Flutter vs React Native: Which is Better for Apps in 2022

In a world where nearly everyone has a smartphone, it's no surprise that mobile apps are more popular than ever. And with the average person spending more than two hours a day on their phone, there's a lot of potentials for businesses to reach new customers through mobile apps. But what is the best way to build an app? There are two main choices: Flutter vs React Native.

Both have their pros and cons, so it can be tough to decide which one to choose. In this blog, we'll compare Flutter and React Native in terms of features, development process, community support, and more. We'll also give you a few tips on how to decide which one is the best fit for your project. Let's get started!

What is Flutter?

Flutter is a mobile app software development kit for building high-performance, feature-rich apps for both Android and iOS. In addition to offering a set of platform, layout, and foundation widgets, the Flutter framework makes it easy to build responsive user interfaces.

Flutter's expressive and flexible material design language helps you create beautiful and intuitive user experiences. Material Design is an opinionated design system created by Google, that includes principles for visual, motion, and interaction design.

Flutter apps are written using the Dart programming language and compiled to native code, so they run fast and provide a rich set of features.

Use Cases of Flutter

If you want to create an interface that is truly unique and different from what is currently available on the market, then Flutter is a great choice. As for the use cases of Flutter vs React Native, there are a few key scenarios when you should consider using Flutter to build your mobile app.

1. Performing Mobile Apps: When the time to market is critical and you want to get a product out to customers as soon as possible, Flutter can help you do that. With its hot reload feature, you can quickly iterate on your app and make changes without having to rebuild it from scratch each time.
2. Complex UIs: If you want to create an app with custom UI or animations, Flutter can help you achieve that. The platform gives you a lot of control over how your app looks and feels, so you can create an experience that is truly unique to your brand.
3. Material Designs: Flutter’s material design widgets are built to conform to the Google material design guidelines, so if you’re looking to create an app that adheres to those guidelines, Flutter is a good choice.
4. Complex yet Useful Features: If your app needs to access complex device features, such as the camera or geolocation, Flutter’s plugin system makes it easy to do so. You can also use plugins to access simpler features, such as storage or networking.
5. Apps with OS-strength features: With Flutter’s plugin system, you can access many of the native platform’s features, such as the camera, geolocation, and storage. This can be helpful if you want to create an app that takes advantage of some of the device’s capabilities.

Popular Apps Build with Flutter

According to Google, "Building beautiful mobile apps with Flutter is simple and quick". Flutter apps are written in the Dart programming language and compiled to native code, so they can run on both iOS and Android devices.

One of the most well-known examples of a Flutter app is Google's own AdWords app. AdWords is a complex tool that allows businesses to manage and monitor their advertising campaigns. The app was originally built using Dart but was later rewritten using Flutter. Explore some popular apps that are made with Flutter and decide between flutter or react native which is better.

• Alibaba (An e-commerce app)
• AppTree (An enterprise workflow app)
• Birch Finance (A financial management app)
• Crypto Price Tracker (A cryptocurrency tracker)
• Reflectly (A journaling app)
• Robbins Survey (A survey app)
• SpaceX GO! (An educational app about space exploration)
• The Guardian (A news app)
• Watermaniac (A water tracking app).

Pros of Flutter

Flutter allows developers to create native-looking apps for both Android and iOS devices with a single codebase. When comparing Flutter vs React Native, Flutter comes with a number of features that make it an attractive option for app development.

1. Flutter is fast and responsive: Using the Dart programming language makes flutter apps go ahead of time, making them much faster than apps built with other frameworks.
2. Flutter is customizable: Developers can create their own widgets or use existing ones from the rich ecosystem of packages available on Pub.
3. Flutter apps look great: The framework includes a set of high-quality Material Design widgets that can be customized to match the branding of any app.
4. Flutter is easy to learn: The Dart language is easy to read and write, and there is a wealth of resources available to help developers get started with Flutter and work on some innovative project ideas that can help you make millions.

Cons of Flutter

While Flutter has a lot of great features, there are also some drawbacks that developers should be aware of.

1. Flutter is still fairly new: There is a smaller pool of available resources and documentation compared to other frameworks. This can make it more difficult to find answers to questions or solve problems that come up.
2. Differences in platform conventions and widget sets: While Flutter apps can be compiled for both Android and iOS, they may not always look quite as native as apps built specifically for each platform.
3. Flutter uses its own rendering engine: There is a chance of getting performance issues on lower-end devices.

What is React Native?

React Native is a JavaScript framework for building native mobile apps. It allows developers to write code that can be run on both iOS and Android devices. React Native is based on the React framework, which was created by Facebook.

While React Native shares many features with React, there are some key differences including the use of native components instead of web components. It gives the app a more native feel than those built with other frameworks.

In addition, React Native uses a different way of rendering than React. Instead of using the browser's DOM, React Native renders views using the native platform's UI elements. It allows React Native apps to become faster and smoother.

Use Cases of React Native

Considering the use cases of Flutter vs React Native, developers often choose React Native as it offers a significant performance boost over traditional approaches to mobile development. It is mostly used in the following situations:

1. Creating Simple Apps: If you want to create a simple app that runs on both iOS and Android, React Native can help you do that. With its focus on simplicity, React Native is a great choice for building basic cross-platform apps.
2. Simplified UI Apps: If you want to create an app with a simplified UI, React Native can help you do that. The platform is designed to make it easy to build simple interfaces that are easy to use.
3. Quick prototype Apps: When you need to quickly prototype an app, React Native can be a great choice. With its hot reload feature, you can quickly iterate on your app and make changes without having to rebuild it from scratch each time.
4. Applications with reusable components: If you want to create an app with reusable components, React Native can help you do that. The platform’s component-based architecture makes it easy to reuse components across different parts of your app.
5. Responsive & Smooth Apps: If you need to create a high-performance app, React Native can be a great choice. The platform’s focus on performance and efficiency can help you create an app that is responsive and smooth.

Popular Apps Build with React Native

React Native is a popular framework for building native mobile apps. It allows developers to create cross-platform apps that work on both Android & iOS devices. Here are some popular apps that are built using React Native:

1. Facebook: React Native was originally created by Facebook, so it's no surprise that the social media giant has used the framework to build its own app.
2. Instagram: Another Facebook-owned app, Instagram, is also built using React Native. The app makes heavy use of animations and scrolling effects, which are smooth and responsive.
3. Airbnb: The popular vacation rental site Airbnb is another app that's been built using React Native. The app makes it easy to find and book vacation rentals all over the world.
4. Skype: The popular video chat app Skype uses React Native to power its conversational interface. The app makes it easy to connect with friends and family members no matter where they are in the world.

Pros of React Native

React Native JS is one of the best JavaScript frameworks as it was first created by Facebook. The difference between flutter and react-native can be determined by analyzing their benefits. You can write real, native Android and iOS apps with React Native JavaScript framework and it offers you the following benefits:

1. Fewer cross-platform issues: React Native uses the same core UI components across platforms, so your app will have a consistent look and feel on both iOS and Android.
2. Faster development time: As you can reuse code across platforms, React Native apps can be developed much faster than traditional native apps.
3. Access to native features: With React Native, you have access to all of the native platform's capabilities, such as push notifications and GPS.
4. Community support: React Native has a large and active community of developers who are always willing to help out with problems and suggest informative blogs.

Cons of React Native

While React Native has many benefits, there are also some potential drawbacks that one needs to consider for Flutter vs React Native comparison.

1. React Native doesn’t have full support for all platforms: There are still some components that don’t work on React Native, which can be frustrating for developers trying to use the framework.
2. Framework can be slow at times: JavaScript runs in a separate thread from native code, which can cause performance issues and may cause your framework to become slow.
3. It can be difficult to debug: There are two sets of code (JavaScript and native code) that need to be debugged separately and it can make tracking down bugs a time-consuming process.

Flutter vs React Native: Development & Installation

When it comes to cross-platform mobile app development, there are two main frameworks that developers consider: React Native and Flutter. The below table will help you understand Flutter vs React Native in terms of development & installation.

Flutter vs React Native: Performance

Flutter apps are compiled directly to native code, without going through an intermediate language like JavaScript. It provides better performance, especially when it comes to animation and graphics-intensive applications.

React Native apps, on the other hand, are interpreted by a JavaScript engine at runtime which leads to some delays and sluggishness, especially on older devices.

Another factor to consider in Flutter vs React Native Performance is app size. Flutter apps are compiled to native code, they tend to be larger than React Native apps. This can be a downside if you're targeting users with limited storage space, or if you want your app to download quickly over a slow connection.

So, which platform is faster? It depends on your specific needs. If you're looking for raw speed and performance, Flutter is the way to go. But if you need a smaller app size or better compatibility with existing JavaScript libraries, React Native may be a better choice.

Flutter vs React Native: Which one to Choose in 2022?

At this point, it seems like React Native has a slight edge. It’s been around longer and has a larger community of developers supporting it. However, Flutter is quickly catching up and has some distinct advantages – especially if you’re targeting Android devices.

And with the rise of AI and voice-activated assistants like Alexa and Siri, apps are only going to become important. So, if you're looking for a career that's both exciting and future-proof, building apps is the way to go.

If you want to start building apps using Flutter or React Native, your basics in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript should be strong. Enroll in Board Infinity's Front End Development course and learn from the top industry experts with personalized mentoring for you. This will allow you to tap into a vast and growing market, as well as keep up with the latest technology trends.