Flutter or Native? Choosing How to Build Your First App
If you're planning an app for both iPhone and Android, one of the first decisions is how to build it. You can build two native apps, one for each platform, or one cross-platform app that runs on both. Flutter is the cross-platform option we use most, so this guide compares it with native development.
The two approaches
Native means building the iOS app with Apple's tools (Swift and SwiftUI) and the Android app with Google's (Kotlin and Jetpack Compose). You end up with two separate apps that do the same thing.
Flutter is Google's framework for building apps from a single codebase written in Dart. It draws its own interface rather than using each platform's built-in controls, and compiles to native code for each device. React Native is another popular cross-platform option; it uses each platform's own controls and is written in JavaScript.
How they compare
Cost and time to build
One codebase means one set of screens to build, one set of bugs to fix and one team to coordinate. For most business apps, Flutter is noticeably quicker and cheaper to build than two native apps, and new features reach both platforms at the same time.
Performance
For the apps most businesses need (accounts, lists, forms, bookings, payments, maps, notifications) Flutter apps feel fast and smooth. Native still has the edge for very demanding work, such as heavy 3D graphics, advanced camera processing or apps that push the hardware hard.
Look and feel
Because Flutter draws its own interface, your app looks the same on both platforms, which is great for a strong brand. If you'd rather the app look exactly like a standard iPhone app on iPhone and a standard Android app on Android, native does that more naturally, though Flutter can adapt its widgets per platform.
Access to phone features
Flutter has well-maintained packages for the common features: camera, location, notifications, payments, biometrics, file storage. For anything unusual, developers write a small piece of native code and call it from Flutter. That works well, but if your app is mostly unusual hardware features, native may be simpler.
Upkeep over time
Apple and Google update their systems every year. With Flutter, you update one codebase; with native, two. Either way, plan for regular updates; apps that are left alone eventually stop meeting store requirements.
When we'd suggest Flutter
- You need iOS and Android and want to launch both together
- The budget or timeline doesn't stretch to two separate apps
- The app is mostly screens, data and standard phone features
- You want one consistent, branded design on both platforms
- You're building a first version to test the idea; see how to scope an MVP
When native is worth it
- The app depends on demanding graphics, audio or camera processing
- It needs brand-new platform features on the day Apple or Google release them
- You only need one platform, and your team already knows its tools
- You have, or plan to hire, separate iOS and Android developers
Do you need an app at all?
It's worth asking before choosing a framework. If people will use the product often, need notifications, or need the camera or their location, an app makes sense. If they'll visit occasionally, a fast web app can be cheaper to build and easier to keep up, and it doesn't need app store approval.
If you'd like a second opinion on your idea, that's a normal first conversation for us. You can read how we approach app development.