Cross-platform apps allow developers to write a single codebase for different mobile and web platforms. Flutter and React Native are the two most popular cross-platform app development frameworks. Both frameworks are developed by the industry’s tech giants Google and Facebook. So, both of them have great options and conveniences for developers.
However, it is often difficult to make the right choice when choosing Flutter or React Native. You can make the right decision by selecting the best-suited platform for different project requirements.
This blog post offers an in-depth comparison between Flutter
and React Native to help you understand the functionalities of both.
Table of Contents
Flutter vs. React Native
Google announced its Flutter project in 2017. On the other
hand, React Native was built by Facebook and published as an open-source
project in 2015.
Both of these app development frameworks are very popular
today. Whereas React Native has a large community and is more mature, Flutter
has been growing faster with GitHub stars and search trends recently overtaking
React Native.
Taking a closer look at the pros and cons of these technologies will help us better understand them. Let’s begin with Flutter.
Flutter pros
Flutter cons
When to Use Flutter?
React Native
React Native pros
React Native cons
When to Use React Native?
Programming language:
Dart vs. JavaScript
The Flutter code is written in Dart, whereas React Native
uses JavaScript.
The Dart programming language was first introduced in 2011
but began gaining popularity after Google announced Flutter. GitHub ranks it as
the fastest-growing language for 2019 based on its rapid evolution.
Dart is easy to learn and has many similarities with other
popular languages, such as Swift and Kotlin. With experience working with these
languages, you can probably learn Dart within a few weeks.
Among the most popular programming languages is JavaScript.
Most websites today use it, and it is considered the dominant server-side
language. JavaScript is supposed to empower the modern web ecosystem.
The strength of React Native is that it uses a language that is already familiar to many users. Web developers who are previously familiar with React have an easier time learning React Native.
These were the pros and cons of Flutter and React Native. Now, let’s examine the frameworks from some different perspectives. Let’s begin with the developers’ experience.
Developers’ Experience
The hot-reload feature is available with Flutter and React
Native, allowing you to make code changes and immediately see the results.
Developers using Flutter or React Native will significantly benefit
from this because hot-reloading is not available when using the native SDKs for
iOS and Android except for Swift.
Moreover, the most popular text editors and IDEs support
both Flutter and React Native. For starters, Dartpad, an online editor for
quick prototyping, is available for Flutter. A similar tool is also available
for React Native as well.
Flutter and React Native both have extensive documentation,
helping developers throughout the process. You can even watch Flutter’s
official YouTube videos showing the various widgets in action.
Community and Support
As far as community size goes, the React Native community is
bigger than the Flutter community. However, StackOverflow has already answered
many of the common issues related to React Native app development. JavaScript
is an integral part of React Native, so help and support are readily available.
Similarly, React Native provides libraries and packages to
accomplish the most common tasks. With the Node Package Manager (NPM), these
components can easily be discovered and installed.
Flutter is a new ecosystem that is rapidly expanding and has an active community. The Flutter packages are available on pub.dev. Compared to React Native, Flutter is growing faster and has better maintainer support.
To conclude, in either ecosystem, you won’t feel lost once
you get started because each framework has excellent documentation and a
supportive community.
Summing It Up
There’s no doubt that Flutter and React Native are top-notch
cross-platform development frameworks, both of which are used in production by
large companies and can reduce time-to-market for mobile apps.
In addition, no framework fits for all, and each has unique
requirements. Depending upon your requirements and strategy, you can now decide
which one is most appropriate for your next project. Flutter will be the best
option in some cases, while React Native will be better suited for other
projects.
As a beginner, you can start by learning about both frameworks. Both Flutter and React Native offer extensive documentation, enthusiastic community, and guides. No doubt, these frameworks are easy to learn for an ambitious mobile app developer. So, what’s your choice, Flutter or React Native?
This content was originally published here.