Selecting the relevant framework for your apps reflects its efficiency and features. The app must be designed properly so that it helps boost the overall user experience. With poor app performance, you would lose on your potential clients. This is where the debate starts between native & cross-platform development. In general, there is a comparison between two popular cross-platform app development frameworks that is Flutter versus React Native.
So, let us understand the comparison between Flutter and React Native from different aspects. But, before that let us understand each of these frameworks :
Know About Flutter
It can be best explained as a tool used to build an interface using the Dart programming language. To put it simply, it is based on the Google UI framework.
Flutter focuses on mobile, web platforms, and desktop through just one codebase and presents its Dart native compiler to build hardware-optimized apps, especially for the ARM architecture.
Where Can You Use Flutter?
- Apps with material design
- MVP mobile applications
- Apps that work along OS-level features
- Reactivate apps having huge data integration
- High-performing apps with Skia rendering engine
- New OS plugins with simple logic
- Flexible UI with high-level widgets
Popular Apps Built Using Flutter
- Tencent
- Google Ads
- Alibaba
- Reflectly
- BMW
- eBay
Know About React Native
It is a framework coded using the combination of JavaScript and JXL, which is a unique markup code similar to XML. This framework can interact with both domains - JavaScript-based threads & existing native app threads.
Where Can You Utilize React Native?
- Fast prototype applications
- Simple cross-platform apps
- Apps having simplified UI
- Apps that resemble native with responsive UX with the help of FlexBox
- Apps with reusable components
- Apps that function with synchronous APIs
Popular Apps Built Using React Native
- Walmart
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Bloomberg
- Wix
- SoundCloud
Benefits And Drawbacks of Flutter and React Native
Benefits of Flutter
- Rich-widgets
- Hot-reloading
- Code sharing
- Seamless integration
- Quick shipping
Drawbacks of Flutter
Tools and Plugins
Flutter comes with amazing tools and libraries but they are not as affluent as React Native.
User interface
There are issues with animation support and Vector graphics in rendering plugins faster.
Operating platform
Not an ideal option to build apps for Android Auto, tvOS, watchOS and CarPlay
Updates
The updates and patches cannot be integrated into apps easily without traveling through the basic release processes.
Benefits of React Native
- Native rendering
- High Performance
- Rich Ecosystem
- Smart Debugging
- Hot-reloading
Drawbacks of React Native
User Interface
The native rendering of APIs doesn’t support some native UI elements which make the UI appear a little dull.
Tools and Plugins
3rd party libraries used for enhanced integration can emerge as outdated.
Performance
React Native doesn’t back parallel threading & multi-processing, which affects the performance.
Debugging
Editing, inspecting codes and UI elements may not be easy in Chrome debugger.
Comparison – Flutter Versus React Native
After learning about the benefits and drawbacks of these two frameworks let us compare the two based on different aspects like :
Performance
Flutter
Certainly, the cross-platform applications developed using Flutter perform better as compared to the ones built using React Native. The reason is that it doesn’t need any bridge to initiate interactions among native modules.
Flutter makes use of the Skia graphics library that allows the UI to be recreated each time and with each change in the app view. Hence, Flutter performs flawless and effectively at 60 FPS too.
React Native
When it comes to the React Native performance, it is lower than Flutter. This is because JavaScript Bridge is accountable for setting up communication between different native modules.
Technical Architecture
Flutter
It comes with a layered architecture. So, the hierarchy of basic cross-platform mobile applications built on this framework starts with high-level root functions also called platform-specific widgets.
Flutter app development utilizes Dart framework wherein most of the components available are in-built and that is why it becomes bigger and eradicates the need for a bridge for interacting with native modules.
React Native
Well, the React Native architecture is mostly based on the JS runtime environment model also known as JavaScript Bridge. It acts as a bridge between the JavaScript thread & the Native thread.
The JavaScript code coordinates with Native API as well as the platform by making use of the Flux architecture of Facebook.
In the case of react native app development for Android, JavaScriptCore is bundled within the app whereas in the case of iOS it utilizes JavaScriptCore individually to process the code. It results in making the native functionality bigger which increases the app size too which directly leads to performance issues and device lag.
Testing Support
Flutter
Talking about test and QA, Flutter offers a series of testing features to test an app at the integration phase, unit, and widget.
Flutter owns an amazing widget testing feature that helps developers to conduct widget tests for UI testing & run them as per the unit tests speed.
React Native
React Native is based on the JavaScript framework. It means only limited testing frameworks at the unit level are available with JavaScript. Here there is a tool known as Jest which is helpful for snapshot testing.
Community Support
Flutter
Flutter has a small community of developers as compared to React Native. Certainly, it will not remain small as it is gaining popularity day by day.
React Native
React Native is an open-source framework having a huge community of developers.
Code Reusability
Flutter
The prominent feature that is most talked about during the comparison between Flutter and React Native is code reusability. When it comes to Flutter, in Dart, the codebase in Flutter is more reusable.
React Native
React Native cross-platform applications development framework is the ideal option to get development speed. On the other hand, it comes with some limitations hence it is not compatible at all times
User Experience
Flutter
Flutter utilizes customized tools, widgets, and elements to offer an amazing user experience. The Flutter framework is based on Dart language which comes with a reverse entailment garbage collection function which helps in building UI frames for different objects that are mostly temporary.
React Native
It is becoming challenging for React native to maintain the frequent updates and modifications needed for native platforms due to the introduction of style design in iOS & material design almost every day.
Learning Curve
Flutter
Flutter is easy to learn. You may find the coding part using Dart a little tricky, but this is what makes the overall development process easier using Flutter.
The beginners need to have knowledge fundamentals of iOS app development & android app development to learn Flutter swiftly. Also, the documentation available with Flutter is easy to understand as compared to React Native.
React Native
When it comes to the learning curve of this framework, it is easy to learn for the developers who have experience in creating cross-platform mobile applications using JavaScript. Talking about web app development, the developers do not find it easy to learn and implement this framework.
Final Words
We have witnessed a huge transformation in the mobile development sector and days are gone when native app development was ruling the app development. Today, we are opting for cross-platform mobile application development.
Well, both Flutter and React Native gained popularity as cross-platform frameworks. Flutter is new as compared to React Native but is slowly gaining momentum. The choice of frameworks out of these two frameworks entirely depends on your requirements, project needs, and the skills of the developers.
If you are not sure what framework to choose for your next app development project or want mobile app development services that help you choose the right framework and build an app for your business needs, X-Byte Enterprise Solutions can help you get the right app development solutions built on React Native or Flutter to match your project requirements. We are a leading mobile app development company to assist you to get your cross-platform app to scale your business using the right framework.