Flutter vs React Native: Which Platform Would Be Best in 2020?

Facebook’s React Native and Google’s Flutter- two hot cross-platform app development technologies have quickly become the favorite frameworks for many developers to build fast, productive, open-source yet beautiful mobile applications. We build commercial apps for varying industries and suggest the framework that works best for our clients’ app requirements. Still, we often get the same set of queries popping up:

• Which will be the best framework – Native, Flutter, or React Native?
• Will my App give optimal performance?
• Would the framework be good for UI/UX?

To cover the answers to all these queries; we have to bring down this blog covering the following topics:

• What are Flutter and React Native?
• What are the popular apps made by Flutter and React Native?
• Pros and Cons of Flutter and React Native
• Which Framework would be the best for you?

What are Flutter and React Native?

Flutter is Google’s UI toolkit used for building beautiful, natively compiled applications from a single codebase for mobile, web, and desktop known as a cross-platform app; until now only referred to Android and iOS. But late last year Google also announced that Flutter developers will soon be able to target macOS, Windows, and Linux.

React Native is Facebook’s open-source framework for cross-platform development which allows developers to write their code in JavaScript and then run it on Android and iOS. With React Native, the framework uses JavaScript to call native APIs, so developers can make use of their existing JavaScript infrastructure and still get the benefits of this language.

Popular Apps Made In Flutter And React Native

Apps Made In Flutter Framework

• Google Ads
• Alibaba (eCommerce)
• Dream 11- A Fantasy sports platform
• TopLine – A music recording app
• Reflectly – A journal and mindfulness app
• Birch Finance – A credit card rewards app
• Hamilton Musical (Entertainment)
• Coach Yourself – A meditation app
• Cryptograph – A finance app
• Entrena Pro – A fitness app that connects athletes with sports coaches and sports centers

Apps Made In React Native Framework

• Facebook
• Walmart
• Bloomberg
• Instagram
• Skype
• SoundCloud Pulse
• Tesla
• UberEats
• Wix
• Delivery.com

Pros and Cons of Flutter and React Native

1. Programming Language

React Native uses JavaScript to build cross-platform apps one of the most popular high-level, dynamic programming languages which makes it flexible and easy for development. Flutter uses Dart programming language, easy to understand for JavaScript developers but rarely used by developers. Consequently, JavaScript’s wide adoption by developers makes React Native win in the programming language category.

2. Technology Stack

React Native uses the Flux architecture from Facebook and the JavaScript Bridge to communicate with the native modules. While Flutter uses the Skia engine (used by Dart Framework) which has a plethora of protocols, compositions, and channels. Additionally, the Dart framework has maximum components built which lessen the requirement of a bridge to communicate with native modules. Henceforth, enabling Flutter gives high performance and makes it the winner in the richness of technical architecture.

3. Installation Method

Since React Native is installed using the Node Package Manager; it becomes easy to install React Native for developers keeping acute knowledge of JavaScript. Flutter can be installed by downloading the binary for a specific platform from Github; requiring extra steps for downloading it from the source code; as compared to React Native which makes React Native a suitable framework having easy installation.

4. UI Components

React Native heavily relies on third-party libraries for accessing native modules. Whereas Flutter comes with a rich set of UI rendering components, navigation testing, widgets, stateful management, device API access, and loads of libraries. This allows developers to easily leverage the UI on both platforms. This independence of Flutter on third-party libraries, unlike React Native, makes Flutter the winner.

5. Testing Support

React Native uses Jest a JavaScript testing framework as its testing tool. It is fast and safe and can mock any object outside the scope of the test in a simple manner. The other testing frameworks are Detox, Cypress, Enzyme, and Karma. These tools are good for snapshot testing but when it comes to UI-level testing, React Native takes a back seat. Whereas, Flutter provides some amazing testing features to test the apps while they are developed. Flutter apps can be tested by unit, widget and integration level. The rich set of testing features available with Flutter and conversely, React Native having no official support for UI level testing makes it less competitive than Flutter.

Which Framework would be the best for you?

Other than the conditions discussed above;

Choose React Native when:

• If your app requires multiple interactions with an OS or seldom needs native libraries
• If your app needs minimalistic UI
• If your app design is platform-specific

Choose Flutter when:

• If your app needs to handle less common, or particular tasks.
• If you require custom communication via Bluetooth.

Have more to ask for your cross-platform app development project? OR Still, have queries taking the framework? Contact our React Native developers and Flutter developers and build the app that perfectly matches your business requirements.