Flutter or React Native: Which Cross-Platform is Better For Your Next Project?

Introduction

Information Technology sectors are gaining popularity in using cross-platform solutions for the manufacturing of various native applications. Both the developers and the clients seek a more quick, less costly, but durable technology for various applications. While dealing with cross-platform solutions, the developers are witnessed to use both Flutter and React Native as the development platform for multiple mobile applications. Both the platforms have their pros and cons and can be valued based on the characteristic’s usage and business factors for which the application is being developed. However, the question is which cross-platform solution, i.e., Flutter or React Native, will be better used for developing applications in your next project? This is the perfect article to understand the best option to choose while dealing with the following mobile application project. This extract shall concentrate on the Flutter and React Native framework’s extensive comparison by discussing the essential aspects.

Brief Facts about the Flutter and React Native

-Flutter is a portable UI toolkit that is used for manufacturing natively-compiled applications for smartphones, the Web, and desktops using only a single codebase;

-React Native, on the other hand, is a framework that is used in manufacturing native applications using React.

-Flutter looks and feels great due to its rich widgets. It is gaining popularity at a reasonable rate. It comprises excellent detailed documentation with an efficient support team at the backend. Flutter contains features that improve applications on the Web, giving the scope of potential for developing codebases for both Web and smartphones.

-React Native has shown progress with a holding of market stability for more than five years since its birth. Many prospects and prominent users are noticed to have used React native. The React platform comprises of vast mature community with technology considered easy to learn. Vast extensive tutorials are available easily on the net, showcasing the platform’s usage for all quick and slow learners. The codes created in React Native can be used to develop both applications for web and mobile phones.

-Flutter was officially released to the public in December 2018 by Google I/O, whereas React was released in March 2015 during F8 Conference.

-Flutter is a product created by Google, and Facebook owns React.

-Both are free and available as open-source for developers.

-Dart is used as the programming language in Flutter, and JavaScript is the React programming language.

-Both the products gained immense popularity by 2019 (December) since their evolution, with Flutter reaching a popularity range of 81,200 Stars and React with 83,200 stars on Github.

-Both the platforms can be used for Hot Reloads and performs excellent at Native performance.

-Flutter is considered to be faster than React native.

A few of the top applications made using the platforms Flutter:

? Xianyu app by Alibaba;

? Hamilton app for Hamilton Musical;

? Reflectly;

? Topline app by Abbey Road Studios ;

? JD Finance Application;

? Google Ads applications.

Few of the top applications made using the platforms React:

? Instagram;

? Facebook;

? Facebook Ads;

? Skype;

? Tesla;

? Pinterest;

? Bloomberg;

? WiX.

What is Flutter Platform?

Flutter is a platform created by Google and an open-source program that uses Dart as its programming language. Flutter is opined to be an efficient toolkit for developing software that targets other platforms like desktop, Web, and mobile phones. Developers should remember that it is essential for them to learn the Dart programming language to work on the Flutter Platform. Dart is not as popular as other programming languages, for instance, JavaScript; however, it is very efficient and easy to grasp for developing applications. Developers with C++ or Java background can easily relate to Dart language more than JavaScript developers. Flutter is considered an efficient toolkit of UI for developing cross-platform applications by using only one codebase. The flutter platform offers developers the to create flexible and suggestive UI with native performance. Also, do not forget about the entire Google team at the backend ready to provide all kinds of support for Flutter.

Fun Stats of Flutter

• According to a report published by Statista, approximately 39 percent of developers are using Flutter for developing cross-platform mobile applications across the globe.
• As per the report published by StackOverflow’s developers’ survey results, nearly 69.8 percent of users in the developing community love to use Flutter.
• In a similar edition of the report, it was further highlighted that almost 7.2 percent of the community prefers Flutter for its tools and libraries.

What is React Native Platform?

React native platform is an open-source platform that runs on JavaScript programming language. The framework of React is created to cater to the Native with various technologies for developing an application that is majorly compatible and friendly to iOS and Android developers and users. The React Native Platform is created from a combination of JavaScript that XML – Esque markup. JavaScript is also famously known as JSX. React native is owned by the Giant Company- Facebook, which holds more than 50 dedicated and efficient engineers working on the React Native framework every minute. React Native is also an efficient toolkit used for cross-platform operations for developing applications. The framework is built to develop a mobile application using JavaScript for developing iOS and Android by using a single codebase with the design React. It is important to note that React Native is not a mobile web application but a mere framework similar to fundamental UI blocks used for developing, for instance, regular iOS or Android, and instead consists of JavaScript and React to develop similar blocks as application.

Fun Stats of React Native

• According to a report published by Statista in 2020, almost 42 percent of developers are using React Native for developing cross-platform applications.
• According to a report published by StackOverflow, 11.5 percent of developers chose to use React Native for its native tools and libraries.
• Another report published by StackOverflow showcased that 58.5 percent of the developing community loves React Native.

How iLeaf empowers you with a competitive advantage

iLeaf empowers all developers with multiple competitive advantages through the variety of services it provides. iLeaf is one of the leading application developers in the sector of health care in the UK, US, and Canada. iLeaf has shown great efficiency while developing both React Native and Flutter-based applications for web and mobile phones.

iLeaf, for example, had successfully created an application to estimate jaundice using the Flutter framework. This application helped to measure jaundice levels in the newborn during the North semi-Government project. It was Picterus which was the first project developed by iLeaf in 2018, soon after the release of Flutter on technology space. Pictures were created using the Flutter-based framework. iLeaf’s Picterus has successfully received over 6 million Euros of funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, which speaks highly of its merit.

iLeaf can also be seen working its magic with React Native frameworks through applications like ROOST, which is aimed at simplifying the Smart Home application, built to control home appliances, making your simple house a smart home. The applications are designed for the consumer to use an intelligent sensor connected to the broadband connection, which provides user notifications about water or fire at all times.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we shall discuss both platforms’ pros and cons, namely Flutter and React Native. React Native has gained more popularity since it came out much earlier in 2015 than Flutter, which was launched only in 2018; however, Flutter has gained a good pace with React Native. The programming language used is different for both; React Native uses JavaScript, and Dart programming language is the basis for Flutter. While comparing the performance, it is noticed that Flutter is more efficient than React Native and the reason for this is due to the JavaScript Bridge, which enables to create of communication in native applications. The technical architecture of both platforms is also different. React Native comprises of JS runtime environment, also known as JavaScript Bridge which can also communicate with Native API using Facebook’s Flux architecture. Whereas on the other side, Flutter contains layered architecture on a hierarchical basis known as platform-specific widgets. To conclude with the shift from developing native applications to cross-platform applications has witnessed a plethora of changes, and the choice of the platform can be chosen to focus on the requirements of the project with the relevant expertise required for the development of the application.