Flutter Advantages: 10 Reasons Why Using Flutter For Your Next Project

Flutter has quickly become a top choice for cross-platform app development—and for good reason. One of its most significant advantages is the ability to build high-quality, visually appealing apps for both iOS and Android using a single codebase. This not only accelerates development timelines but also significantly reduces costs, as there’s no need to maintain two separate development teams for each platform.

Still wondering why Flutter is generating so much buzz in the tech world? Whether you’re a CTO planning your next digital product, a startup founder seeking efficiency, or a developer exploring modern frameworks, this article is for you. We’ll explore the key advantages (and a few disadvantages) of Flutter, and explain why it’s one of the most popular and in-demand frameworks for businesses and developers alike.

1. Why Flutter? A Revolutionary Cross-Platform Solution

Flutter, Google’s cross-platform development framework, has been gaining significant attention. From the outset, it promised to allow developers to build applications for both Android and iOS using a single codebase. This sounds familiar, right? Similar claims were made by other frameworks like Xamarin, Ionic, Cordova, and React Native.

But does the world really need another cross-platform framework like Flutter?

For developers, Flutter simplifies the process by eliminating the need to write separate code for different platforms. With its unified codebase and a rich set of ready-to-use widgets, Flutter makes development faster and more efficient. It also offers exceptional performance, creating Android apps with Material Design and iOS apps with Cupertino-style widgets.

For startup owners, the benefits are clear: Flutter reduces the need for separate iOS, Android, and web development teams, which translates to significant cost savings. With Flutter, you can control expenses while still delivering top-notch mobile experiences across multiple platforms.

Flutter’s Growth and Popularity

Flutter’s adoption shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it was one of the leading development trends in 2020 and has continued to thrive. According to Statista, Google Flutter was the second most popular framework for app development in 2019. The success of Flutter apps is undeniable—take Xianyu, a popular app built with Flutter, which has been downloaded over 50 million times and boasts over 10 million active users daily.

In a global survey by Stack Overflow, Flutter emerged as one of the most loved tools and technologies of 2020, a testament to its growing influence among developers.

However, like all technologies, Flutter has its pros and cons. In the sections below, we’ll dive into the key advantages of Flutter, and share insights based on our experience to help you decide if it’s the right fit for your next project.

2. What are the advantages of Flutter for developers?

Every cross-platform framework promises to make app development more cost-effective and easier to manage. Traditional native iOS and Android apps require separate teams, increasing both development and maintenance costs. Flutter, however, allows you to build attractive apps for both platforms from a single codebase. When compared to other frameworks, Flutter stands out in several key areas. Let’s explore the benefits of Flutter software development.

2.1. Faster Code Writing with Hot Reload

Flutter’s hot reload feature is one of its standout advantages. Traditionally, developers would write code, wait for it to compile, and then deploy to see changes. With Flutter, developers can instantly view changes without delay, making the development process faster and more efficient. This feature promotes real-time collaboration between developers, designers, and QA engineers. As a result, app development is quicker compared to other platforms.

“We found the Flutter development experience to be superior, with better hot reload capabilities, very strong official documentation, and a more stable API.” – Alexandre Freire, Engineering Manager, Nubank.

2.2. Large Community Support

Flutter is backed by Google, ensuring consistent updates and fixes. Its growing developer community provides substantial support, from frequent technical updates to shared knowledge from developers at various levels. As of now, Flutter has over 81,200 stars on GitHub, and Google frequently organizes events to support startups and established businesses in adopting and leveraging Flutter.

2.3. Native-Like Performance

Flutter uses an internal graphics engine called Skia, which allows for highly optimized and fast development. Unlike other cross-platform frameworks, Flutter apps are nearly indistinguishable from native apps. The framework doesn’t rely on intermediate code representation or interpretation, allowing developers to create seamless, native-like experiences on both iOS and Android with custom, high-performance UIs.

2.4. Customizable Rendering Engine

Many cross-platform frameworks use the same UI across both iOS and Android, but Flutter goes a step further. Flutter provides custom Material Design widgets for Android and Cupertino widgets for iOS, ensuring the app’s appearance aligns with the design guidelines of each operating system. This flexibility makes Flutter an ideal solution for businesses requiring platform-specific user interfaces.

2.5. Simplified Platform Integration

Flutter offers advanced platform features like GPS, Bluetooth, sensor data collection, and more through ready-to-use plugins. If your app needs a feature not available as a plugin, Flutter enables seamless communication with native code through platform channels. This allows Flutter to provide native app functionality with minimal extra effort.

2.6. Beyond Mobile Applications

Since its release, Flutter has expanded beyond just mobile apps. In 2019, Google introduced Flutter Web, allowing developers to run Flutter apps in browsers without altering the codebase. Flutter also supports multiple platforms, including Mac and desktop apps, making it a versatile solution for businesses looking to develop across various devices from a single codebase.

2.7. Comprehensive Documentation and Resources

Dart, Flutter’s programming language, is simple to learn, especially for developers with prior experience in JavaScript or other C-like languages. Additionally, Flutter’s robust plugin manager (pub.dev) provides a comprehensive resource for developers to access various tools, styles, and animations, making it easier to get started and build sophisticated apps.

Read also: Top 10 Leading Flutter App Development Companies in Vietnam

3. Flutter Advantages: For Customers And Businesses

While developers have already seen the advantages of Flutter, you might wonder: Is Flutter a good choice from a business perspective? The answer is a resounding yes! Here are some key business benefits of using Flutter.

3.1. Quicker Time to Market

For business owners, one of the standout advantages of Flutter is the ability to hire a single team for both iOS and Android platforms. But beyond that, Flutter accelerates the time-to-market. In many cases, it’s challenging to predict if the iOS or Android version of an app will be ready on time. With Flutter, both platforms can be developed simultaneously, streamlining the process and ensuring quicker delivery. While other cross-platform frameworks offer similar benefits, Flutter excels at making development faster.

“Flutter significantly reduced the time we needed to develop new features from one month down to two weeks.” – Bruce Chen, Senior Development Engineer, Alibaba

3.2. Beautiful UI

Flutter’s UI capabilities are another major advantage for businesses. The framework offers a rich set of beautiful and customizable widgets that allow developers to create visually stunning apps for both platforms. This makes Flutter an ideal choice for businesses that want to deliver a high-quality, native-like experience on both iOS and Android. Flutter has continuously improved its libraries with a wide array of interface components, enabling smaller development teams to build more polished apps in less time.

3.3. Cost-Effectiveness

Cost efficiency is a top priority for businesses, and Flutter delivers in this regard as well. With native app development, business owners must pay for two separate teams—one for iOS and one for Android development. With Flutter, only one development team is needed, significantly reducing the costs associated with hiring and managing two teams. This not only cuts down on human resource expenses but also speeds up the development process, resulting in quicker project completion and a better return on investment.

4. Why You Should Try Flutter

If you’re still unsure whether Flutter is the right choice for your business, let’s quickly explore its most outstanding advantages:

• Native Performance: Flutter delivers performance that closely matches native apps, ensuring smooth and responsive user experiences.
• Highly Expressive UI: Flutter allows you to create stunning, customizable, and highly interactive user interfaces with its extensive set of widgets.
• One Single Codebase for Front-End and Back-End: Flutter enables developers to maintain a single codebase for both front-end and back-end, streamlining development and reducing complexity.
• Open-Source Project: Flutter is open-source, which means it’s free to use, and it benefits from contributions from a large and active community, continuously improving the framework.
• Perfect for Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Flutter is an excellent choice for building MVPs quickly, allowing businesses to test ideas with minimal resources and a faster time-to-market.
• Faster Code Development: With features like hot reload, Flutter accelerates the development process, allowing developers to make changes and see them instantly.
• Reduced Time-to-Market: By enabling cross-platform development with a single codebase, Flutter helps businesses launch apps faster, cutting down the development cycle significantly.
• Suitable for Any Target Platform (App, Web): Flutter isn’t just limited to mobile apps—thanks to Flutter Web and its expanding capabilities, businesses can target multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Web) from a single codebase.

In fact, many large companies begin by building small parts of their applications in Flutter. Once they see the benefits, they often expand Flutter’s use to other areas of their apps.

So, why not give Flutter a try and see how it can streamline your development process, improve performance, and save costs?

Read more: Flutter vs React Native: Which Is The Best Development Trend?

5. Some Advice From Our Experience

Is Flutter right for your business? The decision ultimately depends on your specific needs. If the advantages of Flutter align with the requirements of your app, it could be the perfect solution. While Flutter has its pros and cons, its benefits for businesses far outweigh any drawbacks. Here’s what we’ve learned from experience:

• Getting Started is Simple and Fast: Flutter allows you to start your development quickly and efficiently, making it an ideal choice for businesses that need to launch sooner rather than later.
• Better Than Other Cross-Platform Frameworks: The benefits of Flutter for business applications make it a standout compared to other cross-platform frameworks, especially when it comes to performance and cost-efficiency.
• Faster Development = Faster Launch: Investing in Flutter means you’ll get your app into the market faster, helping you stay ahead of the competition and meet user demands quicker.
• Long-Term Savings: The faster you develop, the more money you save. Flutter’s streamlined development process reduces long-term costs associated with app development.

We hope this article has provided you with the insights you need to decide whether Flutter is the right choice for your mobile application project.

Got a great software development idea but don’t know how to bring it to life? Our team offers free consultations, including project estimations with approximate budgets and timelines. Let’s bring your idea to reality!