Flutter vs. React Native: Which to Choose for Your Startup

React Native is popular. Flutter is gaining momentum. Who will win in the end? We have reviewed the main advantages of both tools to help you choose the best cross-platform framework for your app development project!

One of the most discussed topics in app development right now is the comparison between Flutter and React Native. The established React Native library faces a young but truly promising competitor in Flutter. Who will win in the end? No one knows, but the battle will be interesting!   

There are many approaches to building mobile apps. Cross-platform development constantly competes with the native approach. There is no clear winner in this competition yet, but companies can choose the technologies that best suit their needs.

Why do we advocate for cross-platform development? Based on our experience, it's a sensible choice because it allows you to build native apps for all platforms using a single tech stack. Essentially, you only need to hire one team responsible for developing and maintaining your software for all operating systems.

Admittedly, cross-platform apps have lower performance compared to native ones. But this trade-off is acceptable for most projects, as it significantly reduces development time and cost.

What is React Native? Basic Information

React Native is a cross-platform app development library created and maintained by Facebook. Its older brother is React, one of the most popular frontend frameworks.

React Native is a JavaScript framework, making it very easy for web developers to learn. However, compared to frontend development, there is a significant difference: React Native does not use HTML and CSS, but uses JSX and CSS-like polyfills. This means developers can create various components like in React, but they will be rendered to native controllers depending on the operating system. As a result, the user gets an experience close to native.

Why We Love React Native

• Using web technologies for mobile app development. React Native has a low learning curve, allowing web developers to create mobile apps with less effort. Thus, if you already have a website for your product, you can engage the same team for mobile app development. Reducing recruitment and hiring costs, as well as shortening time to market, are undeniable advantages of using this library.
• Using native components. React Native allows you to use the same components that are used when developing native apps. This means that the app interface (including buttons, transitions, etc.) will be completely familiar to the end user.
• Hot reload. All changes made by the developer to the code can be immediately observed, making the development and debugging process faster and more efficient.
• Community and documentation. Currently, React Native is the leader, and thousands of developers use it to build cross-platform apps from scratch. The value of community interaction cannot be overstated. Moreover, the available documentation is comprehensive and helpful. Thus, you will always get an answer to any question related to React Native app development.

Yes, this framework is great. But there are still some drawbacks you should be aware of:

Potential Issues with React Native

• Security issues. For security-sensitive software (e.g., banking apps or any other applications processing sensitive user data), additional protection must be considered.
• JavaScript bridge. This is the main reason why React Native cannot surpass native apps in performance: interaction with native components occurs through a JavaScript bridge. The extra layer leads to slight delays when loading the app. In most cases, this delay is too small to notice, but for some performance-critical functions, this difference will be significant.
• Need to use third-party components. This tool has a few built-in modules for iOS and Android, but in most cases they are not enough to build a well-functioning app. The number of third-party components for React Native development remains limited. The strong community gives us great hope that this number will grow over time.

What is Flutter? Basic Information

At the end of 2018, developers gained access to a brand new cross-platform SDK for app development - Google launched Flutter.

Flutter is based on Dart, a programming language originally used internally at Google. The company's new operating system, Fuchsia OS, is also written in this language. Thus, it's clear that Google wants Dart to become a mainstream programming language. It is an OOP language that will be easy for Java and C++ developers to learn.

Using Dart has several advantages, but we won't go into details now. Only one thing is worth mentioning: Dart compiles directly to native code without using bridges (like React Native). As a result, apps built with Dart run faster.

What Can Flutter Offer?

• Execution speed. Because this SDK does not use JavaScript as a bridge, Flutter achieves performance comparable to native apps written in Java/Kotlin or Swift/Objective-C. At the same time, the main feature of cross-platform app development—using a single tech stack for all platforms—remains a big advantage.
• Own graphics engine. Flutter does not use native components, so there is no need for extra layers that affect performance. Instead, all components are created on the tool's own graphics engine, ensuring fast rendering.
• Hot reload. Like React Native, Flutter implements hot reload. The built-in JIT compiler allows quick reflection of code changes and easy bug fixing. As a result, app development with this tool is fast and with fewer errors.
• Supported platforms. Flutter uses a single codebase that compiles directly for three platforms: iOS, Android, and Fuchsia.

Google has been working on Fuchsia for several years, and it is still unknown exactly what this OS will be used for. According to rumors, Fuchsia will be a universal operating system, unifying all types of hardware under one hood, including PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, IoT devices, etc.

The fact that Flutter supports Fuchsia OS even before its official release shows that Google takes the new platform quite seriously. Thus, by choosing Flutter, you are prepared for possible changes in the tech world!

However, choosing the latest technologies for project development always carries some risk.

Potential Issues with Flutter

• Large installation package size. In addition to the SDK itself, you need to download Dart virtual machines required for compilation depending on target platforms.
• Instability. The tool was released recently, and some features are still unstable. However, now is the perfect time to experiment with new and promising technologies.
• Fewer libraries. For native app development, there are more libraries to choose from. However, the Flutter community continues to grow, and the number of third-party tools is increasing.

Performance Comparison: Flutter vs React Native

As you can see, these two libraries have much in common, but some differences may be decisive for making the right choice. 

The main difference between the two frameworks is app performance. Flutter apps are more powerful and in most cases indistinguishable from native apps. However, the novelty of this solution still scares some development teams, and they prefer to follow the well-known path.

When to Use React Native?

Finally, we have reached the main section of this article. Find your case below:

You are pressed for time
React Native is extremely popular among developers, so hiring a team is not difficult. Consider using this technology if you need to start development as soon as possible and you don't have time to look for Dart programmers or learn the language yourself.

You are not ready to take risks
We're not saying Flutter is a risky choice. But let's face it: new technologies need time to become 100% reliable. If stability and flexibility are your number one priority, then React Native is a good option. This library has been on the market for several years and releases updates in a timely manner. Flutter is young, and its heyday is still ahead. Right now, we expect many experiments from Flutter's creators, so think carefully whether you're ready to be a part of them.

When to Use Flutter?

But don't make hasty decisions. Being a newcomer to the market, Flutter is still a good option. Especially in these cases:

Performance is your priority
Flutter is the optimal choice for achieving a native user experience. The performance and speed of apps created with Dart are higher, as it does not use a JavaScript layer to interact with native components.

You aim to reduce time to market
Flutter offers a clear, convenient, and fast development process, allowing the programmer to do everything in a single environment and in one programming language. Extreme code reusability helps reduce development budget and time to market.

If you need fast app development and impressive native performance, then Flutter is your choice. However, allocate some time to learn Dart. Also, be prepared for some experiments with the framework. It is young, the community is not yet powerful, so some issues may arise during development.

Conclusion

If you are considering cross-platform app development as an option for your project - congratulations! You have found the optimal price-quality ratio. As a result of your efforts, you will get a reliable app that resembles a native one, but development and maintenance will be much simpler and cheaper than native development.

When looking for a suitable technical partner, be sure to choose a team with relevant experience. There are some points to consider when developing cross-platform apps.