Some time ago we talked about Native-app and Cross-Platform apps, React Native and Flutter are used to build cross-platform apps.
There are many companies that need their app, and many companies prefer to make cross-platform apps because, in terms of costs, they are less demanding.
In this article, we will talk about these two platforms.
What is react native
React Native is a framework designed by Facebook and made open source since 2015. It is used to make cross-platform apps.
React Native uses Javascript, which is a very popular language at the moment and can be used without problems with a little training. Also, almost anything can be done with Javascript.
So React Native is effective for:
- Cross-platform app development Building
- apps using the JavaScript language
- Application development for both Android and iOS using a single code base
- Using the same design as React
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Fast updates: Whenever you change something in the app you can enter the code directly on the working app, this allows the developer to see the changes immediately, without having to rebuild the app from scratch.
- Being a cross-platform app framework, it allows you to use code to build apps suitable for both IOS and Android
- Stability: This framework has been around since 2015, so Facebook developers have had plenty of time to stabilize the API
Cons:
- Not è Native: Obviously the experience of a cross-platform app is not the same as a Native one, so developing an app with React Native, the experience will be similar to a Native app, but not identical.
- Freedom of choice: It can be an advantage, but also a disadvantage as it can take a long time to decide which shades to give to the app.
- Applications Larger Than Native: Applications written in React Native must be able to execute Javascript (JavaScript Virtual Machine) code. Android does not have this feature by default, which means that applications must include a library that supports JavaScript code, so the apps will be larger than their native counterparts.
What is flutter
Flutter is a project born in 2017 by Google and is an easy way to develop apps for mobile, web and desktop.
Flutter is free as well as open-source. Furthermore, it is based on DART, a programming language developed by Google, it is relatively new and easy to learn, especially for those who already know Java and C #
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Fast: From the point of view of developers, Flutter is fast and very dynamic. Also, you can make changes in the app and see them right away.
- One code: Even with flutter you can develop cross-platform apps, this means that with a single code you can make apps for both IOS and Android.
- 50% fewer tests: The process to test the quality of the app is much faster and up to 50% fewer tests can be performed.
Cons
- Community: Flutter is very recent so the community is not very large, also Dart is not a very used programming language.
- Support: There isn’t much support for CI platforms like Travis or Jenkins for now.
- App size: Apps developed with Flutter are very large compared to Native apps.
Case Study
Flutter vs React Native vs Native: Deep Performance Comparison: We compare the performance of FPS, CPU, memory, and GPU of the most popular development tools for mobile devices.
Cross-platform Mobile Development: Flutter Vs React Native Development Comparison and Performance Checks: What’s behind these two frameworks? Why are they popular? Which is more effective? How can Flutter be better than one of the already established technologies like React Native?
Flutter vs React Native: What to choose to build your mobile app in 2020? (developer insights): What is the best framework from a developer’s point of view?
Which one to use of the two?
React Native and Flutter are very similar to each other, in general, the advice is to understand what your needs are and make a decision. React Native has the advantage that it is more mature, Flutter has the advantage of ease and speed.
In any case, for the development of cross-platform apps, these two frameworks are really valid.