Flutter is an open-source cross-platform app development framework that is readily becoming popular among developers. Businesses are opting for Flutter app development due to its extensive advantages over its counterparts. However, being a business owner there are many factors that you ought to consider. This article will enlighten you about the pros and cons the platform holds. Let’s take a look!
Pros of Flutter App Development
Although Flutter app development is good in many terms, before getting down to any particular platform it’s always a good idea to weigh its advantages and shortcomings. The following list of merits and demerits will enable you to make a calculated decision and you’ll have an idea of what you are getting yourself into.
From the app owner’s point of view, here are some major advantages:
- Flutter helps you speed up the development process of the app.
- The Flutter app reflects the reduction in the cost of development.
- The cross-platform mobile app by Flutter displays high performance in comparison to its counterparts.
- Flutter architecture consists of unmatched UI capabilities for app development.
Let’s take a thorough look at some top advantages of Flutter app development.
- Single codebase
The ability to use a single codebase for developing apps for different platforms is one of the major benefits of Flutter. Dart, the programming language of Flutter, allows developers to create only one code and deploy it across several platforms. It saves programmers from the hectic task of writing different codes for different platforms such as Android, iOS, Web, etc. It saves time and cost that would otherwise go into creating multiple codes.
- Native app-like performance
Flutter is a great option for a cross-platform app development company that wants to create a native-like app using a single codebase. Flutter’s architecture is such that it is built to deliver performance of high quality. Dart, The platform optimizes a compiled programming language called Dart. Besides, its quality performance yielding engine Impeller promises smooth and responsive performance of the app.
- Fast development with hot reload
Hot reload is the most popular feature of Flutter. It provides a whole other level to creating code with Flutter. The tool basically allows programmers to see real-time changes in the code. It barely takes any time for the changes to reflect in the app with hot reload.
This feature drastically enhances the developer’s productivity. As coders can instantly eliminate errors in the code without having to begin the whole thing anew. This saves time and effort altogether. Additionally, hot reload is an in-built tool in Flutter’s architecture for which you do not need any additional plugins.
- Cost efficient
The framework is open-source and its cross-platform attribute adds to lower costs. As you don’t need to pay any hybrid app development company for creating different codes for iOS and Android. Also, you won’t be needing different teams for different platforms. A single codebase does all the work here. This not only saves time and effort but also money.
In addition, it has low maintenance costs. Also, you can reach a larger audience with comparatively fewer expenses than what would go into developing and maintaining two different native apps.
- Reduced time to market
The time to market your product significantly reduces as a single codebase works for multiple platforms. With the elimination of the need for separate codebases, the product is ready for the market in comparatively much lesser time.
Another thing is the hot reload feature of Flutter that substantially reduces the time to market. As coders can see the real-time changes they have made in the code. Hot reload makes it easier to fix bugs without the need of restarting it all. This ability of Flutter to introduce the alterations faster drastically reduces the development time.
- Appealing designs
Flutter is known to provide appealing interfaces. Thanks to its extensive set of pre-designed User Interfaces (UIs) known as widgets. It enables programmers to develop visually appealing customized UIs. The framework allows the creation of smooth
Animations that lead to better user experience.
- Constant support
Flutter has a huge community of active users who are always available to provide the needed support. The experts in the community provide a supportive environment where the developers are invited to collab and share knowledge. Suppose you get stuck somewhere during coding, you can always take the help of community experts.
Additionally, Flutter has backing from giant Google which is itself the user of this framework. So, it comes with the assurance that the bugs will be eliminated in no time.
- Expanding ecosystem
The ecosystem of Flutter is in the growing phase. This is of benefit to both developers as well as the app owners. With the growing popularity of the framework, its ecosystem is also expanding. The growth is displayed by increasing libraries and features for Flutter app development.
As the options and functionalities increase, it helps developers experiment with new ideas. Hence, improved productivity of the designers and resultant feature-rich apps.
Cons of Flutter App Development
Besides all the advantages Flutter has its drawbacks as well which you must consider. Therefore, the following are some things that you must take into account.
- App size
The apps created using Flutter are large in size in comparison to the apps created using a native platform. Thus, it can be something of concern for those not having sufficient device storage. Flutter apps take comparatively more time to download than native apps.
The minimum size of a Flutter app is more than 4MB which is understandably more than the native apps. For example, a Java native app has a minimum size of 539KB and Kotlin app has 550 KB.
- Limited tools and libraries
Third-party plugins and additional libraries play a big role in creating a top-notch app. Currently, Flutter contains 25k+ packages with the number increasing every now and then. However, it’s not more than its major competitor, React Native.
Platform channels can be used to easily integrate Flutter with any native API. But in case any specific library doesn’t support the Flutter framework, there you’ll be more work to do to get it working.
- Adoption of Dart
Developers tend to adopt a framework that works with a widely-used programming language. As Dart is not as popular as other languages, it is not readily adopted.
Conclusion:
Now that you know about both pros and cons of Flutter app development, we believe that this knowledge will help you big time in decision-making. You must take all the above-given factors into consideration when deciding between a cross-platform or native app development platform.
If you have a limited budget and time constraints, then Flutter is for you. But if you want a platform-specific app then you should definitely opt for native app development.
