To become a mobile application developer, you need to learn Java, Kotlin, or Swift programming languages. For developing Android applications, you can learn Java or Kotlin. On the other hand, if you want to develop apps for iOS, you can learn the Swift programming language. But what if we tell you that you can develop mobile applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript .
Well, it's quite easy to create cross-platform mobile applications with React Native, which is a UI software framework and makes use of ReactJS, the most popular front-end JavaScript library . Also, there is one more popular cross-platform app development framework developed by Google, and it is known as Flutter. It makes use of the Dart programming language and is the toughest competitor of React Native.
In this article, we will review both these cross-mobile development frameworks. Also, we will draw a detailed comparison between React Native vs Flutter.
React Native vs Flutter: Overview
React Native
It is an open-source mobile application framework created by Facebook. It is the most widely used framework for the development of cross-platform mobile applications. React Native was first introduced on 26 th March 2015, and since then, it has become one of the best choices for developers to create amazing cross-platform applications. The React Native uses JavaScript to write code application code.
Popular Applications Created Using React Native:
- Facebook Ads
- Walmart
- Bloomberg
- SoundCloud
- Towns
- Gyroscope
- Wix
Flutter
Flutter is an open-source mobile application framework created by Google. Released in May 2017, Google has used C, C++ , Dart, and Skia Graphic Engines to build this framework. Flutter is new, which makes it a little less popular compared to React Native. Still, developers are admiring its performance, and the community of Flutter is growing day by Day.
Popular Applications Created Using Flutter:
- GeekyAnts
- Yakka
- Droids on Roids
- Appinventiv
- BrainMobi
- Intellivita
React Native vs Flutter: Head-to-Head Comparison
Here, we are going to compare React Native and Flutter. We would not compare them on the nitty-gritty of their technical aspects. Instead, the comparison will be made on the basis of performance and popularity, so a beginner can get enough information and idea about which framework to choose for their projects.
| Parameters | React Native | Flutter |
| Developer | ||
| Language | React Native uses JavaScript to create cross-platform applications. | Flutter makes use of the Dart programming language, which is also created by Google. |
| Installation | To install React Native, you can use Node Package Manager (npm). Also, if you have experience working with JavaScript, you won’t find it difficult to install and start using React Native. | To use Flutter, you need to download the binary for a specific platform from GitHub. In macOS, you can download the Flutter.zip file and add a path variable. The installation part could be tricky and complicated with Flutter. But once it has been done, you can quickly start creating apps using Flutter. |
| User Interface (UI) Components | User interface (UI) components are the most important factor in designing an application's interface quickly. However, React Native does not provide you with many UI components. | On the other hand, Flutter has many UI components that can help you create stunning application interfaces with ease. |
| Speed | The performance of React Native is very impressive. | The performance of Flutter is good but not better than React Native. |
| Productivity | To start working with React Native, you need to have knowledge of JavaScript. If you know JavaScript well, you can create React Native apps productively. | To work with Flutter, you need to learn Dart, which is a programming language that is not quite famous. Also, if you are new to Dart, you may find it a little difficult to learn and master it. Consequently, your productivity might hamper if you are not well-versed with Dart. |
| Reload Feature | Reload feature is just like compiling a program . However, reloading is faster than compiling, and React Native supports this feature. | Flutter also supports reload feature. |
| Testing | Testing is used to get quick feedback about the written code, and React Native, it has no official support for UI-level testing. | Flutter also supports comprehensive testing of the applications. |
| Community | React Native has an extensive community that is ready to offer help to developers. | Flutter does not offer comprehensive community support like React Native, but its community is growing day by day. |
Conclusion
For now, it’s clear that React Native is dominating the cross-application development sphere, and if you are thinking of learning React Native, that would be a great idea. However, Flutter is also a great choice as it is becoming more powerful with every new update. When it comes to GitHub, React Native project has more than 70K stars while Flutter has only 40K stars which show the popularity of both frameworks across the world.
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