Flutter and React Native are two of the most popular mobile app development frameworks available today. Both frameworks offer a cross-platform development experience, allowing developers to write code once and deploy it on multiple platforms. While they share some similarities, there are significant differences between the two frameworks, particularly in terms of performance. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at the performance of Flutter and React Native and compare the two. Hiring a flutter app development company is not an easy task so let’s study in detail about flutter vs react native.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is a mobile app development framework, which is open-source and has been developed by Google. It enables developers to create natively compiled apps for mobile, web, and desktop platforms by utilizing a single codebase. Dart, a client-optimized programming language designed for building fast apps on any platform, is utilized by Flutter.
What is React Native?
React Native is another open-source mobile app development framework, developed by Facebook. Like Flutter, it allows developers to build cross-platform applications with a single codebase. React Native uses JavaScript and React, a popular web development library also developed by Facebook.
Performance Comparison
When it comes to performance, both Flutter and React Native offer several advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key performance metrics.
Start-up time
Start-up time is the time taken by an app to load and become ready for user interaction. Flutter has a faster start-up time compared to React Native. This is because Flutter apps are compiled to native code, which means they can start up faster. On the other hand, React Native apps use JavaScript and need to be interpreted at runtime, which can slow down the start-up time.
Rendering performance
Rendering performance refers to the time taken by an app to update the user interface in response to user input or changes in the app’s state. Flutter has an advantage over React Native in terms of rendering performance. Flutter uses a powerful graphics engine called Skia, which provides high-performance rendering. React Native uses the Virtual DOM, which is a slower process than Flutter’s Skia engine.
Memory usage
Memory usage is an important factor to consider when developing mobile apps. Flutter apps tend to use more memory than React Native apps. This is because Flutter apps use a more powerful graphics engine and a larger number of widgets. React Native apps, on the other hand, use fewer widgets and have a smaller memory footprint.
Hot Reload
Hot Reload is a feature that allows developers to make changes to the code and see the changes instantly in the app without having to rebuild the entire app. Both Flutter and React Native offer this feature, but Flutter’s Hot Reload is faster and more reliable. This is because Flutter compiles the code to native code, while React Native needs to reload the JavaScript code.
Developer Productivity
Developer productivity is another important factor to consider when choosing between Flutter and React Native. Flutter offers a more streamlined and productive development experience compared to React Native. This is because Flutter uses a single language (Dart) for both the UI and the business logic, which makes it easier for developers to write, test, and maintain code. React Native, on the other hand, uses two languages (JavaScript and XML), which can lead to more complex code.
Famous Apps Built Using Flutter
Here are some famous apps created with Flutter
Google Ads
Google Ads is one of the most popular apps created with Flutter. It is a powerful advertising platform that allows businesses to create, manage, and optimize their ads on Google.
Alibaba
Alibaba, a leading e-commerce platform, has developed its mobile app using Flutter. The app allows users to buy and sell products, track their orders, and make payments securely.
Reflectly
Reflectly is a popular journaling app that helps users practice mindfulness and self-improvement. It is built using Flutter and features a beautiful user interface and personalized content.
Xianyu
Xianyu, a Chinese online marketplace, has developed its mobile app using Flutter. The app allows users to buy and sell second-hand items, chat with other users, and make payments securely.
Realtor.com
Realtor.com is a popular real estate app that helps users find homes, apartments, and other properties for sale or rent. It is built using Flutter and features a fast and responsive user interface.
Famous Apps Built Using React Native
Here are some examples
React Native was developed by Facebook, and the Facebook mobile app itself is built using React Native. This demonstrates how powerful and reliable the framework is.
Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms, has been built using React Native. It allows users to share photos and videos, follow other users, and interact with their content.
Tesla
The official Tesla mobile app, used to control and monitor Tesla vehicles, is built using React Native. It features a sleek design and provides users with real-time updates on their vehicle’s status.
Skype
Skype, a popular video calling and messaging app, has been developed using React Native. This application provides users with the ability to conduct voice and video calls, exchange messages, as well as share files.
UberEats
UberEats, a food delivery app, has been built using React Native. The application enables users to place food orders from their preferred restaurants and keep track of the delivery progress in real-time.
When to Use Flutter
- Cross-platform development is required.
- Fast development is needed.
- Beautiful UI is a priority.
- Minimal app size is preferred.
When to Use React Native
- Development of complex cross-platform apps.
- Big budgets and complex projects.
- Reusing code for mobile and desktop apps.
- Less experienced developers can be guided through extensive documentation support.
Conclusion
Both Flutter and React Native have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of performance. Flutter offers faster start-up time, better rendering performance, and faster Hot Reload, while React Native uses less memory and is easier to learn for developers who are already familiar with JavaScript.
The ultimate decision between Flutter and React Native relies on the precise requirements of your project. If you need a highly performant app with a fast start-up time and powerful graphics capabilities, Flutter might be the better choice. If you’re looking for a framework that’s easier to learn and has a smaller memory footprint, React Native might be the better option. Regardless of which framework you choose, both have been used by popular apps and have vibrant communities to provide support and resources.