by A mobile app development company should now focus more on the app development and considering all the recent findings for the app designing and development.
A mobile app development in San Francisco that cares for innovative ideas, and brings in results that are eye-catching and interactive. However, keep in mind, cross platform app development technologies enable the app developers to do development for both iOS and Android apps. Before cross platform technologies, app developers have to work on the development for both iOS and Android separately.
It sucks because it’s increasing the time, and you will have to put in extra efforts for both the technologies separately. However, in this blog, we are going to explore two cross platform technologies, Flutter and React Native along with pros and cons to better guide you with the selection. Are you ready to explore it with us?
Let’s get started then!
Interesting Findings Related To Cross Platform App Development
- As of 2024, over 40% of the app developers prefer to use cross platform frameworks like Flutter, and React Native for saving up time and resources both.
- Cross platform frameworks have made up significant strides in performance, narrowing the gap with native app performance.
- Flutter uses Dart and its Ahead of Time (AOT) compilation for ensuring smooth performance and a steady execution as compared to native apps.
- Moreover, Flutter has surpassed React Native in popularity and came with 2 million app developers who’re actively using the frameworks. Spreadsheet Rectangles NYT
These were some of the interesting findings related to cross platform frameworks, Flutter and React Native.
Flutter App Development
Flutter is one of the most popular frameworks and is gaining popularity by the customers. Here are some interesting points related to Flutter app development:
- In 2019, more than 30% of the mobile app developers used Flutter for cross platform app development, and more than 42% of the app developers utilized React Native.
- In 2020, more than 39% of the mobile app developers used Flutter, and 38% used React native for the app development.
- Lastly, in 2021, 42% of the mobile app developers used Flutter and more than 38% used React Native for the development of the apps.
Now let’s hear about some interesting pros and cons of mobile app development frameworks like Flutter and React Native.
Pros and Cons of React Native and Flutter
Here are the pros and cons of both the framework for app development:
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High Performance:
You can use Dart language and compile it to native ARM code for a smooth performance and faster execution. Moreover, it delivered native like performance and it’s crucial for graphics intensive apps.
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Expressive User Interface:
It offers a rich set of pre designed widgets for both the materials design and cupertino along with that, simplifies the creation of aesthetically pleasing and consistent UI designs across all the platforms.
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Hot Reload:
React native offers app developers the liberty to see the changes in real time without even restarting the app. Moreover, it speeds up the development process by enabling quick iterations.
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A Single Codebase:
You only have to write the code for once, and run in on multiple platforms like iOS, Android, Web and Desktop applications.
Also it reduces the development time and saves up the efforts of the people, making it easier for them to run on all the platforms.
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Strong Community and Support
It is backed with Google and has a widely growing community of app developers. Moreover, it’s accessible to extensive documentations, tutorials and third party libraries.
Cons of both the frameworks
- Large App Size:
- Reason: Flutter apps tend to have larger binary sizes due to the inclusion of the Flutter engine.
- Impact: Can be a drawback for users with limited storage space or data plans.
- Limited Third-Party Libraries:
- Reason: Being relatively newer compared to React Native, it has fewer third-party packages.
- Impact: Developers might need to build custom solutions for some functionalities.
- Less Mature for Web and Desktop:
- Reason: Although Flutter supports web and desktop applications, these features are still relatively new and evolving.
- Impact: Potential limitations and bugs when developing for non-mobile platforms.
- Dart Language:
- Reason: Requires developers to learn Dart, which is less commonly used than JavaScript.
- Impact: Steeper learning curve for developers unfamiliar with Dart.
Cons of both the frameworks
Here are the possible frameworks cons that would enable you with a steady and more convenient offering:
Performance Limitations:
It uses a bridge between JavaScript and Native modules which can introduce performance bottlenecks. Moreover, you may not be as performant as native apps or Flutter for complex, graphics-intensive apps.
Complex Native Modules:
Sometimes you require writing native code for the specific functionalities that are not covered by React Native. Hence, it adds up the complexity and requires knowledge of native development for both the iOS and Android app development.
Fragmentation in Libraries:
You can rapidly evolve the ecosystem that can lead to outdated or unmaintained third party libraries. Moreover, a mobile game app development company doesn’t have to deal with potential issues with compatibility and maintenance over the time.
UI Consistency:
You can rely on the native components that leads to the potential inconsistencies between the iOS and Android UIs.
Moreover, requires additional efforts to ensure that a uniform look and feel is applied on all platforms. A mobile game app development company should ensure that these metrics are properly followed to get the best result.
Slow Updates for Native Features:
You can feel the lag in support for the latest native features and APIs as compared to pure native development. However, it may delay the adoption of the newly built platform capabilities
Wrapping up
Both Flutter and React Native offer a great deal to the customers, and app developers. However, both the cross platform app development frameworks are ideal for those who wanted tos save up time, and efforts both. Flutter excels in the high performance and expressive UI design whereas, it offers a steeper curve due to Dart and larger app sizes.
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