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

Flutter vs. React Native — which one is the better choice for your cross-platform development needs in 2025? Both frameworks have their own strengths and limitations, making it completely understandable if you’re still weighing which technology best aligns with your business goals, app vision, and budget.

In this article, we’ll break down a detailed comparison between Flutter and React Native, helping you answer key questions like:

• What is Flutter?
• Has Flutter become the go-to development trend in 2025?
• Which cross-platform mobile framework should you choose for long-term scalability?

Before diving into the features and technical differences, let’s take a look at the latest industry statistics and market trends to give you a data-backed overview of how each platform is performing this year.

Flutter vs. React Native: Market Share in 2025

The rapid growth of mobile internet usage continues to reshape the digital landscape. Back in 2019, the Global Digital Report revealed that over one million new internet users were coming online every day, with users spending an average of 6 hours and 42 minutes online daily.

Fast forward to 2025, and mobile usage has reached even greater heights. With over 5.4 billion mobile users globally, smartphones have become central to daily life — from ordering food and managing finances to dating and social networking. Mobile apps are no longer just an option; they’re essential. But how does this relate to the debate between Flutter and React Native?

There are two key reasons why these statistics matter:

1. The explosive growth of mobile apps since 2018 has pushed developers to look for faster and more efficient cross-platform development solutions.
2. Google Trends and industry data show that Flutter is rapidly catching up to React Native, making it a serious contender in the race for dominance.

Developer Popularity & Adoption

• According to Statista, as of 2024:
  • React Native is used by 41% of developers globally.
  • Flutter follows closely behind at 40%, showing rapid adoption over the past few years.
• On GitHub, Flutter has surpassed 157,000 stars, while React Native stands at approximately 110,000+ stars — a strong signal of growing developer interest in Flutter.

The Two-Horse Race

While older frameworks like Cordova and Xamarin have seen a significant decline in popularity, Flutter (by Google) and React Native (by Meta/Facebook) have emerged as the two leading cross-platform mobile frameworks. The competition between them is now considered a two-horse race, with each offering unique advantages depending on your business goals, tech stack, and user experience expectations.

Still unsure which framework suits your needs best? Don’t worry — in the next section, we’ll break down a detailed comparison of Flutter vs. React Native to help you make an informed decision based on performance, UI capabilities, community support, development time, and more.

1. Flutter vs. React Native: In a Nutshell

Feature	Flutter	React Native
What is it?	An advanced SDK by Google for building natively compiled applications across mobile, web, and desktop using a single codebase.	A widely adopted cross-platform framework that enables building native-like apps using JavaScript and React.
Official Release	December 2018	March 2015
Created By	Google	Meta (Facebook)
Free & Open Source	Yes	Yes
Programming Language	Dart	JavaScript
GitHub Popularity (2025)	★ 157,000+ stars	★ 110,000+ stars
Native Performance	Excellent	Excellent
Code Reusability	50–90% depending on app complexity	Up to 90% of code can be reused across platforms
Top Companies / Apps Using It	Google Ads, Alibaba, eBay Motors, BMW, Reflectly	Facebook, Instagram, Skype, Shopify, Walmart

2. Flutter vs. React Native: Popularity

Popular Apps Built with React Native

You might be using apps built with React Native every day without even realizing it. Many global companies trust React Native for its ability to deliver high-quality, cross-platform mobile experiences.

Well-known apps built with React Native:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Skype
• Walmart
• Shopify
• Uber Eats

React Native is widely adopted because it allows for faster development and code reuse while still delivering a near-native experience.

Popular Apps Built with Flutter

Although Flutter launched later in 2018, it has quickly gained traction in the developer community, thanks to Google’s strong support and the framework’s flexibility and performance.

Popular apps built with Flutter:

• Google Ads
• eBay Motors
• BMW App
• Alibaba
• Reflectly
• Tencent

Flutter is increasingly chosen for its ability to deliver beautiful, fast, and consistent apps across multiple platforms using a single codebase.

Community and Adoption in 2025

React Native has the advantage of being more mature, with a larger developer base and long-term enterprise adoption. However, Flutter has shown remarkable growth in just a few years and continues to rise.

• React Native: Developed by Meta (Facebook), with a large open-source community and strong ecosystem.
• Flutter: Backed by Google, rapidly growing in popularity, well-documented, and frequently updated.

While React Native continues to lead in terms of community size and legacy projects, Flutter is quickly closing the gap. With its modern approach, growing adoption, and robust performance, Flutter is becoming a top choice for businesses looking to build scalable, cross-platform applications.

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

3. Flutter vs React Native: Performance Comparison

When it comes to performance, both Flutter and React Native offer powerful capabilities for building high-performing cross-platform applications. However, the underlying architecture and rendering approaches of the two frameworks introduce some key differences that developers and businesses should consider.

Flutter: High Performance Out of the Box

Flutter, developed by Google, is known for delivering excellent performance thanks to its architecture that eliminates the need for a JavaScript bridge. Unlike React Native, which relies on a bridge to communicate with native modules, Flutter compiles directly to native ARM code using Dart and the C++-based rendering engine.

At the heart of Flutter’s smooth performance lies the Skia graphics engine, which redraws the UI every time a frame changes. This allows Flutter apps to achieve a consistent 60 FPS (frames per second) or even 120 FPS on devices that support high refresh rates. As a result, animations feel seamless, and user interactions are highly responsive.

Because Flutter controls every pixel on the screen, developers can create complex, custom UI elements without worrying about performance bottlenecks. This makes Flutter particularly suitable for apps with rich animations or demanding visual components, such as e-commerce, lifestyle, and entertainment applications.

In addition, Flutter’s hot reload functionality significantly speeds up the development cycle, allowing developers to instantly see code changes without rebuilding the entire app — a major productivity boost when testing performance optimizations.

React Native: Mature and Optimized, But Depends on Native Modules

React Native, backed by Meta (formerly Facebook), has been a trusted framework since 2015 and powers some of the world’s most-used applications, including Facebook, Instagram, Skype, and Walmart. Its performance is generally reliable for most business applications, particularly those with a simpler UI or less demanding animation needs.

However, React Native’s performance can vary depending on how much it relies on native bridges. The framework uses JavaScript to interact with native APIs, and while this makes the architecture more flexible and modular, it also introduces potential latency when bridging complex tasks like animations, gestures, or background processes.

To address these concerns, the React Native team has released a new Fabric architecture and TurboModules that reduce overhead and improve rendering speed. These enhancements help close the performance gap with Flutter but may require extra configuration and deeper understanding of native development.

Flutter vs React Native: Real-World Observations

• Startup Time: Flutter apps typically have faster startup times due to native compilation.
• UI Rendering: Flutter offers smoother animations and transitions, especially on lower-end devices.
• Heavy Tasks: Both frameworks can handle CPU/GPU-intensive tasks, but Flutter tends to handle high-complexity UIs more efficiently.
• App Size: Flutter apps may result in slightly larger initial app sizes, though this is continually improving with updates.

In summary, Flutter tends to outperform React Native in terms of raw rendering speed, animation smoothness, and startup time, thanks to its compiled architecture and Skia engine. It’s an excellent choice for visually rich, interactive apps where performance is a top priority.

React Native, on the other hand, still provides solid performance and benefits from a more mature ecosystem, easier integration with native code, and a large pool of experienced developers. It remains a strong option for apps that require deep platform integrations or are already tied to a React.js tech stack.

Choosing between the two ultimately depends on your app’s specific performance needs, development resources, and long-term scalability goals.

4. Programming Language: Dart vs JavaScript

When choosing between Flutter and React Native, the programming language behind each framework plays a significant role in shaping developer experience, learning curve, and project scalability.

React Native – JavaScript

React Native is built on JavaScript, one of the most popular and widely-used programming languages in the world. JavaScript is considered the default language of the web, supported by virtually every browser and platform. Thanks to its ubiquity and familiarity, most frontend developers are already comfortable working with JavaScript or its modern extension, TypeScript.

Because of this, React Native benefits from a massive global community, a rich ecosystem of libraries, and easy talent acquisition. For businesses looking to quickly ramp up a mobile app development team or hire from a wide talent pool, React Native offers a strategic advantage.

Moreover, if your company already uses React for web development, adopting React Native for mobile enables significant code sharing between web and mobile projects, reducing development time and cost.

Flutter – Dart

Flutter, on the other hand, uses Dart, a language developed by Google. Dart is an object-oriented, class-based language with a syntax similar to Java, C#, and JavaScript, making it relatively easy to pick up for experienced developers. It is also a compiled language, which allows Flutter to achieve superior performance by compiling directly to native ARM code.

While Dart is not as widely adopted as JavaScript, its learning curve is gentle, and the Flutter documentation is comprehensive and beginner-friendly. Google has also made significant efforts to promote Dart within the Flutter community, and as Flutter’s popularity grows, so does the number of Dart developers worldwide.

Dart’s strong typing system, asynchronous programming support via async/await, and robust tooling make it a safe and expressive choice for building modern cross-platform apps.

Summary: JavaScript vs Dart

Aspect	React Native (JavaScript)	Flutter (Dart)
Language Popularity	Very high – used globally in web & mobile	Moderate – growing with Flutter’s adoption
Learning Curve	Low – many developers already familiar	Moderate – easier for those with OOP background
Talent Availability	Extremely large pool	Smaller but rapidly growing community
Language Features	Dynamic, flexible, web-oriented	Strong typing, object-oriented, compiled
Code Sharing	Great for web + mobile with React	Optimized for mobile, with support for web/desktop

If your team already has JavaScript or React experience, React Native offers a seamless transition into mobile app development. It leverages familiar tools and enables faster team onboarding.

If performance, modern tooling, and long-term flexibility are priorities — especially for visually intensive or high-performance apps — Flutter with Dart could be the better investment, despite its smaller developer base.

Ultimately, your choice will depend on your team’s background, long-term goals, and the specific demands of your app project.

5. Native Appearance: How “Native” Do These Apps Feel?

A key factor in choosing between Flutter and React Native is how closely each framework can replicate a true native user experience on both Android and iOS platforms. Both frameworks aim to build high-quality cross-platform apps, but they take different approaches under the hood.

Flutter – Custom Rendering for a Unified UI

Flutter does not rely on native UI components. Instead, it uses its own high-performance rendering engine, built with C++ and powered by the Skia graphics library, to draw every single pixel on the screen. This means that Flutter apps look and behave consistently across different devices and OS versions, regardless of the platform.

With Flutter, developers have complete control over every visual element, from buttons to transitions. This makes it easier to maintain a consistent brand identity and deliver custom UI/UX designs without worrying about platform-specific behavior.

The downside? While the UI is consistent, it may not always perfectly mimic the subtle native behaviors or animations users expect on iOS or Android—unless explicitly designed to do so.

React Native – Closer to the Native Look and Feel

React Native, by contrast, relies on native components provided by the host operating system. When a React Native app is run, its JavaScript code is compiled to native code and interfaces directly with the platform through “bridges.” This allows React Native to render the true native UI elements — such as buttons, switches, and navigation bars — and ensures a more authentic native experience.

React Native apps can therefore take advantage of native gestures, platform-specific interactions, and adaptive UI behaviors out of the box. Additionally, developers can easily extend the app with native modules written in Java (Android) or Swift/Objective-C (iOS), offering high flexibility when native performance is needed.

Summary: Native Appearance

Aspect	Flutter	React Native
Rendering	Custom rendering engine (Skia)	Uses native UI components
UI Consistency	Consistent across all platforms	Varies based on OS conventions
Customization	High – full control over look and feel	High – with native code when needed
Platform-Specific Feel	Requires effort to match native patterns	Native look by default
Performance Overhead	Minimal – no bridge needed	May rely on bridge between JS and native code

If you prioritize UI consistency and full control over design aesthetics, Flutter provides a powerful and flexible approach with its custom rendering engine. It’s a strong choice for design-heavy applications or when your branding must remain consistent across all platforms.

On the other hand, if you prefer to stick close to the native look and feel, and want to utilize native components and behaviors seamlessly, React Native might be the more natural fit.

6. UI and API: Built-in Components vs Third-party Dependency

When evaluating Flutter vs React Native in terms of their UI capabilities and API offerings, both frameworks enable cross-platform development, but they take very different approaches to user interface rendering and native API access.

Flutter – All-in-One UI Toolkit

Flutter shines when it comes to providing built-in UI components and APIs. It comes bundled with a comprehensive set of pre-designed widgets for both Material Design (Android look and feel) and Cupertino (iOS style), allowing developers to create stunning, natively-inspired UIs for both platforms using a single codebase.

Some of the core features Flutter offers out-of-the-box include:

• UI rendering engine (Skia) for high-performance custom UI
• Built-in navigation and routing
• Device API access (camera, location, sensors, etc.)
• Testing and debugging tools
• State management tools
• Animations and gestures
• Material and Cupertino widgets for platform-specific UI

This rich and cohesive ecosystem reduces reliance on external libraries. While you can still use third-party plugins from the Flutter community or develop your own native modules, most of the essential features for mobile app development are already included within Flutter itself.

This makes Flutter especially attractive for startups or businesses seeking consistency, speed of development, and a complete toolkit from day one.

React Native – Lean Core with Community Support

React Native, on the other hand, takes a modular approach. It includes only a minimal set of built-in components to keep the core lightweight and flexible. For any advanced features—UI elements, animations, or even API access—you’ll often need to rely on third-party libraries or write custom native code.

While this approach gives developers the freedom to choose best-in-class libraries, it can also result in:

• Inconsistent maintenance of external packages
• Compatibility issues with newer versions of React Native or native SDKs
• Increased time for setup and debugging
• Greater dependency on community-driven packages

However, React Native’s flexible architecture and mature ecosystem make it ideal for teams who want to hand-pick tools, build fully customized apps, and already have JavaScript expertise.

UI & API Comparison Summary

Feature	Flutter	React Native
UI Toolkit	Rich set of built-in widgets (Material & Cupertino)	Basic components; extensive use of third-party libraries
API Access	Built-in APIs for device features	Requires native modules or third-party packages
Animation Support	Native-like, smooth animations via Skia engine	Good, but relies on additional libraries (e.g., Reanimated)
Navigation	Built-in navigation support	Multiple third-party navigation libraries
Platform-Specific UI	Easily supports platform-specific UI with one codebase	Needs more manual handling for platform-specific customization

If you’re looking for a framework that provides a complete package with everything you need to build beautiful, consistent apps quickly, Flutter’s all-in-one UI and API ecosystem is hard to beat.

However, if you prefer a lean, modular framework where you can mix and match components and tap into a vast JavaScript ecosystem, React Native offers more flexibility—at the cost of additional setup and maintenance.

Is Flutter The Development Trend of 2025?

As we move into 2025, Flutter continues to be a highly popular framework for cross-platform app development. It has proven to be more than just a passing trend; Flutter’s capabilities have positioned it as a leading option for both startups and enterprises. Let’s dive deeper into why Flutter was such a strong contender in the mobile development space, especially in terms of fast development and native performance.

1. Fast Development

Flutter’s development speed is one of its standout features. The framework comes equipped with a wide range of pre-built, highly customizable widgets that facilitate rapid app design and development. Here are some key benefits contributing to its fast development:

• Visual, Structural, Platform, and Interactive Widgets: Flutter offers a comprehensive set of widgets for UI design, enabling developers to create beautiful and responsive apps quickly. Whether it’s Material Design for Android or Cupertino (iOS-style) widgets for iOS, Flutter provides the tools to maintain a consistent look and feel across both platforms.
• Hot Reload: Flutter’s hot reload feature is a game-changer for productivity. It allows developers to see code changes instantly in the app, without restarting the app. This makes testing and iteration faster, improving overall development efficiency and allowing for smoother collaboration within teams.
• Rich Dart Language Support: Dart, Flutter’s programming language, is optimized for UI development. It has advanced static analysis, a flexible type system, and robust tooling support, all of which help to streamline the coding process and catch bugs early on. Dart also includes built-in async-await support, making event-driven programming easier, and it optimizes UI rendering through isolate-based concurrency.
• Mature Tooling: With a variety of tools available for profiling, debugging, and logging, Flutter integrates well with your preferred code editor, allowing developers to focus on writing code, knowing they have powerful tools backing them up.

Flutter not only supports faster development but also ensures developers can make iterative changes and test quickly, saving both time and effort throughout the development lifecycle.

2. Native Performance

While fast development is crucial, native performance is equally important for delivering high-quality apps. Flutter excels in providing native-like performance, which is one of the primary reasons for its rapid adoption across industries. Here’s why:

• 60 fps Performance: Flutter aims to deliver 60 frames per second (fps) performance for smooth animations and transitions, ensuring that your apps are responsive and fluid. For devices with 120Hz refresh rates, Flutter can even reach 120 fps, offering an even smoother experience.
• Custom Rendering Engine: Unlike other cross-platform frameworks that rely on WebView or native platform widgets, Flutter uses its own high-performance rendering engine. This means that Flutter has complete control over the visual presentation, delivering a native-like experience that doesn’t rely on the device’s default UI elements. This results in highly optimized apps with consistent performance across both iOS and Android.
• Efficient Compilation: Flutter uses Dart’s Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation, which generates optimized ARM machine code for fast startup times and predictable production performance. Additionally, Dart also supports Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation, enabling a fast development cycle for code iteration without sacrificing app performance in production.

Flutter’s architecture, based on its own rendering engine and optimized language, makes it capable of providing high performance that’s comparable to natively developed apps, making it an ideal choice for performance-critical applications.

Flutter has certainly established itself as one of the leading frameworks in the world of mobile app development by 2025. With its fast development cycle, rich set of UI components, and native-like performance, it has become the go-to solution for developers seeking both efficiency and high-quality output. As more businesses and developers adopt Flutter, its trend is likely to continue rising, ensuring it remains a key player in the cross-platform development landscape.

3. Flutter Community Is Growing Fast

The Flutter community has experienced rapid growth since its launch, and this trend continues into 2025. One of the key strengths of Flutter is its active and supportive community, which plays a significant role in helping developers overcome challenges and find solutions to issues they encounter during development.

• Community Support: As more developers turn to Flutter, the community becomes an invaluable resource. From solving coding issues to sharing tips, Flutter’s community-driven approach ensures that developers have a network to rely on. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re an experienced Flutter developer, the support and insights from the community can make the learning curve much easier.
• Educational Resources: Google, the creator of Flutter, plays a vital role in nurturing the community by providing comprehensive tutorials and resources on flutter.dev. These resources are designed to help developers at all skill levels, from beginners to experts, to master the framework. The availability of such materials ensures that developers can keep up with the latest updates and best practices in Flutter development.

As the community continues to grow, Flutter’s ecosystem becomes richer with additional tools, plugins, and resources. This growth has not only enhanced the development experience but also contributed to making Flutter one of the most reliable and evolving frameworks in the market.

4. Perfect for an MVP

For startups looking to quickly validate their business idea, creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is often the best approach. An MVP helps businesses avoid potential failure by allowing them to test the core features of their product with real users before investing in a fully-fledged application.

Given its high speed, ease of integration, and flexible UI, Flutter has become an ideal choice for building mobile MVPs. Here’s why:

• Rapid Development: Flutter’s rich set of widgets and features, along with its hot reload functionality, allows developers to quickly iterate on their app and make changes in real-time. This helps startups speed up the development process, which is crucial for testing ideas quickly and efficiently.
• Customizable UI: The framework offers a wide range of customizable widgets, enabling startups to create unique and appealing user interfaces without investing excessive time or resources in UI design. This makes Flutter perfect for creating visually attractive MVPs that resonate with users.
• Cross-Platform Development: Since Flutter supports both iOS and Android with a single codebase, startups can reach a broader audience without having to develop separate apps for each platform. This not only saves time but also reduces development costs, making it an excellent option for startups with limited budgets.
• Integration Flexibility: Flutter’s ease of integration with APIs and third-party services makes it a flexible framework for MVPs, allowing startups to build a functional product that can easily connect with other systems as needed.

By using Flutter to build their MVPs, startups can quickly test their ideas, get valuable user feedback, and make informed decisions about whether to proceed with full-scale development. This flexibility and efficiency make Flutter a top choice for rapidly launching products and testing business concepts in the real world.

Flutter vs React Native: Which One Is Better?

When comparing Flutter vs React Native for mobile app development, it ultimately depends on your specific needs and preferences. Both frameworks have their strengths and can help you develop apps efficiently, but choosing the right one involves understanding what each offers.

1. Flutter vs React Native: Speed and Efficiency

Both Flutter and React Native significantly reduce time-to-market and development costs. With the use of third-party libraries and ready-to-use components, both frameworks make it easier to build robust apps. However, the choice between them may come down to the specific requirements of your app.

• React Native is ideal for developers who want to create an app quickly with minimal customization. Its ecosystem is rich in third-party libraries, making it a fast and cost-effective option for applications that don’t require a lot of design or feature customization.
• Flutter, on the other hand, is perfect when you have a specific vision for your app’s design. Its highly customizable widgets and smooth integration with native components make it ideal for developers who want to create visually distinctive applications.

2. When to Choose React Native?

If you want to build a simple app quickly, without heavy design requirements or custom features, React Native might be the better choice. It allows you to leverage the power of JavaScript and has a large community and support, which can speed up development.

Additionally, React Native is the preferred choice when cross-platform compatibility is essential and you want to reuse as much code as possible across iOS and Android. It’s a great choice for apps that need to be built and launched rapidly, with an existing user base or ecosystem to integrate with (e.g., Facebook, Instagram).

3. When to Choose Flutter?

If you’re aiming for a unique design and want the flexibility to customize the app’s look and feel, Flutter is the framework for you. It allows for greater flexibility in design and offers high performance thanks to its rendering engine.

Flutter is also a great choice when you need code reusability, especially for applications that might need updates or adjustments in both iOS and Android versions. With Flutter, the UI is drawn directly by the framework, making it more consistent across devices.

4. Considerations for Choosing the Right Framework

Remember, every application is different, and the decision of whether to choose Flutter vs React Native should depend on the following factors:

• Design Requirements: Do you need a high degree of customization and control over the design? If yes, Flutter might be better.
• Development Speed: Are you looking to build a simple app quickly? React Native might be the way to go.
• Code Reusability: If you need to reuse code between platforms, both frameworks are capable, but React Native offers an easier route with its JavaScript base.

Ultimately, both frameworks are capable of creating stunning mobile applications. It’s important to discuss your project with an experienced team of developers to make the most informed decision based on your goals.

5. Hiring Flutter Developers

When it comes to hiring developers, there are significant differences in costs depending on the region.

• In the United States, React Native developers have an average yearly salary of $110,000.
• In Ukraine, the average React Native Developer rate is about $30,000 per year.
• In Vietnam, developers in both Flutter and React Native have salaries ranging from $500 to $1,400 USD per month, making it an attractive outsourcing destination for cost-effective development.

As demand for both Flutter and React Native developers grows, Vietnamese developers are gaining recognition globally. According to Coursera Global Skills Index 2020, Vietnam ranks 22nd globally for technology skills and 2nd in the Asia Pacific region.

About AgileTech Vietnam

At AgileTech, we are a dedicated team of Project Managers and developers with a proven track record of delivering exceptional products to clients across the globe. With successful projects in over 10 countries, including major markets such as the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Singapore, we are equipped to handle diverse business needs.

Our expert teams specialize in providing top-tier mobile app development solutions, particularly in cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native. Whether you’re looking to develop a custom app or need guidance on which framework best suits your business, we are here to help.

Looking for Flutter or React Native Developers?

If you’re considering Flutter or React Native for your mobile app development, our team of experienced developers will consult with you every step of the way, ensuring you’re confident in the solution that fits your business needs. Let us help bring your app vision to life!