React Native v/s Flutter: A Thorough Analysis

React Native and Flutter, both equally competent app development frameworks, are at the top of the chain when it comes to architecting cross-platform mobile apps.

Each one of them has great achievements under its belt as thousands of apps that we see today are made using these two frameworks. Both of them come with their pros but are also embellished with a few cons that you need to watch out for if you have specific requirements and expectations from your mobile app

Let’s assess the tangible differences between the two and learn which one you should use for your project.

Programming Language:

React Native is a framework written entirely in JavaScript using ReactJS. JavaScript as a programming language is very handy and consistently ranks as one of the most popular languages among developers. Due to this prevalent popularity, it is easy for you to build a React Native development team as the market is replete with React Native developers. More so, developers who know JavaScript can also easily get a hang of React Native and in time master it.

Flutter, which is a relatively new framework created by Google in 2017, uses Dart as its programming language — also created by Google. Dart, though new, is easy to use and extremely client-centric. If you are well-versed with Java/C++, you’ll most definitely be able to relate to Dart as opposed to a JavaScript developer. An advantage that Dart has over here is that it is more popular than React Native amongst developers despite React Native being in the market for ages.

Performance:

React Native enables the communication between JavaScript and the native language components through the JavaScript bridge.

On the other hand, Flutter does not have a JavaScript bridge like React Native since Dart code is compiled to native machine code. This improves Flutter’s performance and reduces the chances of lagging in the app’s UI.

Most-preferred:

Many developers prefer using Flutter over React Native due to its ease of use. It has everything packed in itself including frameworks like Cupertino and Material Design which makes apps more stable and predictable on different platforms than React Native apps.

Despite React Native being in the game for years, its popularity doesn’t match up to Flutter. This could probably be because of the JavaScript communication bridge.

Renowned Apps:

React Native has over the years powered many apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Uber Eats, etc and has proven its efficiency and reliability on all fronts.

Flutter, due to being new, lacks big names under its belt but still has apps from Google and Alibaba to its credit.

User Interface:

In React Native, native components need to be rendered for each platform due to the JavaScript bridge. This aids in creating apps resembling your native Android and iOS applications. One more advantage of using React Native is the range of ready-made components available to make apps due to years of use. These components can be easily accessed and used but some of the complex UI can’t be replicated.

Flutter too is great for creating native-like apps due to the host of UI widgets it has to offer and can give your app a more appealing look as it is more UI-centered.

Community Support:

Found in 2015 by Facebook, React Native over the years has gained quite the following and name amongst developers who constantly contribute and help each other out with the framework’s intricacies

Flutter on the other hand found in 2017 by Google doesn’t have as large a community but it would be untrue to say it isn’t growing. The community of Flutter developers is growing and so is their aim to make it one of the primary open-source development frameworks.

Developer Rates:

In the US, the average annual salary of a React Native developer stands somewhere around $120,000. This salary rate is mostly due to the high demand for React Native developers in the market.

Flutter too has a high demand due to which Flutter developers have an annual salary of $130,000. These rates are exorbitant in comparison to developer rates in Western and Eastern Europe and South Asia.

Many startups can’t afford these rates as it will require them to drain their funds. It is also not apt for startups to build a team for app development from scratch and specifically hire full-time React Native or Flutter developers.

They can rather turn to outsourcing app development as it’s the most viable, feasible and effective alternative to building cross-platform applications without spending all the time and money.

Conclusion:

Both are equally good app development frameworks with their pros and cons. If your app is more UI-centered, needs more iterations and has a simple user interface, you would be better off with Flutter. Flutter is not only cost-effective but also very easy to use. It is most suitable for creating MVPs and its in-built native components and other features such as hot reload offer a great helping hand.

Some cross-platform apps can be complicated and need great precision, expertise and attention to detail along with time and money. This is when React Native can be handy. If your project is of a greater extent and more technically rooted, use React Native. Its ready-made components, access to experienced developers and usefulness in creating desktop apps will be of great benefit in the long haul.