React vs. Flutter: Which Framework Works Best?
Both React Native and Flutter have received a lot of publicity lately. Both are frameworks that make it easier to build sites or apps, but one stands out above the other. Not all solutions work for everyone, so it’s important to research the best option for you. Today, we’re looking at React vs. Flutter, which one is best for your programming needs?
Apps are now being used to manage nearly everything in our lives. According to Global Web Index, people are turning more and more to mobile apps to keep track of their time and everything else.
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Why React Native is Better Than Flutter
There are a number of factors to consider when comparing these two platforms. However, the desired end result plays a big part in the decision-making process. You want a framework that is easy to work with, fast, and that results in a stable app that does what you need it to. Of course, you’ll want to easily update the app and manage the code, too, but the main goal is to have a functional, non-problematic product at the end of it all.
With that in mind, let’s look at what these two frameworks have to offer.
React Native was released by Facebook in 2015 and is a framework that uses React (available since 2013) to create native applications. Flutter is also meant for building native apps, but is a portable UI toolkit. Flutter was released in 2018, by Google.
Both frameworks are free and both are open source, though engineers continue to work on them.
The user interface is more varied
An important factor to consider when choosing a framework for your app is the user interface. How will users experience your app on different platforms?
React Native offers native components for Android and iOS, so the experience is the same across platforms. All the components, buttons, widgets, etc. are the same across platforms and when you update the OS UI, all the app components will be immediately updated. React Native has a wide variety of external UI kits to choose from. You can pick from iOS-style components, or several other kits to fit your needs.
Flutter has a flexible, fast-rendering UI with its own design, including interactive widgets, platform, and visual designs. These replace the native components, which not everyone wants to do. Flutter also uses pixel rendering to ensure the UI is identical, down to the pixel, on all devices.
If you want variety and options, React Native is what you need. Flutter offers more flexibility, but less variety.
Simpler programming language
You may already be aware that React Native uses JavaScript. This is a well-known programming language that most developers are already used to. In fact, According to Stack Overflow, over 70% of pro developers are familiar with JavaScript. When you move into using React, it is intuitive if you’ve previously used JavaScript.
Flutter uses the programming language Dart, which is almost exclusive to Google. It does allow you to compile native code at a more rapid rate, but it means a steeper learning curve for anyone outside of Google.
In this case, most people prefer to stick with what they already know, so React Native tends to be chosen.
Less time is required for development
Developers are always in a rush to get their apps finished, perfected, and sent out. That means, they need React Native, as it is much faster than Flutter. The framework is designed to make creating a mobile app very quickly. A number of factors play into this, including the ease of programming JavaScript in place of Dart.
Flutter takes longer due to the fact you have to code each section separately. React Native offers ready-made components that can be placed and adjusted as needed. You can also reuse these components as necessary without affecting the other components in the app.
Different coding styles
React Native has a more complicated code structure, but you can use the same code throughout web apps, Android, iOS, Windows OS, etc. This makes it possible to share codes in third party libraries that are free for the taking. You, as the developer, can focus on the actual code, rather than worrying about whether or not it is compatible.
Flutter, however, leans toward the simpler code options. You can code everything in one place and have access to it all. Templates, data, and styles are not separated. While this is simpler to use, code sharing can only be done between Android and iOS. This is expected to change, but for now, Flutter is much more limited than React.
Overall, React Native is preferred by 42% of developers and Flutter is selected by 39%, showing a clear preference for React Native. While both options are used for creating apps, there is a definite reason to select React over Flutter.
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