Flutter vs React Native

Cross-platform mobile development has hit a turning point where your choice of framework shapes everything - how fast you build, how your app performs, and whether your team can actually maintain it long-term.

React Native lets JavaScript developers build mobile apps without learning new languages. Facebook created it to solve a simple problem: web developers wanted to build mobile apps that felt native without starting from scratch.

Flutter takes a different approach - it draws every pixel itself instead of using platform components. Google built it to give developers complete control over how apps look and behave across different devices.

Your choice here affects more than just coding. It determines how easy hiring becomes, how much you can reuse between platforms, and whether you'll spend time fighting the framework or building features.

What is React Native?

React Native translates your React components into real native buttons, text fields, and views that users expect on their phones. When you write a TouchableOpacity, it becomes an actual iOS button or Android button that behaves exactly like every other button on that platform.

This means your app feels completely native because it uses the same components that native apps use. The JavaScript bridge handles communication between your code and these native elements.

The big win? If you know React, you already know most of React Native. You write familiar JSX components, manage state with hooks, and use the same patterns you use for web development.

What is Flutter?

Flutter ignores platform components entirely and renders everything from scratch. It doesn't use iOS buttons or Android text fields. Instead, it draws its own buttons that look identical on every device.

Flutter apps compile to native machine code, not JavaScript. This means no bridge overhead and consistent 60fps performance across platforms.

You write everything in Dart, Google's programming language. Flutter's "everything is a widget" approach means you build layouts, handle gestures, and create animations all using the same widget system.

Flutter vs React Native: essential differences

These frameworks solve the same problem in completely different ways. Here's how they compare:

Learning curve and team adoption

React Native has almost no learning curve if your team knows React. You use the same components, hooks, and patterns. The biggest change is understanding mobile-specific components like TouchableOpacity and ScrollView:

const ProductList = () => {
  const [products, setProducts] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    fetchProducts().then(setProducts);
  }, []);

  return (
    <ScrollView>
      {products.map(product => (
        <TouchableOpacity key={product.id} onPress={() => navigate(product)}>
          <Text>{product.name}</Text>
        </TouchableOpacity>
      ))}
    </ScrollView>
  );
};

Flutter requires learning Dart and new concepts. The widget system is different from HTML/CSS, but it's logical once you understand it:

class ProductList extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _ProductListState createState() => _ProductListState();
}

class _ProductListState extends State<ProductList> {
  List<Product> products = [];

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    fetchProducts().then((data) => setState(() => products = data));
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ListView.builder(
      itemCount: products.length,
      itemBuilder: (context, index) => GestureDetector(
        onTap: () => navigate(products[index]),
        child: Text(products[index].name),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Time to productivity: React Native wins for JavaScript teams. Flutter takes 2-4 weeks to become productive, but the concepts are consistent once learned.

Performance comparison

React Native's JavaScript bridge creates overhead when you frequently pass data between JavaScript and native code. Complex animations or large lists can struggle:

// This can cause performance issues
const AnimatedList = ({ items }) => {
  const animatedValue = useRef(new Animated.Value(0)).current;

  useEffect(() => {
    Animated.timing(animatedValue, {
      toValue: 1,
      duration: 300,
      useNativeDriver: true, // Critical for performance
    }).start();
  }, [items]);

  return (
    <Animated.View style={{ opacity: animatedValue }}>
      <FlatList data={items} renderItem={renderItem} />
    </Animated.View>
  );
};

Flutter compiles to native ARM code and handles everything in native performance. No bridge means no bottlenecks:

class AnimatedProductList extends StatefulWidget {
  final List<Product> products;

  @override
  _AnimatedProductListState createState() => _AnimatedProductListState();
}

class _AnimatedProductListState extends State<AnimatedProductList>
    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late AnimationController _controller;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _controller = AnimationController(
      duration: Duration(milliseconds: 300),
      vsync: this,
    );
    _controller.forward();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return FadeTransition(
      opacity: _controller,
      child: ListView.builder(
        itemCount: widget.products.length,
        itemBuilder: (context, index) => ProductItem(widget.products[index]),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Performance winner: Flutter for consistent performance. React Native for good-enough performance with less effort.

App look and feel

React Native adapts to each platform automatically. Your app looks like an iOS app on iPhone and an Android app on Android. Users get familiar interfaces:

Flutter gives you identical appearance everywhere. You design once and it looks exactly the same on all devices:

Choose based on priority: Platform conventions (React Native) or brand consistency (Flutter).

Development speed and workflow

React Native gets you building immediately if you know React. Hot reload works well, and you can use familiar debugging tools:

import { useQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query';

const ProductScreen = () => {
  const { data: products, isLoading } = useQuery(
    ['products'],
    fetchProducts
  );

  if (isLoading) return <ActivityIndicator />;

  return (
    <FlatList
      data={products}
      renderItem={({ item }) => <ProductCard product={item} />}
    />
  );
};

Flutter requires learning new tools and patterns, but once you do, hot reload is faster and the development experience is smoother:

class ProductScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return FutureBuilder<List<Product>>(
      future: fetchProducts(),
      builder: (context, snapshot) {
        if (snapshot.connectionState == ConnectionState.waiting) {
          return CircularProgressIndicator();
        }

        return ListView.builder(
          itemCount: snapshot.data?.length ?? 0,
          itemBuilder: (context, index) => ProductCard(snapshot.data![index]),
        );
      },
    );
  }
}

Speed to first app: React Native wins. Long-term development velocity: Flutter often wins due to better tooling and fewer platform-specific issues.

Third-party libraries and packages

React Native has thousands of packages from the JavaScript ecosystem. Most web libraries work with minimal changes:

import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';
import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { Provider } from 'react-redux';
import axios from 'axios';

// Familiar packages work as expected
const api = axios.create({ baseURL: 'https://api.example.com' });

const App = () => (
  <Provider store={store}>
    <NavigationContainer>
      <AppNavigator />
    </NavigationContainer>
  </Provider>
);

Flutter has fewer but higher-quality packages. Google maintains many official packages, and the community focuses on well-designed solutions:

import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';
import 'package:go_router/go_router.dart';
import 'package:provider/provider.dart';
import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return ChangeNotifierProvider(
      create: (_) => AppState(),
      child: MaterialApp.router(
        routerConfig: GoRouter(routes: appRoutes),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Library ecosystem: React Native has more options. Flutter has more curated, reliable options.

Code sharing across platforms

React Native lets you share 70-90% of code between iOS and Android. You write platform-specific code when needed:

const UserAvatar = ({ user }) => (
  <View style={styles.container}>
    <Image 
      source={{ uri: user.avatar }}
      style={[
        styles.avatar,
        Platform.OS === 'ios' && styles.iosShadow
      ]}
    />
    {Platform.OS === 'android' && (
      <View style={styles.androidBorder} />
    )}
  </View>
);

Flutter achieves 95%+ code sharing across all platforms including web and desktop:

class UserAvatar extends StatelessWidget {
  final User user;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Container(
      decoration: BoxDecoration(
        shape: BoxShape.circle,
        boxShadow: [
          BoxShadow(
            color: Colors.black26,
            blurRadius: 4,
            offset: Offset(0, 2),
          ),
        ],
      ),
      child: CircleAvatar(
        backgroundImage: NetworkImage(user.avatar),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Code reuse winner: Flutter, especially if you plan to support web or desktop later.

Maintenance and long-term costs

React Native projects often accumulate platform-specific code over time. You start with shared code but add iOS and Android specific solutions:

// This grows more complex over time
const CameraComponent = () => {
  if (Platform.OS === 'ios') {
    return <IOSCameraView />;
  }

  if (Platform.OS === 'android') {
    return <AndroidCameraView />;
  }
};

Flutter maintains consistent patterns as your app grows. Platform differences are handled through configuration, not different code paths:

class CameraComponent extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Camera(
      // Same component works everywhere
      onImageCaptured: handleImageCapture,
      quality: CameraQuality.high,
    );
  }
}

Long-term maintenance: Flutter often requires less platform-specific code, reducing maintenance burden.

Final thoughts

React Native and Flutter both solve cross-platform development, but they make different trade-offs.

React Native enables you to build quickly with familiar tools, and your app feels native on each platform. You'll ship quickly but may accumulate platform-specific complexity over time.

Flutter requires an initial learning investment, but it gives you complete control and consistency. Your app looks identical everywhere, performance is predictable, and maintenance stays manageable as you scale.

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