ReactNative vs. Flutter

Earlier, a programmer had to learn Java to write an Android application and Objective C to write an iPhone application. Cross-platform frameworks suitable both for iOS and Android are a life-saving tool. Separate apps for iOS and Android are more expensive to develop and maintain. Some of the most widespread tools that serve this purpose are ReactNative and Flutter. However, each framework has limitations, though each of them also has its benefits. An excellent cross-platform should meet two requirements: be economical in terms of development and provide a quality user experience.

ReactNative from Facebook works on iOS, Android, and Windows and uses JavaScript and React.js library as the main development tool. Google’s Flutter works on Android, IOS, and Fuchsia applications and uses the Dart language. When it comes to cross-platform frameworks, one of the trickiest things is that users have to think of the application as native, they have to see them as if they were written specifically for that platform.

Cross-platform frameworks take less time and resources, require fewer specialists, and increase the speed of development. These are their main advantages. Cross-platform frameworks allow reusing the code, which makes the process of development cheaper. In some cases, of course, native development is more preferable than cross-platform. When? If you are working with a more complicated app if there is 3D graphics or widgets if complex calculations are required. 

So which cross-platform framework is better – ReactNative or Flutter? 

According to Stack Overflow for 2019, 75% of respondents claim that Flutter is their favorite framework. However, many developers claim that cross-platform will always cause problems. Flutter, for example, is a Google initiative with the business goal of promoting Dart. When used on iOS, it can lead to the same problems as ReactNative.

How does ReactNative work? It has two streams. The main thread can be run in any native application. It processes the display of UI elements and the user’s gestures. The second stream is JavaScript. JavaScript deals with the business logic of an application and defines how the application works.

Flutter is a software development kit used for creating high-quality, intuitive GUI for iOS and Android-based on the DART programming language. Dart is Java-based; therefore, knowing Java or C# allows you to program in Dart. Dart does not provide full functionality for creating native interfaces. But it offers easy integration with iOS and Android.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no direct competition between React Native and Flutter. So when it comes to choosing between the two platforms, one should pay attention to details. ReactNative and Flutter differ in terms of the programming language, installation and configuration techniques, UI components that are used, their performance, and community support. Thus, the choice of a platform depends on various factors. Take into account your budget and the experience of the current development team.

If you want to build an app and launch it as quickly as possible, Flutter can be a great option. If you are more experienced with JavaScript or just starting with coding, ReactNative is a much better choice. Choosing the framework is a matter of preference – none of the options is right or wrong. Everything depends on the situation.

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