Flutter vs React Native is one of the hot debates in the mobile app development industry. When it comes to choosing the best cross-platform development framework, most app owners or startups find it difficult to choose one.
The mobile app development industry is evolving rapidly and choosing the right framework is essential for business owners to deliver a seamless user experience. To meet the latest demands of mobile users, the development team needs new solutions that can reduce time and effort.
The two prominent frameworks React Native and Flutter offer unique advantages and capabilities. If you want to select one from them then you are at the right place to find the difference between them. In this blog, we will provide a comprehensive comparison of Flutter vs React Native to help you choose the right framework for your project in 2025. Let’s get started:
What is Flutter?
Flutter, launched by Google in 2017, is an open-source UI framework. This framework is highly used to design applications that run on multiple platforms. It uses a single codebase to build applications which makes it time-saving and money-saving. Flutter has been used by several famous companies such as Alibaba, Hamilton, and Philips to develop high-quality applications. It shows extraordinary performance as Google timely updates the framework.
Flutter can be used for:
- Building applications that can run on multiple platforms.
- Building and deploying applications that are natively compiled.
- Develop mobile, web, and desktop applications faster than ever.
What is React Native?
React Native is one of the most popular cross-platform app development frameworks which was created by Facebook in 2015. This framework is based on Javascript and provides similar features. React Native uses a single codebase to build cross-platform apps., eliminating the need to leverage other technologies to develop mobile apps.
React Native is used for:
- Developing cross-platform applications.
- Building apps using a single codebase to save time and money.
- Creating mobile, web, and desktop apps using JavaScript language.
Flutter vs React Native: Head-To-Head Comparison
Both React Native and Flutter are popular cross-platform app development frameworks that have amazing functionalities with many pre-programming modules. However, you need to learn the difference between React Native vs Flutter to choose the best for your project in 2025. So, take a look at the below factors to see their qualities:
1. Performance
With the benefit of Dart & JavaScript, Flutter takes an edge over other frameworks because it also bridges the gap of connecting with the native components. However, developers will not face any issues with React Native but a little difference will be visible during the development. Due to the advantage of code reusability, Flutter provides seamless performance. With React Native, developers can face architecture, libraries, and native component glitches.
2. UI Block Formation
Building UI blocks is an important aspect of this comparison. When it comes to building blocks for the user interface, React Native and Flutter are different from each other. However, Flutter works exceptionally well with widget sets but it has some loopholes too. Ultimately, React Native provides better formation of UI blocks.
3. Development Time
Apart from outstanding features, Flutter has a ‘hot reload’ feature which provides faster development. Also, Flutter has a rich library of widgets. However, developers can face some challenges and consume time in learning Dart. On the other hand, React Native also has a ‘hot reload’ feature but JavaScript makes it different from others because a lot of developers are familiar with the language. Due to its vast ecosystem of libraries, it can speed up the development.
4. Stability
A cross-platform app should be stable to provide a seamless performance to the users. When it comes to stability, Flutter was lagging behind because it had an alpha version only but then Google announced Flutter Beta 2 which improved stability on a huge level. However, React Native was quite stable from its inception and it is providing unmatched stability.
5. Ecosystem And Libraries
Flutter’s library ecosystem is growing with time but it is not even closer to React Native. But Flutter has some official libraries that are well-documented and highly reliable. These libraries make it easy for developers to create applications.
On the other hand, React Native has a larger ecosystem with several third-party libraries and tools but some libraries lack proper maintenance or documentation. So, we can say that Flutter has an upper hand when it comes to well-documented libraries but it lacks in numbers.
Flutter VS React Native: Table Comparison
| Category | Flutter | React Native |
| Developed By | Facebook (now Meta) | |
| Programming Language | Dart | JavaScript |
| Performance | High performance due to native code | Good performance but relies on communicating with native code |
| UI | Rich and customizable widgets | Relies on native components and offers a less consistent UI |
| Learning Curve | Hard for beginners (requires learning Dart) | Easier for JavaScript developers |
| Community Support | Growing, but smaller than React Native | Established and large community |
| Code Reusability | High | High |
| Hot Reload | Yes | Yes |
| Third-Party Libraries | Relatively fewer third-party libraries but growing slowly | Extensive library ecosystem due to JavaScript’s popularity |
| App Size | Larger app size due to inbuilt widgets | Smaller app size |
| Ease of Setup | Simple setup with well-documented tools | The setup process is straightforward but may require additional native dependencies |
| Cross-Platform Support | Android, iOS, Web, and Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) | Primarily Android and iOS; limited Web support |
| Ideal For | Complex UIs, animations, and enterprise-level applications | Apps requiring quick development or extensive use of third-party integrations |
| Cost of Development | Cost-effective, especially for multi-platform apps | Cost-effective, leveraging JavaScript and reusable components |
| Examples of Apps | Google Ads, Alibaba, Reflectly, Philips Hue | Instagram, Facebook, Airbnb, Walmart |
What’s Better For Your Project?
We have seen the comparison of Flutter vs React Native and the conclusion is that you can choose one of them based on specific needs and business goals. Each framework has its advantages and potential drawbacks. You can choose React Native if you want to build an app that runs seamlessly on multiple platforms and systems. On the other hand, you can choose Flutter if you want to create high-performance mobile and desktop applications. This can also provide fast development to your project.
Wrapping Up
Choosing one between Flutter and React Native is difficult because they have their own set of pros and cons. The selection of the best framework for your business depends on the requirements of the project and the target audience. If you want to build your product using JavaScript then React Native can be a good choice but Flutter can provide you stable and fast performance. It’s crucial to find a top mobile app development company to build a mobile using React Native or Flutter.
