Pros and Cons of Flutter App Development

The mobile app development landscape is constantly evolving with new technologies and frameworks. Among all the options, Flutter is one of the most appealing options for fast and simple development of cross-platform apps.

However, this framework has its own set of pros and cons which you should consider before choosing it. Let’s learn every nitty-gritty detail of this platform to make an informed decision!

Flutter has made a significant impact on the mobile development community since its launch in 2017. Developed by Google, today more than 2 million developers use Flutter, and has over 500000 active monthly users and there is a good reason for it. This framework offers a rapid development cycle, a single code base for Android and iOS, and a unique approach to the entire app development.

However, like any other technology, Flutter also has its own set of pros and cons.

In this post, we will break down all the advantages and disadvantages of Flutter application development. By the end of this blog, you will be able to decide if this framework is the right fit for your app development project or not.

Let’s dive in!

What is Flutter? What are the Best Features of this Framework?

Flutter is an open-source mobile app development framework that started out as a startup and was acquired by Google later. This framework is used for developing responsive, visually attractive, and high-performing apps for Android, iOS, and web platforms. It is a full-fledged SDK (software development kit), and it includes ready-made widgets, a rendering engine, testing, API (application programming interface) integration, etc.

Based on Dart programming language (a programming language unique to this framework), Flutter utilizes Skia graphics to draw everything you see on the screen. Other than easier code writing and fast development, flutter offers impressive elements to give apps a more native-like feel for a better user experience.

The following are some notable features of Flutter:

Hot Reload: Mostly developers need to wait for the app to rebuild and launch after making a code change to see the update. Here, using Flutter’s hot reload feature you can eliminate this frustration. This feature allows you to see code changes applied in the running app instantly. This accelerates the entire app development process and makes experimenting very easy for you.
Cross-platform Development: Developers need to write code once and easily deploy it on Android and iOS platforms which saves their effort and time. This very feature is a game-changer for developers. You don’t need to duplicate your efforts to reach a wider audience, do it once and you are all set.
Impressive UI (User Interface): Flutter offers rich UI and performance. You don’t need to compromise on the performance or aesthetics of your app. It uses Skia (its own high-performance rendering engine) to deliver native-looking and beautiful user interfaces with seamless animations and quick rendering time.
Widget Toolkit: Flutter offers a range of pre-built widgets for user interface elements such as text fields, buttons, and layouts. All widgets can be customized further to create visually appealing and offer unique application experiences.
Large and Active Community: As already mentioned, Flutter has millions of users, so it is backed by a large, growing, and active community of developers. This means you can easily access tutorials, documentation, and forums to get instant support and help.
Vast Plugins Ecosystem: Flutter offers a vast ecosystem of plugins to extend the functionality of your developed apps. These pre-built frameworks enable you to access native functionalities and features specific to Android and iOS.
Access to Native Features: Although Flutter provides a cross-platform approach to developing apps, it allows you to integrate native functionalities seamlessly into your apps. You can easily access platform-specific features like GPS, sensors, or cameras through plugins. This allows you to build feature-rich applications that use each device to its full potential.

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Flutter: Pros, Cons, and Future Scopes

Now, we went through some notable features of Flutter. Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of Flutter to understand this framework better.

Pros of Flutter

Fast Development

The development cycle of Flutter is comparatively faster. It allows developers to see the made changes in real time. This means you can see the modifications done to the code and its impact on your app in real-time which makes the app development process efficient and fast.

The hot reload feature allows you to see changes in the app almost instantly without going through a lengthy cycle of recompiles. This accelerates the process of fixing bugs and iterating on designs, leading to rapid development time.

High-performance

As Flutter uses Skia (a powerful graphics engine) to render the app interface, it provides a more responsive and enjoyable user experience. Skia enables fast scrolling, smooth animations, and high-performance rendering even on older devices. This framework is optimized for performance which makes it a popular choice for feature-rich apps.

Unlike other hybrid frameworks, Flutters directly compiles the code for all platforms including Android, iOS, and more. This helps developers to skip the need for web views and transform them into more native-feeling applications with good performance.

Open-Source

Flutter is an open-source and free framework, making it a cost-effective solution for developers. It doesn’t require a licensing fee to use it, making it accessible to a range of developers and businesses. With a large and active community, you will get plenty of resources online including code samples, tutorials, and forums to get support and learn new and evolving things about this framework.

As the community of Flutter is huge, there is a constant improvement made in this framework. Developers around the world contribute to the improvement of this framework. This continuous improvement adds new features and fixes bugs regularly.

Beautiful User Interface

Flutter boasts a large collection of widgets that help you build the app’s user interface. These widgets follow native design guidelines and regulations for both Android and iOS platforms and are designed to be visually appealing. The availability of these widgets makes it easier for developers to create applications with an appealing and consistent look and feel across all devices.

Flutter is not limited to pre-built widgets. You can customize existing widgets heavily or even build your own to attain unique elements of design. Skia graphic engine further contributes to the responsiveness and crispness of UI. This super flexibility allows developers to craft visually appealing user interfaces that match their unique needs.

Mild Learning Curve

Flutter is based on the Dart programming language. This language is well-known for its readability. This programming language is similar to popular languages like JavaScript or Java. So, if you are familiar with any of these languages, you can pick up Dart without any challenge. Developers with less coding can create app prototypes with this framework.

Plus, the large and active community offers extensive learning materials, code samples, and tutorials. So, even if you are a beginner, you can find help and get started with this framework very quickly.

Single Codebase

This is the most significant advantage of Flutter. It has the ability to develop applications for multiple platforms (Android, iOS, web, and more) from a single codebase. This saves developers time to write and maintain separate codebases for every platform; saving time, resources, and effort. With a single codebase, you can focus more on writing once and implement them across all platforms, contributing to faster development.

This streamlines the entire development process and minimizes redundancy. This helps you launch your app in the market faster. Since you work on a single codebase, you need to run updates and fix bugs only once. This ensures consistency across all the platforms and simplifies maintenance of the app as well.

Immediate Updates

The hot reload feature of Flutter allows you to run instant updates without requiring any plugins. Using this feature you can view the fresh update in real-time. While running the code if you face any error, this framework enables you to fix those issues immediately and resume your work without restarting the entire process.

Immediate updates can also help you apply security patches quickly across all the platforms. It is recommended to notify your users regarding update if they are actively using the app to avoid interruption.

Cons of Flutter

Huge File Sizes

Flutter app sizes are comparatively larger than native apps as they include its engine and framework. This pitfall can be a concern for users with limited space on their devices. It can also interrupt the app download made in slow data connections.

Limited Third-party Libraries

Although Flutter offers a growing and evolving collection of plugins and packages, it is a comparatively new app framework in the market. This means there will be less availability of third-party libraries which plays a major role in automating app development.

Dart Programming Language

Although Dart is a great programming language, it comes with its own set of drawbacks. This language is not as great as other programming languages like JavaScript, Java, C#, and Objective C. Not all beginners would easily develop an app using this language.

The Future Scope of Flutter Development

Being one of the most popular app development frameworks, the future of Flutter development looks promising. The following are the key areas to consider.

Enhanced Capabilities

As this framework is continuously evolving, we can expect to see enhancements in the following functionalities.

Advanced Features: You can expect a tighter integration of Flutter with features such as AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) for intelligent app experience and on-device processing. Flutter might also see seamless integration with VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) for creative apps.
Richer UX/UI: It can be expected that Flutter will efficiently develop more complex and visually appealing user interfaces. Leveraging Flutter’s potential integration with novel design tools and animation abilities, developers would be able to provide unmatched user experience.
Desktop and More: Flutter would be soon utilized to build something beyond mobile apps. With continuous evolvement, this framework will develop desktop apps and beyond that.

Improved Tooling and Support

Developers are likely to get more tooling and support in this framework. There will be a wide range of libraries and development tools that will streamline the process of app development, making this framework even more accessible.

The developer community will continue to grow, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and quick problem-solving. As Flutter is backed by Google, we can expect ongoing feature enhancements, more improvements, and bug fixes.

Performance and Efficiency

As the size of Flutter apps is comparatively larger, techniques will be developed to optimize their size and minimize the footprint of the apps. Also, third-party libraries are expected to rise which will address potential issues and gaps. These libraries will offer developers more options to develop stunning apps with impressive user interfaces.

In Conclusion

Flutter is undeniably one of the attractive options for developers to build apps. Flutter is not exclusively a hybrid app development framework but can be used for developing hybrid apps. This framework offers an impeccable solution for app building which balances quick development alongside impressive user interfaces. Although Flutter has a few disadvantages like large app size and limited third-party libraries, several advantages along with a promising future make this framework worth considering. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned developer, Flutter is undeniably an excellent choice for developing apps for tomorrow!