January 13, 2023

Flutter vs. React Native: Which will do better in 2023?

Starting the analysis of the topic, which is better to select Flutter or React Native for work, it is necessary to recognize where it all started. According to DataReportal's Digital 2022 Global Statshot statistics and report, nearly 70% of people on earth use a mobile phone every day.

In other words, the lifestyle of modern people has given the mobile app industry an extreme advantage. Therefore, accordingly, the case of developing the latter is still very relevant. After all, Flutter and React Native, which were created by today's technological leaders Facebook and Google, come into play.

We will discuss which is better to choose in this research, considering the following questions:

• What is Flutter?
• What is React?
• What to choose in 2023: Flutter or React Native?
• Final thoughts.

We have to emphasize that at a period when a lot of information about Flutter and React application development appears on the Internet every day, we dig deeper. In this article, we will take a look at the major diversity between Flutter and React Native, and what makes them so particular.

So, without further ado, let's start our investigation!

Flutter vs. React Native

The comparison between Flutter and React Native is not a new one, and it's a topic that has been extensively debated. However, a definitive answer to the question of which tool is superior remains elusive. Both frameworks have their respective advantages and drawbacks, along with dedicated communities of enthusiasts. Our goal in this article is to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of Flutter and React Native, allowing you to navigate the intricacies of these hybrid technologies more effectively. With this knowledge, you may be better equipped to make an informed choice and select the tool that aligns with your preferences.

What is Flutter?

When starting to talk about Flutter, it is necessary to say precisely that it is a cross-platform platform for developing mobile applications or a portable user interface toolkit. It provides developers with a comprehensive software development kit (SDK) of widgets and tools.

When developing desktop applications with Flutter, you can compile Flutter source code into a native Windows, macOS, or Linux desktop application. And, for example, Flutter's web support ensures the same operation on the Internet and mobile devices. This means you can now build apps for Android, iOS, and a web browser from the same codebase.

Flutter was created by the Google team, which is based on Dart. Flutter is free, relatively new, and easy to learn. It provides custom widgets built on its high-performance rendering engine. It should be underlined that Google and the Flutter community contribute to the development of Flutter. Thus, Flutter can be safely called a new technology.

The initial iteration of Flutter provided a suite of tools for crafting mobile applications compatible with Android and iOS. By the time the third version rolled out, Flutter had expanded its horizons to encompass support for an array of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, web applications, and dedicated built-in platforms tailored for use with Flutter. In January 2023, the release of Flutter 3.7 marked a significant milestone, introducing a comprehensive array of new features. These included a rendering engine optimized for iOS, enhanced support for Material 3 and iOS-style widgets, improved localization solutions, more efficient background data processing, and enhancements to the developer tools.

What is React?

React Native, on the other hand, is an open-source framework for mobile applications that uses JavaScript and was created by Facebook.

One of the most compelling reasons to learn React Native in 2023 is its platform-independence. In the past, developers had to use Java predominantly for Android app development and Swift for iOS app development. Additionally, there were other platforms like Windows, adding complexity to the process. React Native emerges as an excellent choice for building applications that seamlessly run on multiple platforms. With React Native, you create an application once, and it effortlessly runs on all major platforms. Moreover, React Native leverages JSX, which is familiar to those acquainted with React and is often described as a blend of HTML and JavaScript. This familiarity makes learning React Native relatively straightforward, despite some challenging concepts. Compared to using Java for similar purposes, building applications with React Native is notably easier and more efficient.

It should be highlighted that React Native is older than Flutter and boasts a larger community. Let's keep reading!

The distinction between Flutter vs. React Native

Below, we’re going to tell you about the pros and cons of both frameworks:

Native Performance Comparison

Flutter employs its Ahead-of-Time compiler, which generates optimized code for both iOS and Android post-project build. This approach guarantees native-level performance without the need to embed the entire codebase within the application binary, a characteristic it shares with React Native. Additionally, unlike React Native, which necessitates a bridge for communication with native modules, Flutter interfaces with them directly.

React Native boasts an enhanced JavaScript virtual machine that outperforms V8 thanks to its JIT compiler. As a pre-compiled framework, it enables any codebase to be deployed and compiled into a native executable. Typically, React Native achieves the same speed as native apps, performing at the level of iOS applications without requiring adjustments to iOS build settings.

Conclusion: Both Flutter vs React Native boasts high native-level performanc, but Flutter communicate with native moduled directly.

Programming language

React Native uses the classic JavaScript programming language, which was the first language to enable dynamic web development.

In turn, Flutter uses Dart, which is a much newer language, since it was introduced in 2011.

JavaScript enjoys a broader and more extensive usage compared to Dart. Consequently, developers often find it more familiar and comfortable to dive into React Native app development.

Conclusion: Both Flutter vs React Native programming languages have integrity, but React Native wins.

Reliability

Flutter could be the preferable choice if your priority is to build mobile apps rapidly with a reliable platform. Conversely, if you seek a well-established platform boasting a robust support ecosystem and potent UI capabilities, then React Native may be the more suitable option.

Conclusion: Both Flutter and React Native reliable, but React Native has a robust support ecosystem.

Creating a user interface

The React Native framework boasts a larger and more extensive community compared to Flutter. React Native offers a wealth of UI designs, libraries, comprehensive documentation, and various additional resources. Additionally, there is a notably higher number of third-party libraries available for React Native when compared to Flutter.

Conclusion:React Native is the best choice for creating a user interface.

Documentation

Flutter has detailed platform setup and IDE information for both iOS and Android. Even the command line interface (CLI) comes with Flutter doctor, a tool to help developers get set up.

Thanks to its open-source nature, Flutter is exceptionally customizable and flexible, enabling developers to craft distinctive user experiences effortlessly.

React Native continues to evolve with each new update. To stay informed, be sure to keep an eye on React Native's official documentation and web resources.

Conclusion: Flutter has detailed documentation, but React Native evolving.

Ease of installation

React Native installation is straightforward, but it generates packages, which may be seen as a minor inconvenience by some developers. However, this factor holds varying levels of importance for different users. It's worth noting that React Native primarily offers UI rendering and device access APIs, relying on third-party libraries to complement its functionality.

Flutter can be obtained from a small ZIP file, but then it must be added as a PATH variable from the command line. This makes things unnecessarily complicated.

Conclusion: React Native is much easier to install than Flutter

Community

React Native predates Flutter and boasts a larger community. Additionally, the Meta team has had ample time to refine the API and address underlying issues.

In terms of performance optimization and reduced memory usage, React Native has made significant strides with the introduction of the new JavaScript engine, Hermes, which became the default engine starting from version 0.70. You can find more detailed information about this in the React Native blogpost.

Furthermore, Meta is actively working on several noteworthy enhancements:

• Lean Core: This involves reducing an app's size by relocating optional components or features to separate repositories, allowing developers to add them to an app as needed.
• TurboModules: These are aimed at enhancing the handling of native modules.
• React Native Fabric: A re-architected UI layer for improved performance.

Conclusion: React Native now has more community support compared to Flutter.

Debugging

In React Native, debugging can be problematic, especially when a certain exception or error occurs somewhere in the native part of the application.

In response, Flutter makes debugging easier with tools that support development in Android Studio and Visual Studio.

Conclusion:Flutter wins this comparison.

Popularity

As of 2023, two primary hybrid app development frameworks continue to dominate the landscape: Flutter and React Native. Remarkably, the popularity of both frameworks continues to ascend. In 2023, React Native is favored by 42% of developers for app development, closely followed by Flutter, chosen by 39%.

Conclusion: React Native wins by popularity.

Let's summarize the above in a table:

Let's go on!

What to choose in 2023: Flutter or React Native

When wondering what is better to choose Flutter or React Native, we ca only say that there is no clear and unambiguous answer. Each of them can be selected.

As far as we can tell, Flutter and React Native has a lot in common and not a lot. The first and most important fact is that both of them are open-source frameworks that anyone can use.

If you still have questions about the Flutter framework whether it is a suitable option for your project in 2023, we suggest you read one of the studies on this topic.

Determining which technology is the winner in 2023 is not a straightforward task. Both Flutter and React Native exhibit a range of strengths and weaknesses. Flutter stands out as a swift and dependable framework for crafting cross-platform mobile applications, offering access to an array of open-source libraries and a robust ecosystem of plugins. On the other hand, React Native empowers developers to construct intricate user interfaces using JavaScript and benefits from a vast and dedicated developer community.

Ultimately, the choice between these two frameworks is likely to hinge on individual requirements and preferences. If you prioritize a rapid and reliable platform that facilitates swift mobile app development, then Flutter may be the preferable option. However, if you seek a well-established platform with extensive support and formidable UI capabilities, then React Native could be the better choice for your needs.

Final Thoughts

We really hope that this Flutter vs React Native article has given you some clarity and understanding about these two frameworks. Overall, after all the above research, we can conclude that Flutter can be a good choice to save time and money on mobile app development. If you're considering mobile (or even web) app development for multiple platforms at the same time, we can help.

The developers at Stfalcon are hard at work and very familiar with Flutter frameworks. All you need to do is to let us know if you are interested in such a partnership, fill out the form and we will contact you to discuss all the details. We are looking forward to our cooperation!