Cross-Platform App Development for Businesses: A Comparative Study of React Native and Flutter
The emergence of mobile apps has transformed the world of app development forever. With a staggering 92% of the world’s 6.8 billion mobile users dedicating their time to apps and social media, it’s clear that the mobile app market is a force to be reckoned with.
In response, businesses and entrepreneurs are seeking innovative and efficient solutions that allow for the fast and cost-effective launch of new applications on all mobile platforms, including Android and iOS. Developing a native app may require companies to hire a diverse range of specialists with expertise in various areas to cover all aspects of the product. These costs can be impossible for small and medium-sized businesses to afford.
So, why pay more when you can choose between React Native and Flutter, two more cost-efficient and faster ways to build an app? As of 2021, Flutter was a top choice of 42% of developers, closely followed by React Native, with an impressive 38% of the vote. With such powerful and versatile frameworks at their fingertips, developers can create the majority of modern apps that cater to the needs of both businesses and consumers.
But which technology is better for building mobile apps: React Native or Flutter? We dive into the details in this article.
Basic features of React Native and Flutter
React Native and Flutter are two popular frameworks for building high-quality mobile applications. They are built on different technologies and programming languages. React Native was developed by Facebook and is built on top of the React JavaScript library, which is widely used for building web applications. In contrast, Flutter was created by Google and is built on top of the Dart programming language, which is designed specifically for building scalable and performant mobile apps.
Language
React Native primarily uses JavaScript for app development, which is a popular language among web developers due to its low learning curve and ease of use. It’s also ideal for functional programming, allowing the creation of modular code.
In contrast, Flutter’s primary language is Dart, an object-oriented and class-based language designed for creating high-performance apps. Dart is an excellent option for developers who want to create natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop.
Virtual machine
React Native uses JavaScriptCore — a virtual machine that interprets JavaScript to create native apps for iOS and Android systems.
Flutter uses Dart VM — a unique runtime and virtual machine with just-in-time compiler, hot reload, and debugging support, which is designed to be fast and efficient. It is also able to combine Dart code into native machine code, which enables creation of apps that feel native while maintaining high performance.
The challenges of cross-platform development
While native applications have been a dominant force on the market, cross-platform development presents an attractive alternative for businesses and developers looking to avoid duplicating efforts and stretching their teams too thin. However, this approach does come with its own set of challenges, including compatibility and performance issues that must be addressed.
Another hurdle for cross-platform development is integrating native functionality and platform-specific features. Native applications have typically held an advantage in this area, but with advancements in frameworks like Flutter and React Native, developers now have access to the tools and resources necessary to successfully integrate these features into their cross-platform apps.
How React Native and Flutter address these challenges
Compatibility
Flutter Platform Channel is an excellent mechanism that serves as a communication tool between app’s Dart code and native code of the target platform. It allows developers to write platform-specific code for Android or iOS that is invoked from the Dart code that runs on Flutter framework. Platform Channel gives access to native functionality and provides the ability to integrate third-party libraries for a specific platform.
React Native uses Native Modules to achieve the same goal. With Native Modules, developer is able to access native functionality that is otherwise unavailable for React Native. The system exposes instances of native classes to JavaScript thus allowing developer to execute native code from within JavaScript.
Performance
Flutter, which is built on the Dart programming language, provides high performance through its fast code compilation, resulting in impressive animation rendering at 60 FPS, an industry standard. Flutter’s flexibility allows developers to choose between two different compilation options, either translating the source code directly into the target OS language during coding (Ahead-of-time), which results in smoother and more reliable app development, or during runtime (Just-in-time). As a result, Flutter offers high performance by default.
In comparison, React Native uses a bridge to enable interaction between JavaScript and native user interface components and device-specific elements like Bluetooth, sensors, and camera. Because of this bridge-based communication, React Native is slightly slower than Flutter and there is a chance for some error to appear, but it can still achieve near-native experience with additional tweaks.
Native functionality and platform-specific features
Flutter has its own rendering engine and customizable widgets, which can be tailored to match the look and feel of native components on each platform. Additionally, Flutter offers developers access to platform-specific APIs, such as camera, sensors, and location services, enabling the creation of high-performance mobile apps.
On the other hand, React Native utilizes a bridge to connect the app’s JavaScript code with native components of the platform, which allows developers to access the platform’s native functionality and features like location services, camera, and sensors. Still, a need for bridge means that chances of getting some error are higher. React Native also offers a wide range of UI components and libraries that enable developers to build visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces that provide a native-like experience.
Comparison of Flutter and React Native for cross-platform development
Both frameworks have their respective advantages for cross-platform development. It comes down to individual preferences of development teams and their end goals. The table below provides a comparison of features that are important for cross-platform development:
| Flutter | React Native |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Time to market | |
| Uses one codebase for multiple platforms. | Uses native components thus requiring separate optimization. |
| MVP | |
| A collection of UI features and interactive designs eliminates a need for costly API. combined with fewer testing requirements and Hot Reload Feature, development time is lower. | Can be written with plain JavaScript but has limited access to web applications on devices. |
| Security | |
| The framework is hard to reverse engineer and is compiled ahead of time into native code, resulting in enhanced security. | Requires more attention to security because it is a JavaScript-based library. |
| Scalability | |
| Customizable widgets combined with ease of access and integration provide increased scalability. It is possible to integrate Flutter into an existing web or mobile app, leading to additional savings. | A large collection of API for native interfaces as well as support of features such as Wi-Fi, geolocation, and Bluetooth offers high scalability. |
| Build/release support | |
| The command-line interface allows automatic deployment. It also has official documentation for Fastlane deployment. | Automatic deployment requires third-party utilities and there is no official documentation on creating CI/CD pipelines. |
Both technologies have their strengths and weaknesses, and there are no clear benefits that make one technology superior to the other. Therefore, it’s essential to choose a technology based on the specific needs of the future product.
For instance, Flutter is evolving rapidly and is ideal for companies that want to adapt quickly to the ever-changing needs of the modern tech world, thanks to Dart’s excellent performance and flexibility. On the other hand, React Native is a robust cross-platform platform, although JavaScript-based apps may not perform as efficiently as Flutter.
Discussion of the pros and cons of using each technology for cross-platform development
| Flutter | React Native |
|---|---|
| |
| Pros | |
| Flutter provides integration capabilities with other programming languages and frameworks, which allows developers to easily integrate it with existing systems or tools. | React Native allows for the creation of a single codebase that can be used to build apps for multiple platforms, which significantly reduces development time and costs. |
| Flutter is known for its high performance and smooth animations, which allow for seamless user experiences. Flutter’s use of the Skia graphics engine helps to deliver fast rendering of complex animations and transitions. | React Native provides a rich set of UI and UX components, allowing developers to create visually appealing and intuitive interfaces for their apps. React Native’s use of native components ensures that the app looks and feels like a native app, providing a superior user experience. |
| Flutter provides a wide range of customizable widgets, which can be easily customized to meet the specific needs of the app. | React Native’s single codebase approach allows for low maintenance costs as developers only need to maintain a single codebase for multiple platforms. |
| Flutter’s hot reloading feature allows developers to see changes in the code instantly without having to rebuild the entire app. | React Native has a large and active community of developers, which provides a wealth of resources, support, and third-party libraries. |
| Flutter provides high performance and fast rendering, allowing for smooth animations and transitions. This is because Flutter uses Skia, a high-performance graphics engine, to render its UI elements. | React Native provides native-like performance, which allows apps to run smoothly and quickly across platforms. |
| Flutter provides a wide range of customizable widgets, which can be easily customized to meet the specific needs of the app. | React Native provides a wide range of third-party libraries and tools that can help developers build cross-platform apps more quickly and easily. |
| Cons | |
| Dependence on native plugins can limit functionality. To solve this problem, developers may need to create their own widgets with native code. | React Native provides a set of pre-built components and styles that may limit customization options for more complex or unique features. This can result in a lack of flexibility or a need to develop custom components from scratch. |
| Flutter uses a unique programming language, Dart, which may be less familiar to some developers. This can result in a steeper learning curve and slower development time for teams without prior experience in Dart. | React Native may face compatibility issues when integrating with native modules or libraries. This can result in slower development time and additional effort to ensure compatibility across platforms. |
| While Flutter provides a robust set of built-in widgets and tools, its third-party library ecosystem is still developing. This can make it challenging to find and integrate third-party libraries or packages for specialized features or functionality. | React Native can have slower compilation times compared to other frameworks, which can result in slower development and iteration times. |
When it comes to choosing between React Native and Flutter, companies and developers need to consider a variety of factors such as job market demand, development time, and overall project requirements. While React Native has more job openings, Flutter developers report that they can develop apps 20% faster. Ultimately, the choice between the two frameworks will depend on individual needs and preferences.
Design development for different platforms
Tips from ABCloudz specialists for designing different platforms
Cross-platform development is bound by the limitations described above but there are ways to make this method of app creation easier. Here are some of the tips that ABCloudz developers provide for ensuring the creation of consistent user experience for cross-platform apps:
- Keep user experience consistent across all platforms: Users expect consistency across different platforms, so aim to create a similar experience across all devices and operating systems.
- Follow platform design guidelines: Flutter and React Native both provide platform-specific widgets that adhere to the respective design guidelines. Make use of these widgets to ensure that your app follows the platform design guidelines.
- Use cross-platform development frameworks: Flutter and React Native both provide cross-platform development frameworks that can simplify cross-platform development and ensure consistent functionality across platforms.
- Keep code modular and reusable: Use modular and reusable code to simplify maintenance and updates. This approach also makes it easier to adapt to changes in different platforms.
- Prioritize performance: Both Flutter and React Native provide tools for optimizing performance. Use these tools to identify performance bottlenecks and optimize your code accordingly.
- Test on multiple devices and operating systems: Test your app on multiple devices and operating systems to ensure that it works properly and provides a consistent user experience. Both Flutter and React Native provide tools for testing on real devices.
Tools and techniques for simplifying the design development process for different platforms
ABCloudz developers prepared a list of tools and techniques that they are using for simplifying the design development development:
- CodePush is a cloud-based service that allows developers to deploy updates to their React Native apps without requiring users to download and install a new version. This tool enables developers to push updates to their apps in real-time, making it easier to manage and maintain cross-platform apps.
- Firebase is a powerful platform that provides several tools and services to simplify the development process for different platforms. Firebase offers features like real-time database, authentication, cloud messaging, and cloud storage, which can significantly reduce the time and effort required to develop cross-platform apps.
- React Native Debugger is a standalone debugging tool that offers several features to enhance the development process, including a powerful console, a network inspector, and a React component tree. This tool can be used to debug React Native apps, making it an essential tool for cross-platform development.
- Flutter’s Hot Reload feature allows developers to make changes to the code and immediately see the results on the app without having to rebuild the entire project. This feature significantly reduces development time and enhances productivity, making it a great tool for cross-platform development.
Factors to consider when deciding between Flutter and React Native
Flutter is an excellent option for projects with limited budgets and deadlines. There is no need to employ several developer teams and Dart’s flexibility basically negates any potential setbacks with the hot reload feature. Flutter is also perfect for apps that require top-notch UI.
React Native is a great option if you have a team of developers who have their own array of modules, widgets, and plug-ins to work with. It’s also a good choice if you need to create an app with a single tech stack.
Flutter in action: Car Auction case study
Let us take a look at one of the projects completed by ABCloudz — Car Auction.
Objectives
A customer approached us with the desire to develop a construction materials market solution available on desktop, iOS, and Android devices. The task became even more interesting as we had to integrate the app with several third-party services. Due to the need to create numerous user flows for admins, sellers, and buyers, we decided not to spread our workload thin and avoid unnecessary operations. Therefore, we chose Flutter as the framework of choice because it is ideal for e-commerce and fintech apps.
Processes
Thanks to the way Flutter functions in regards to widgets creation, ABCloudz developers were able to appoint separate developers for different widgets and later just merge them together on one screen. As a result, all the widgets were able to change according to the user’s current state.
For example, a user places a bid on a car and the Overlay widget displays a countdown on top of other elements present on the screen. If the bid is lost, unnecessary buttons disappear from the user’s screen and text is generated according to the required content. All these things work perfectly in sync with only minor performance losses.
Outcomes
ABCloudz developers showed how Flutter and its widget creation and customization capabilities are able to easily consolidate tasks between team members. This, in turn, allowed us to perform tests for each scenario and element separately. Bottom line — our developers considerably alleviated unnecessary pressure and processes to achieve higher development and testing speed.
Tips for companies choosing between React Native and Flutter for a cross-platform app.
Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, meaning that a company should make an informed decision between React Native and Flutter when considering creating a cross-platform application. Our cross-platform development specialists created a list of tips for customers to consider what framework should be used:
- Evaluate your project requirements — the first step in selecting the right technology is to evaluate your project requirements. Determine the complexity of your app and the features you need. Flutter is perfect for complex projects that require high performance while React Native is great for apps that need integrations with third-party services and APIs;
- App’s complexity regarding UI — Flutter is an excellent choice for apps that require complex animations and 3D graphics with artisan-level details. React Native has its own library of UI components and third-party library integration;
- Evaluate the app’s performance: The performance of your app is an important factor to consider when selecting the technology stack. Both React Native and Flutter offer excellent performance, but Flutter has an edge in terms of performance due to its use of Dart and the Flutter engine;
- Your team’s expertise — it’s a rather simple tip but many fail to consider their team’s skill composition. If your specialists know React, it might be better to stick to it. However, if your team is more open to learning new frameworks, Flutter can be a good choice as well;
- Maintenance and support — React is more suitable for apps that require continuous updates due to its stability and compatibility. Flutter is more suitable for apps with shorter lifespans as it is known for its performance and development speed.
- Cost and time-to-market: Finally, consider the cost and time-to-market when selecting the technology stack. Both React Native and Flutter offer excellent options for reducing development time and cost. However, Flutter’s hot-reload feature and extensive widget library make it an excellent choice for rapid prototyping and quicker time-to-market.
Final thoughts
All things considered, Flutter and React Native are among the most popular frameworks for cross-platform mobile app development out there. They offer numerous business benefits such as consolidation of resources, cost efficiency, faster time-to-market, wide market reach, and much more.
However, both Flutter and React Native have their pros and cons. We discussed them and provided some useful insights from ABCloudz developers about each framework. If your business is looking for an app with smooth user experience, Flutter is your go-to choice. If you are looking for a more readily-available framework with more specialists available to undertake the tasks, React Native is your pick.
Objectively speaking, there is no clear winner when comparing Flutter and React Native. It is important to make a choice based on your business needs, constraints, and technological solutions. Contact ABCloudz so our specialists will conduct an assessment of your requirements and launch a fruitful cooperation to bring your vision to reality.
