Flutter vs React Native- Which is the Best Choice for 2020?

Dharmin Shah

22 Sep, 2020

In 2020, there are a plethora of frameworks to choose from but Flutter and React Native are the two titans of the industry. Assuredly, both cross-platform frameworks have their own benefits and limitations but at the same time, these fledgling technologies are leaving many of you with a big dilemma when it comes to which framework best fits your app idea.

To help you make the best decision, we have covered the answer to the most often asked questions including “What is Flutter?”, “How it is different from React Native?”, “Who will rule the future market?”, and “ Which cross-platform app development framework is best to choose in 2020?”

Overview of Flutter and React Native

React Native is a framework for cross-platform mobile development created by Facebook. It targets Android, iOS, Web, and UWP. React Native allows developers to use the power of React coupled with various functionalities of each platform, integrating the desired features seamlessly. This framework also enables developers to create user interfaces with elements that look native to each platform.

Flutter is a toolkit for software development, targeting mobile, desktop, and web platforms. Flutter was created by Google, and, similarly to React Native; it is open-source. This framework enables developers to create cross-platform applications that look equally good on both new and older versions of a device’s operating system and have a great feel due to an extensive collection of available widgets. Flutter significantly decreases the time needed to build an app compared to native development.

Native Components

React Native provides the essential elements to develop an app, namely, UI rendering capabilities, and device API access. For other functionalities, including accessing native modules, React relies on third-party libraries, which is usually less convenient than having all the tools you need in one package.

Flutter offers numerous libraries, navigation, testing tools, and an extensive set of widgets alongside the standard device API access and basic UI rendering to create visually appealing interfaces with minimal effort. In many cases, Flutter allows developers to forgo the use of third-party libraries. The functionality that the framework comes bundled with is usually sufficient to handle all necessary tasks and fulfil the design requirements.

Community

In terms of community, React Native holds its position as the absolute winner. This framework is older than Flutter, and the community that contributes to it is more extensive, active, and generally inspiring.

Flutter may be lagging behind for now, although with its rapid growth, it is expected to catch up to the level of interaction and engagement that the React community has fairly quickly.

In the Nutshell:

Both Flutter and React Native are incredible frameworks that can help you build a cross-platform application faster and easier than with the majority of native tools.

In comparison with React Native, Flutter loses points to the familiarity of JavaScript, since Flutter uses Dart—a programming language that is rarely utilized by developers. Therefore, if you already have a team of experienced JS developers, React Native might be a better choice.

At the same time, Flutter offers numerous customizable widgets that can be used both for Android and iOS. It removes the necessity to put considerable effort into styling separate elements of your app’s UI. Flutter also generally performs better and faster as it is compiled to native libraries. Choose this option when you need striking and highly tailored design or, alternatively, if you are already familiar with Dart instead of JavaScript.