the power of Flutter.

1. Alibaba

Using the power of Flutter, Alibaba was able to create an app that offered users peak performance and stunning graphics. It has over 100 million downloads on Google Play Store.

2. Hookle

Hookle, a social media management app, has been featured as one of the greatest apps ever built using Flutter.

3. Google Ads

Another noteworthy example of Flutter apps is Google Ads. It currently has a 4.5-star rating in the App Store because of its stunning performance, stable design, and functionalities.

Supernova, CrowdSource, eBay, ByteDance, BMW, Push, and Tencent are just a few examples of well-known businesses that have adopted Flutter for app development.

To learn more about Flutter in detail, we’d advise getting in touch with a Flutter app development company like Trango Tech.

What is ReactNative

Developed by Meta (previously known as Facebook) back in 2015, ReactNative is an open-source, cross-platform framework used for the development of iOS, Android, Windows, and Web applications. It uses Native and JavaScript programming languages as opposed to Flutter, which uses Dart.

Performance

Since ReactNative uses JavaScript and Native programming language, demonstrating a high level of performance in apps is insufficient. To achieve the desired result, developers must therefore blend additional interactions with native ones.

Given both JavaScript and native components makeup React Native’s design, the framework needs a JS bridge to communicate with native components. This makes ReactNative comparatively slower than other similar frameworks.

Development

ReactNative allows developers to develop applications efficiently by saving time and money with features like Fast Refresh. Although React Native builds packages, unlike Flutter, it is simple to install. Only UI rendering and device access APIs are offered by React Native. This indicates that the React framework is dependent on outside or third-party libraries.

Pros of React Native

These are the benefits that help set ReactNative apart from the rest of the frameworks.

1. Fast Refresh

Like Flutter’s Hot Reload, ReactNative has fast refresh, although the difference between features lies in their nuances. The Fast refresh feature, introduced in ReactNative’s v0.61 as a combination of Live and Hot Reload, makes it easy for developers to directly edit the source code and simulate the changes.

2. Single Codebase

Just like Flutter, ReactNative can be used to build applications on multiple platforms using the same codebase. The JavaScript programming language used in ReactNative is also compatible to work with web applications too.

3. JavaScript’s Wide Compatibility

ReactNative’s JavaScript is one of the most widely used programming languages and has greater support as opposed to Flutter’s Dart programming language.

4. Developer Can Decide

The ReactNative framework allows the developer to have complete and total control over what React components to use and which Native components to write.

5. Strong Community

Since the ReactNative framework came out two years earlier than Flutter, it has a lot more support than its rival. There exists various different support, documentation, libraries, and UI designs that can be used by developers.

6. Flat Learning Curve

Developers that are already proficient in building web applications can pick up React Native quickly as the main programming language is JavaScript, which is also used in building web applications.

7. Half the Testing

Since ReactNative is a platform-independent framework,you just need to run a test once to identify any bugs or errors in the code.

Cons of React Native

Here are the cons that come with ReactNative.

1. Near-Native  But Not True Native

ReactNative lets you ‘mimic’ a native experience. It’s different from creating it entirely with native platforms and native components. There are still certain variations and inefficiencies in the termination size, speed, and computing power requirements, even though it looks near native.

2. Necessity for Customization

You might come across a few UI components like buttons, notification prompts, and indications when using the native components and framework. However, React Native just offers you the most elementary ones. The rest will require your own design and customization.

3. Requires a Decision

You can choose to use React Native or stick with native components as a React Native developer. To produce the most effective results, you must weigh each situation’s benefits and drawbacks as well as its performance. Finding the business logic and React Native performance comparison for each case will therefore take more time and effort.

4. Outdated Resources

Even though ReactNative has amassed a sizable number of resource libraries over time, they contain a lot of obsolete materials and out-of-date libraries. Skimming through those packages, repositories, and libraries to find a relevant one is a waste of time and energy.

5. Unstable UI

When updates are rolled out by the manufacturer, ReactNative applications have a tendency to break down and glitch, creating a bad impression among users.

Examples of Famous ReactNative Apps

Here are some distinguished apps created using the ReactNative framework.

1. Instagram

With more than two-billion downloads, Instagram is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. It was built using ReactNative

2. Walmart

Walmart, one of the biggest retailers in the world, created its app on ReactNative.

3. Tesla

Tesla developed their app using ReactNative, and it has over a million downloads on the Google Play Store alone.

To learn more about how ReactNative can be beneficial for your application needs, get in touch with a React Native app development company.

Which One To Choose? Flutter vs. ReactNative

 ReactNativeFlutter
Large size with the high performance needed 
Quick time-to-market 
Needs a lot of customization 
App has 3D designs to render 
Need multi-platform application 
Later plan to create a web app 

Conclusion

It’s tough to decide which of the two cross-platform mobile app development frameworks, Flutter or React Native, is better. The fact that Flutter was created by Google and had top-notch documentation is a benefit. However, React Native has a larger community and is more well-liked among developers. So before jumping on the bandwagon, identify what your needs are and which framework best fulfills them.

Godspeed.

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