Flutter vs Native – What To Choose? Comparison of Flutter vs Android and iOS

One of the biggest questions many businesses designing their new app will have to answer is what type of application they want to create. Should they develop a native application, or would a cross-platform application be better? 

Mobile applications based on native code are typically faster and can take advantage of an operating system’s unique features. However, cross-platform mobile development is growing in popularity as it presents a quicker and cheaper way to build mobile apps compared to native technologies. 

To make the choice a bit easier, we have compiled all the necessary information about the two main technologies for app development and compared them in this article.

• Flutter is a software development kit by Google used by developers to build natively compiled mobile, web, and desktop applications using a single codebase.
• Native app development refers to the process of building an application for one specific platform (such as iOS or Android) using coding languages like Swift and Kotlin. 
• The custom app development platform for Android is Android Studio.
• There’s no “one size fits all” answer for the Flutter vs Native iOS question. It all depends on your goals, expectations, and project requirements for your app. 

Overview of Flutter App Development

Flutter is a UI (user interface) software development kit by Google. This open-source toolkit offers powerful resources needed by frontend and full-stack developers for building natively compiled mobile, web, and desktop applications using a single codebase. Flutter has a rendering engine, ready-made widgets, testing and integration APIs, and other resources needed to create beautiful and functional digital products. It is backed by the Dart programming language from Google. 

Launched officially in 2017 as an open-source project, the official stable version of Flutter was released in December 2018. In its early years, Flutter only supported mobile app development and served as an alternative to existing cross-platform mobile development frameworks. Today, the Flutter app development SDK can be used for app development for other platforms such as Windows, MacOS, and Linux devices.

Overview of Native App Development

Native app development refers to the process of building an application for one specific platform (such as iOS or Android). Unlike the cross-platform mobile development process where a single codebase is used to build apps for multiple platforms, native app development involves writing code for individual platforms. 

For native app development, developers use programming languages and tools unique to the specific platform they’re building for. For instance, Android apps are written with Java or Kotlin while iOS apps are coded with Swift or Objective-C. 

While this often means more work and more developers, native app development ensures that the app gets full access to native technologies or device functionalities, leading to better-performing apps compared to what you get with cross-platform application development.

Android Studio and iOS in App Development Process

One of the most important tools needed for native app development is an app development platform. This is a framework that provides developers with all the tools needed to create a native mobile app. An app development platform typically features an integrated development environment (IDE), native technologies, and a programming language. App development platforms are specific to the operating systems you’re building for. Android Studio is suitable for custom Android app development, while it is Xcode for iOS.

Android Studio is Google’s official integrated development platform built on the IntelliJ IDEA platform. This high-performance IDE uses Java or Kotlin programming languages and offers a variety of development tools for coding, testing, and debugging Android apps.

Xcode on the other hand uses Swift programming languages for iOS app development. This platform has an integrated code editor, a graphical interface designer, and an iOS simulator for running apps. It also has other tools for debugging, testing, and optimizing apps. 

Pros and Cons of Flutter

Advantages

• Saves resources: Flutter’s cross-platform framework allows developers to build apps from a single code base. This cuts development time, requires fewer developers, and helps to save valuable resources.
• Easier to deploy and maintain: A Flutter project can be deployed quickly. Maintenance is easy as well since all changes are made on a single codebase and applied at once to all platforms. 
• Faster development cycles: Unlike native applications where you’ll need separate code bases for different platforms, Flutter code is cross-platform, which means you’ll only need one. The SDK also offers resources that simplify coding and boost development speed such as widget libraries with customizable elements. This way, you’ll spend fewer hours building apps.
• Smooth performance: Flutter uses the Dart programming language, which is compiled ahead of time, ensuring that apps run faster and smoother across iOS and Android devices. 
• Mild learning curve: Flutter is relatively easy to learn and master even for people with limited programming knowledge. 

Disadvantages

• Heavy apps: The large size of Flutter apps makes them difficult to work with especially when they’re still under development. 
• Lack of popularity: The Dart programming language used for Flutter development isn’t very popular. While it is a reliable language, it lacks the popularity of native technologies like Java, Kotlin, or Swift. 
• Limited third-party libraries: Because Flutter is relatively new, it has a limited number of third-party libraries. 

Pros and Cons of Native

Advantages

• Superior performance: Native apps are built specifically for a particular platform and can leverage the device’s hardware and functionalities directly. This translates to a smoother, faster, and more responsive user experience compared to cross-platform applications. 
• Great security: Native apps offer a high level of security by leveraging some in-built device features such as file encryption, biometric scanners, cameras, and so on. 
• Easier testing: Native mobile development platforms such as Android Studio and Xcode feature emulators that make it easier to test apps in development.
• UX superiority: Native apps are designed to utilize the native UI and UX elements of their specific platform. This gives them a familiar look and feel, ensuring a quality user experience.

Disadvantages

• Takes time: Unlike cross-platform app development where you only need one codebase for both platforms, you’ll need to write individual platform-specific code for natively compiled applications. 
• Resource-intensive: You’ll often have to hire two separate teams to create apps for native Android and iOS development.
• Complex update and maintenance: The process of maintaining native apps can be quite complex and time-consuming since changes must be made on each codebase separately.

Android Studio Case – Benefits and Limitations

Google’s official IDE for building Android apps is a powerful tool offering a wide range of features to simplify Android app development while also helping developers create high-quality apps. 

One of the biggest and most unique benefits of building native Android apps with this platform is that it presents an integrated environment with all you need to code, test, debug, and deploy Android apps. This all-in-one development environment comes with an inbuilt code editor, a visual layout tool, an emulator, and debugging tools – basically, everything you need to develop and test Android apps all in one place. 

Android Studio is an open-source development environment. This means developers can easily access the platform’s source code and modify it to suit their needs. It is free to use, which makes it a cost-effective option for app development. Android Studio also integrates seamlessly with Google services like Firebase, Google Ads, and Google Play. This easy integration makes it easier to leverage these services for app development and deployment. 

The biggest limitation and argument against Android Studio is how resource-intensive it can be. While it is a great way to build Android apps, the platform has stringent system requirements and heavy CPU usage that can only be handled by high-end computers. Without the right system, the platform suffers system lags and abrupt shutdowns that may reduce work efficiency. 

In addition to the memory usage problem, Android Studio can also be difficult to master. It has a steep learning curve, and it might take developers a while to get fully familiar with its functionalities. 

Flutter vs Native – Comparison

When to Use Flutter?

• For fast prototyping and MVP development
• To build apps with visually complex UIs
• When you have a limited budget
• To develop applications for both iOS and Android on a single code base

When to Use Native?

• Building augmented and virtual reality apps 
• Coding Artificial Intelligence tools 
• For apps with complex animations
• For location-centric apps
• For IoT apps 

Native App Development or Cross-Platform Development?

It might be challenging to decide whether to go for cross-platform or native development of your app because both of these technologies are well-established and efficient. Thus, your demands and the project’s scale are key considerations when you compare native development with cross-platform development in developing mobile applications.

However, in case you are still not sure which type of app would best fit your needs, you should first learn the characteristic features of native and cross-platform app development. 

In the “Native vs. Cross-Platform App Development: what is the right choice” paper, we thoroughly compared both technologies, taking into account the pros and cons of each solution. Having read this article, you should be able to make a more informed and deliberate choice on your mobile app development.

Furthermore, if you’re looking for an in-depth comparison of frameworks and programming languages for native and cross-platform development, explore our detailed analyses of “Kotlin vs Swift,” “Flutter vs React Native,” “React Native vs Swift,” “Dart vs Kotlin,” “Dart vs Flutter,” “Flutter vs Swift,” “Flutter vs Kotlin.“

Flutter vs Android Studio – Comparison

Our Experience with Implementing iOS, Flutter, and Android Apps for iGaming and Fintech

Kotlin, Swift, and Flutter all have features that make them easier to use than older languages – like much fewer lines needed to design an application or widget library for building the UI. However, since those languages are still pretty new (at least when compared to languages like Objective C, released in 1984, or Java which appeared in 1996), the number of developers familiar with Swift or Dart languages is still quite low.   

Check out this Statista research showing the most popular programming languages worldwide by 2023, for example:

• Java is used by 30% of developers worldwide.
• 9% of developers use Kotlin.
• 6% of developers are familiar with Dart.
• Nearly 5% of developers regularly work with Swift.

Thus, finding a developer who can build an application in Java shouldn’t be too difficult. Hiring experienced Kotlin, Swift, or Dart developers, on the other hand, might be a bit more tricky. Fortunately, you can easily find them at CrustLab – we develop native iOS and Android apps using Swift and Kotlin, or cross-platform apps in Flutter. Have a look at a few examples of the mobile applications we developed:

• Soccer players training app – An AI-boosted cross-platform application supporting soccer clubs in nurturing young talents.
• Sportech betting platform – A betting platform built as a native application for iOS and Android.
• White-label casino app – Native casino applications for iOS and Android.
• White-label sportsbook – Native sportsbooks for iOS and Android.
• STAY STRONG – An app for tennis club management built in Flutter.
• PelviFly – Cross-platform mobile app for training pelvic muscles for women.
• Pick24 – Cross-platform betting app.
• Zowie – SDK for a mobile version of the chat widget for Android and iOS.
• Pretta – CrustLab’s internal IT project management app for iOS.

Whether you need an Android or iOS app or cross-platform apps, we have developers who can advise you on how your new app should be created and guide you through each stage of the process. Together, we can create an excellent app with high performance, an appealing UX/UI design, and features that will satisfy your future users.

Conclusion

So who wins the Flutter vs native battle and which of those technologies is most suitable for your needs? Well, as you can see, everything depends on your goals and expectations. A native app built with Kotlin or Swift has many advantages over a cross-platform app, including higher performance and support for OS-specific features. The Flutter apps development framework, on the other hand, allows you to build apps for multiple platforms much faster, using a single codebase and a variety of widgets.  

In order to choose the right one for your next app development project, take into account your requirements and business objectives. If you need expert advice on this matter, remember that we at CrustLab are always happy to listen to your needs and then suggest the best way to make your new app look and work exactly the way you want it. So if you are currently thinking about how you should design your new app and can’t make up your mind – reach out to us, and we will help you figure out the best approach to your app development needs.