Softwr

Mobile Development · head to head

Flutter vs React Native

Flutter logo

Flutter

Mobile Development

Google’s open-source framework for building apps from one codebase

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
React Native logo

React Native

Mobile Development

Build native mobile apps with React and JavaScript

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Flutter dart is used almost nowhere else, so the language itself is a hiring and learning cost; React Native the JavaScript bridge has historically been a bottleneck for animation-heavy and list-heavy screens, though the New Architecture addresses much of it
  • They diverge on capability: Flutter covers Single codebase, many targets, React Native covers Renders to native components.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flutter and React Native actually diverge.

Attributes where Flutter and React Native differ
AttributeFlutterReact Native
PlatformsiOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, LinuxiOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Mobile Development).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Flutter

  • Single codebase, many targets
  • Own rendering engine
  • Hot reload
  • Widget library
  • Ahead-of-time compilation
  • DevTools

Only in React Native

  • Renders to native components
  • React programming model
  • Native modules
  • Fast Refresh
  • Wide platform reach
  • Large package ecosystem

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flutter

  • Shipping one app to iOS and Android with a small teamnot React Native
  • Interfaces with heavy custom design that need to look identical on both platformsnot React Native
  • Adding web or desktop builds to an existing mobile codebasenot React Native
  • Prototyping quickly where hot reload shortens the design loopnot React Native

React Native

  • Teams with React experience on the web extending into mobilenot Flutter
  • Apps that should feel like the platform rather than look identical across bothnot Flutter
  • Adding a mobile client to a product whose engineers already write JavaScriptnot Flutter
  • Reusing business logic between web and mobile codebasesnot Flutter

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Flutter

  • Dart is used almost nowhere else, so the language itself is a hiring and learning cost
  • Because Flutter draws its own widgets, apps can feel subtly unlike the platform unless deliberately styled per-platform
  • Binary sizes are larger than equivalent native apps because the engine ships with the app
  • Access to a brand-new platform API waits on a plugin, or on writing platform channel code yourself

React Native

  • The JavaScript bridge has historically been a bottleneck for animation-heavy and list-heavy screens, though the New Architecture addresses much of it
  • Upgrading between versions has a reputation for being painful, particularly with many native dependencies
  • Anything the framework does not wrap requires native code in Swift or Kotlin, so a purely JavaScript team can still get stuck
  • Because it renders to real platform components, small behavioural differences between iOS and Android surface in your code rather than being hidden

Pricing, plan by plan

Flutter

Free
  • FlutterFree
    • Full framework
    • All platform targets
    • Dart toolchain

React Native

Free
  • React NativeFree
    • Full framework
    • iOS and Android targets
    • Native module system

Which should you pick?

Choose Flutter if

  • You need single codebase, many targets.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want own rendering engine.
Flutter review

Choose React Native if

  • You need renders to native components.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
  • You also want react programming model.
React Native review

Questions people ask

Is Flutter or React Native better?
Neither clearly leads. Flutter starts at Free and React Native at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flutter or React Native?
Flutter starts at Free and React Native at Free.
Does Flutter or React Native run on more platforms?
Flutter runs on iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, Linux. React Native runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
Can I use Flutter for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Flutter best used for?
Flutter is most often used for shipping one app to ios and android with a small team, interfaces with heavy custom design that need to look identical on both platforms, adding web or desktop builds to an existing mobile codebase, prototyping quickly where hot reload shortens the design loop. Of those, shipping one app to ios and android with a small team and interfaces with heavy custom design that need to look identical on both platforms are not what React Native is typically brought in for.
What can Flutter do that React Native cannot?
Flutter covers Single codebase, many targets, Own rendering engine, Hot reload, Widget library. React Native covers Renders to native components, React programming model, Native modules, Fast Refresh.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flutter: Is Flutter free?

Yes. Flutter is open source with no licence fee. The framework is under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence and its code samples under the 3-Clause BSD licence.

React Native: Is React Native free?

Yes. React Native is open source from Meta with no licence fee, and it is free for commercial use.

Flutter: What language does Flutter use?

Dart, a language Google designed for fast startup and ahead-of-time compilation to native code.

React Native: Does React Native produce a real native app?

Yes. JavaScript primitives render to the platform’s own UI components using the same native APIs a Swift or Kotlin app would call, rather than to a web view.

Flutter: Can Flutter build for more than mobile?

Yes. The same codebase targets iOS, Android, web, Windows, macOS, Linux and embedded devices, though mobile remains the most mature target.

React Native: Which well-known apps use React Native?

Meta cites Facebook, Microsoft Office, Teams and Outlook, Amazon Shopping, Discord, Coinbase and Tesla among thousands of apps built with it.

Flutter: How is Flutter different from React Native?

Flutter draws its own widgets with its own engine, so the result is pixel-identical across platforms. React Native renders to the real native components of each platform. Flutter uses Dart; React Native uses JavaScript and React.

React Native: Should I use Expo or plain React Native?

Expo handles builds, updates and native configuration for you and is the recommended starting point. Plain React Native gives full control of the native projects, which matters when you need native code the managed workflow does not cover.

Share

Related pages

More on Flutter

More on React Native

Keep looking

Other head to heads