React Native Vs. Flutter. Head To Head In 2020

React Native and Flutter are the two major cross-platform development technologies in the market right now. 42% of software developers use React Native, while 39% of them use Flutter.

Both frameworks have their own benefits and limitations, making it difficult for developers to choose the right one.

To help you make the right decision, I have come up with a comparison article that helps you better understand the frameworks and the difference between the two. Let’s get started!

What is Flutter?

Flutter is a portable UI toolkit created by Google. It allows you to build applications for mobile, web, and desktop from single source code. Flutter consists of a complete software development kit (SDK), widgets, and tools.

Language

Flutter uses the Dart programming language. Google launched Dart in 2011.AnyonefamiliarwithC,Java,orJavaScriptcaneasilyunderstand and write codes in Dart as it inherits many of the same expressions as otherlanguages.

UIComponents

Flutter provides widgets (that are built using a modern framework) to help you develop your UI. Here are the most common yet powerful widgetsused in Flutter:

• Text
• Row,Column
• Stack
• Container

Choose the right UI widget depending on what you want tocreate/edit (accessibility, animation, assets, layout, etc.).

Performance

Flutter aims to render 60fps (frames per second) performance. And, for the devices capable of 120Hz updates, it strives for 120fps performance.

Remember, for 60fps, the frame needs to be executed almost every16ms. If not, users will face issues in your app’s UI.

What is React Native?

React Native is a framework created by Facebook used to create native applications. It allows you to develop Android, iOS, web, and UWPapps using React. It is supported by major companies, including Microsoft, Callstack, and Software Mansion. 

Language

React Native uses JavaScript for cross-platform app developments. JavaScript is the most common language in the web app community inthe world.

UI Components

Many iPhone app development companies prefer using ReactNative because of its native UI platforms. React Native has several UI components for everything you might need to build an app. However, you will mostly work with these five core UI components:

• View
• Text
• Image
• ScrollView
• TextInput

Performance

Just like Flutter, React Native aims to achieve 60fps and provide a native feel to your apps. Animations, multi-threading (or parallel processing), and navigation are some major elements that can hamper your React Native app’s performance.

Comparison Between Flutter & React Native Frameworks

Here’s a table that helps compare Flutter and React Native side by side.

	Flutter	React Native
Official Release	December 2018	March 2015
Owner	Google	Facebook
Is It Free?	Yes	Yes
Programming Language	Dart	JavaScript
Components Library	Smaller, non-inclusive	Large, inclusive
Who Uses this Technology?	Google, eBay, BMW, Square, Alibaba, and Capital One	Facebook, Instagram, Skype, Discord, Bloomberg, and Tesla
What Makes it the	Rich widgets	Most developers are
Right Choice?	Rapidly growing	well-versed with
	community and	JavaScript
	popularity	A vast community of
	Easy to use (thanks	developers
	to the Flutter team for	Plenty of tutorials
	excellent	available on the
	documentation)	internet

Pros & Cons of Both App Development

Here are the pros and cons of both Flutter and React Native:

Flutter development Pros:

• Supports hot reloading, i.e., fastcoding
• Write one code for two applications (Android andIOS)
• Run the same tests to run on both platforms. This reduces testingby up to50%.
• App’s size is smaller than their React Nativecounterparts

Flutter development Cons:

• Limited integrationsupport
• Libraries and support are not as rich as ReactNative
• Has a smaller community than React Native because Dart isn’tas widely used asJavaScript

React Native Development Pros

• Supports hot reloading, i.e., fastcoding
• Write one code for two applications (Android andiOS)
• Run the same tests to run on both platforms. This reduces testingby up to50%.
• Has a massive developercommunity
• Supports more integrations thanFlutter
• Because of its huge community, getting support iseasier

React Native Development Cons

• App size isbigger

Wrapping Up

As you can see, React Native is a clear winner. However, if you (or your developers) know Dart, then Flutter is the right choice. If you are still not sure, consider hiring cross-platform developers. Their extensive knowledge of both React Native and Flutter can help you create an app that your customers will love.