Why We Believe Flutter Is the Future of Cross-Platform App Development?

Published on: April 30, 2021
Updated on: August 2, 2023

    • What are Mobile SDKs? & Future of App Development?

    Mobile apps are built using SDKs. If you aren’t aware of what SDKs are, they’re Software Development Kits also known as devkits that help developers create applications for specific platforms. If you would have entered the mobile app development world a decade ago you would have to opt for native Android and iOS or popularly known as Native SDKs. The Future of app development is extremely bright.

    Native SDKs are great to work with and account for an engaging user experience while also giving you the native feel at the same time. But one has to write dual code for creating an app for both Android and iOS platforms. This accounts for double hard work, brainstorming, and time consumption.

    Then came the era of Cross-Platform SDKs such as Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin. These are mobile SDKs that can be used to create apps for native platforms using a single code base. From the preceding three SDKs, Flutter that happens to be a relatively new kid on the block has gained some significant following among the community of mobile app developers. It was introduced to the world by the tech giant Google in 2015 and was in its beta stage until its official launch in December 2018.

    This blog is all about the benefits and future of Flutter in mobile app development. This read emphasizes how this tech stack is assisting Flutter app development company to create seamless applications, consuming minimal time, and giving users the native feel. So, let’s get on to it.

    Want to develop a Highly-Functional Cross-Platform Application For Your Business_

    What is Flutter? Why it holds the future of Mobile App Development?

    Flutter is an open-source software development kit that allows you to create apps for multiple platforms. Using just a single code base you can develop apps for Android, iOS, Windows, MAC, Web, Linux, and Google Fuchsia. The devkit has been written using C, C++, and Dart that assist you in creating native-compiled and attractive applications. Here are a few things that add to the uniqueness of this Flutter.

    • It easily compiles AOT to native ARM code.
    • It’s easy to use, offers seamless transition, and is fast in mapping changes.
    • It doesn’t need a JavaScript bridge yet offers the advantage of reactive views.
    • Flutter has modifiable and attractive widgets.
    • Helps view instant changes using the Hot Reload feature.

    Flutter was introduced much later than its competitors like React Native but the pace with which it’s offering innovation has increased its popularity ten folds over the years. A number of tech giants such as eBay, Tencent, Groupon, and more are using Flutter today. This makes Futter the perfect choice for your next cross-platform app development project.

    cross-platform-graph

    Why is Flutter Being Coined as the Future of Cross-platform App Development?

    Here are the prominent reasons that have given Flutter such a huge recognition.

    • Modifiable Widgets
    • Rapid App Development
    • Extensive Packages
    • Well Documented
    • Single Code Base
    • Best Integrated Development Environment Support
    • Ample Marketing Time

    Let’s have a look at these in brief.

    Modifiable-Widgets
    Modifiable Widgets:
    Flutter offers widgets that appeal most to the platform you’re creating the application for. There are two sets of widgets available in Flutter i.e. Material Design and Cupertino. They offer the users a native app feel allowing developers to create platform-specific UI/UX design.
    Rapid-App-Development
    Rapid App Development:
    The Flutter framework is designed in such a way that it promotes rapid development while reducing testing time. This is made possible due to the presence of a single code base and hot reload feature. Due to this developers can quickly code and test their applications in real-time which also accounts for a lower app development cost.
    Extensive-Packages
    Extensive Packages:
    Flutter supports fast development by making use of its numerous free and open-source packages. As it’s an end-to-end open-source platform, the developer community all over the world keeps experimenting and adds their work to the already rich library, making the framework wider. Some of the well-known packages include Friedos_flutter, Youtube_player, Flutter eCommerce, and more.
    Well-Documented
    Well Documented:
    The platform understands that many developers who belong to different communities might use their SDK and many will be first-timers to use their declarative UI style. Hence, Flutter offers wide and clear documentation of how one can use the platform efficiently. The huge community and organized documentation help newbies get familiar with the platform in no time.
    Single-Code-Base
    Single Code Base:
    As mentioned many times above, Flutter happens to be a single codebase development framework. The application that one creates can be used for iOS, Android, web, and desktop. Flutter is the best platform to opt for start-ups that are just entering the digital business space and are looking forward to saving time and money to do so.
    Best-Integrated-Development-Environment-Support
    Best Integrated Development Environment Support:
    The platform offers one of the best IDE support through plugins for Visual Studio Code and Android studio. While coding with Flutter one only has to be familiar with the Dart language. As opposed to this coding for native platforms requires having multiple programming knowledge of Swift, Java, and JavaScript.
    Ahead-of-time and just-in-time, the two compilation mode offered by Dart promote the hot reload feature during app development. Another added benefit for a Flutter app development company of using Dart is it allows tools to do all the heavy lifting as the language is statistically typed.
    Ample-Marketing-Time
    Ample Marketing Time:
    There are many online messaging platforms that made to the market after Whatsapp but weren’t as successful. Yet Whatsapp never marketed itself in the initial years and become the go-to app for many just through word-of-mouth publicity.
    So, due to competition, it’s important to reach the market as quickly as possible. When you’re the first one to offer services you get an edge over your competitors by earning those few extra months to market yourself well.
    As you can develop applications quicker using Flutter while consuming fewer resources, you get more time to market them. This results in more sales, profits, and publicity for your business.
    You can know more about the benefits of using Flutter by getting in touch with a Flutter App Development Company.

    Flutter’s Comparison with Other Cross-Platform Solutions:

    processflutter
    Let’s have a look at the benefits of using Flutter as opposed to other hybrid platforms such as React Native, Ionic, and Xamarin.
    1. In Flutter everything is a widget. As the widgets are based on the material design and are adaptive they can be easily modified. On the other hand, React Native offers pretty basic components, so to style your app extensively you would require additional knowledge and efforts.
    2. Flutter compiles its code into ARM or x86 libraries and hence accounts for super-fast performance. React Native has a JavaScript layer in between and isn’t compiled into native code, and so makes it less performant.
    3. The lack of platform constraints can be considered as the biggest advantage that Flutter has over React Native. As Flutter renders everything by itself, it’s not restricted by the platform UI. This as a result helps a programmer design the best possible UI/UX without making any compromises.

    Here are a few takeaway points on how Flutter supersedes Xamarin in terms of functionality and features.

    1. As Flutter uses the Dart framework it has many inbuilt components. Xamarin runs on a mono execution environment as so doesn’t offer Swift or Kotlin runtimes which are essential to creating iOS or Android apps.
    2. Xamarin supports different testing methods such as unit and UI tests but in Visual Studio itself. Flutter has an upper hand over here as it offers to test apps at integration, unit, and widget level with the facility to conduct tests at multiple levels.
    3. With Flutter one can create a binary of the app by making use of the command-line tools and learnings from the extensive documentation provided by the Flutter community. This accounts for a strong command-line interface. On the other hand automation processes built using Xamarin are primarily dependent on the Microsoft Visual Studio configuration i.e in the Microsoft bubble.
    4. Alert and chat options with teachersAnother important difference that might matter to many developers or businesses is that Flutter is an end-to-end free software development kit while Xamarin charges you for commercial app development.

    Here are a few takeaway points on how Flutter supersedes Xamarin in terms of functionality and features.

    1. Flutter is proficient when creating mobile apps as it comes with app-centric widgets and libraries as opposed to Ionic that tends to use web technologies that lower the app’s performance and speed.
    2. Animations play a pivotal role in enhancing the user experience and increasing the app’s engagement level. Using Flutter one can develop and create animations. On the other hand, Ionic uses front-end technologies to render apps and so doesn’t deliver the same performance with animations.
    3. Flutter offers the hot-reload feature that saves development time and hence proves to be cost-effective.

    Why Flutter is the Best Choice for MVP Development?

    Choosing Flutter for creating an MVP can prove to be extremely beneficial for start-ups. Let’s learn how?

    • Simplifies the App Development Process.
    • Budget-Friendly.
    • Offers Engaging UI/UX.
    • Flexible to Changes.
    • Caters a Native Feel.
    • Attractive Themes & Designs.
    • Uses Minimal Resouces.

    Let’s catch a glimpse of the preceding points in brief.

    Simplifies-the-App-Development-Process
    Simplifies the App Development Process:
    Flutter simplifies the app development process and as a result, increases the app development speed. An evident example of the same would be its compatibility with Firebase, which kills your requirement for a separate back end.
    Budget-Friendly
    Budget-Friendly:
    As businesses trying to enter the mobility space may have a budget constraint, developing two different apps for Android and iOS with different code bases can prove to be time-consuming and way too costly. Flutter offers applications for both platforms with a single code base, saving a lot of time and money while offering more time to market the product.
    Offers-Engaging-UIUX
    Offers Engaging UI/UX:
    Flutter offers stunning UI elements that are customizable and expressive. Apart from this the platform also enhances user experience by offering rich motion APIs, animations, and built-in widgets.
    Flexible-to-Changes
    Flexible to Changes:
    It natural to make changes in an app when it’s being created. Flutter offers a lot of flexibility between developers, designers, and QA teams while developing apps. The sole reason behind the same is the hot reload feature that makes the changes appear on the screen with a simultaneous change in code.
    Caters-a-Native-Feel
    Caters a Native Feel:
    When you try to develop native applications on a tight budget, you might end up compromising on the app’s performance or features. Flutter offers a win-win situation by catering a native experience to its users by making use of natively compiled code that isn’t interfered with by any mediators.
    Attractive-Themes-Designs
    Attractive Themes & Designs:
    One of the most talked-about specialties of using Flutter is the wide, smooth, and attractive range of animations that it offers. This is made possible due to two things. The first being the customizable widgets and extensive range of themes and the second being the platform’s support for 2D GPU accelerated APIs. Due to these features, one can develop applications that are extremely pleasing to the eyes.
    Uses-Minimal-Resources
    Uses Minimal Resources:
    An MVP i.e. Minimal Viable Product would work best for a business if it’s created using minimal resources. Flutter supports this fact by offering Firebase integration that decreases the hard work of server-side programming. Due to the inclusion of Firebase several important services such as hosting, cloud storage, analytics, real-time database, authentication, etc are readily available.
    You can learn more about MVP app development through this blog and hire mobile app developers to equip your business with a mobile or web application.

    Future Expected Developments with Flutter in 2021:

    Package ecosystem and plugin will be directed to null safety in Flutter with the introduction of Dart’s null safety feature.

    Flutter will enhance performance and ergonomics for existing iOS and Android applications.

    The MAC OS, Linux, and Windows platforms will receive production-quality support.

    Through persistent efforts on application download size overhead, runtime performance, battery usage, memory usage, etc. there will be high-grade improvements in Flutter’s app experience.

    Wrapping Up:

    Here’s a wrap on this blog. We learned everything from what SDKs are to Flutter’s future prospects. Let’s catch a recap of the same.

    Recap:

    • The transition from creating native apps to hybrid or cross-platform app development.
    • What makes Flutter unique as an SDK.
    • Benefits of using Flutter for developing your app.
    • How Flutter stands out as opposed to other hybrid platforms.
    • Why choosing Flutter can be fruitful for creating your MVP.
    • Future of app development as using Flutter.

    Flutter holds the future of app development. It as a mobile and web development platform looks very promising. If you’re someone who’s looking forward to venturing into the app development world then now’s just the right time and Flutter’s the tech stack you should opt for.

    We – Technource a mobile app development company offering its services from the subcontinent of India can help you with the preceding. By collaborating with us you can hire Flutter developers at the most cost-effective hourly rates as compared to other regions of the world.

    We have created a strong repute in the web and mobile app development world by serving our clients with tailor-made software solutions for more than 9 years now. While our expertise lies in On-Demand App Development, we develop all kinds of applications as per our client’s requirements. We also work with Industry 4.0 techs to offer our clients the latest tech upgrades and conveniences. Feel free to get in touch with us by signing up for a free consultation form on our website. Thank you for reading.

    tn_author_image

    Mr. Sanjay Singh Rajpurohit, An early-aged entrepreneur who always leads his team from the front and achieved success. As the founder & CEO of Technource, a top mobile app & Web development company, he made a global presence in a short time by offering custom software development, premium mobile apps, and website development services to global clients. In his free time, he loves writing. He is featured on Hackernoon, Dzone, Enlear Academy, Articlesfactory, and much more websites.

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