Flutter vs React Native: Difference and Comparison

This era is full of technologies; therefore, the more the platform is convenient, the more it is preferred.

People search for the most straightforward path they can get, so to give them what they want; programmers build accessible platforms with the help of which ordinary people who don’t have any deep knowledge about a programming language can build websites and apps easily.

Sometimes these platforms are free to use, but mostly they are paid. One example is a platform named Flutter.

As the demand for mobile apps is increasing, so are developers searching for platforms with the help of which they can create frameworks easily—one of the platforms available in React Native.

Key Takeaways

1. Flutter is a mobile app SDK designed for creating high-performance, visually attractive apps on multiple platforms. At the same time, React Native is a JavaScript framework for building mobile apps that can run on iOS and Android.
2. Flutter uses a proprietary programming language called Dart, while React Native uses JavaScript and a native bridge to communicate with the device’s native components.
3. Flutter is known for its fast development cycle, and hot reload feature, while React Native is renowned for its large and active community and access to many third-party libraries.

Flutter vs React Native

The difference between Flutter and React Native is that Flutter is a User Interface (UI) toolkit developed by Google to create attractive and user-friendly mobile applications. In contrast, React Native is an open-source javascript framework developed by Facebook.

As React Native uses JavaScript, users don’t need to compile code for every platform, as the same code can be run in Android and iOS.

In Flutter, the code is automatically compiled as per user requirements, which makes it more preferred as it also doesn’t slow down during this process.

React Native and Flutter are free and open-source platforms, meaning users can make any changes required at their convenience for free. Flutter is more organized as compared to React Native.

Sometimes running hybrid applications might slow down React Native, but in the case of Flutter, it doesn’t affect the runtime, giving the applications a better native performance.

In Flutter, testing is done by Flutter itself, but you need to use third-party tools for testing in React Native. Different types of testing can be done in Flutter, like unit testing, widgets testing and integration testing.

Comparison Table

Parameters of comparison	Flutter	React Native
Definition	It is an open-source and accessible platform for creating attractive applications for desktop and mobile.	It is an open-source platform used for creating Frameworks for applications.
Created by	Google creates it. On December 4, 2018.	Facebook creates it. On March 26, 2015.
Programming language	It uses Dart for creating applications.	It uses Javascript for creating applications.
Written in	C, C++ and Dart.	Javascript, Java, Python, C++ and Objective-C.
Testing	Inbuilt tools do the testing.	Uses third-party tools for testing.
Structure	It has an organized structure with lots of widgets.	It has an organized structure with lots of widgets.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is an open-source software kit developed by Google on December 4, 2018. This platform is used for creating attractive mobile applications for both Android and iOS.

Flutter is very organized and has lots of widgets for convenience in designing. It has an inbuilt testing tool kit which does different types of testing like integration testing. Unit testing and widgets testing.

Flutter is smooth when running codes on different platforms as it compiles the applications using the C/C++ library. Users can make changes which can be visible during development or runtime.

It Is an open-source and free platform, meaning users can make changes per their requirements. Flutter is written in C, C++ and Dart.

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source mobile application framework created by Facebook on March 26, 2015. It is used to create or develop applications for Android and iOS etc. It uses Javascript to create user-friendly mobile applications.

As it uses JavaScript, the user does not need to compile code for different platforms as the same code can be run on any platform; this saves time.

It is written in JavaScript, Java, C++, Python and Objective-C. Users can make changes which can be visible during development or runtime. Third-party access is fully supported in React Native as it uses third-party tools for testing.

It also allows the reuse of the already written codes; this saves time, and users can create their applications fast.

Main Differences Between Flutter and React Native

1. Flutter has an inbuilt tool for testing and does different types of testing like integration testing and widgets testing. Whereas in React Native, the testing is done by third-party tools.
2. React Native uses Javascript, so users do not need to write different codes for different platforms, but sometimes it slows down when working with hybrid applications. But as Flutter uses the C/C++ library, it does not slow down easily.
3. React Native has strong community support as compared to Flutter.
4. Flutter is very organized and has lots of widgets to design. But on the other hand, React Native is not very organized and needs third-party tools to make applications attractive.
5. Flutter does better compilation and does not slow down compared to React Native, as React Native slows down in hybrid applications.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889974601904359
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=274fCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR2&dq=React+native&ots=tGqn8Kg7q_&sig=PYmAMv2uRB_Kbz5cgXDJjNu5lzY