When developing an application there are some important factors that we use to look at to make the application successful. It includes features, complexity, UX/UI design, back ends, front ends, the skills of the developers, and more. But the real success lies in the technology we choose to develop the application.
If we consider the trend of mobile applications and the growing needs of the business, entrepreneurs are nowadays more interested in hybrid applications. It’s because it helps in targeting users on a large scale through multiple platforms.
Now the major question that comes up in front of you is: Which programming language should we choose to develop hybrid mobile applications? The answer is that there are mainly 3 topmost programming languages we can use for this purpose. They are React Native, Flutter, and Ionic.
React Native, Ionic and Flutter are popular cross-platform mobile app development frameworks for developing hybrid applications. Now the real challenge comes when we need to choose between these three leading mobile app development frameworks.
In this blog, we will discuss the comparison of these three frameworks. With this, you will understand which fits best your business needs.
React Native
React Native is an open-source framework launched in 2015. It is written in various languages, like JavaScript, Swift, Objective-C, C++, and Python. It provides all the tools and services for developing high-end cross-platform applications on iOS, Android, and Windows. Along with this, it provides the ability to offer native-type performance.
Major clients: In a short span of time, this framework has been adopted to develop various apps. It includes Instagram, Facebook, Airbnb, Walmart, Uber Eats, and so on.
Flutter
Flutter is provided by Google and adds a powerful layer to the app development process as it helps in developing beautiful native-type apps. It provides its own rendering engine, ready-to-use widgets, command-line tools, APIs, and more that makes the entire development process easier. However, when compared to React Native, it’s still growing in popularity since it was just launched in 2018.
Major clients: Despite being recently launched, Flutter is used by Google Ads, Alibaba, Reflectly, Birch Finance, etc.
Ionic
Ionic came into limelight in 2013 as an open source Software Development Kit for cross-platform mobile app development. Since it uses various technologies, like HTML5, CSS, and SaaS, building cross-platform mobile applications is easier with Ionic.
Major clients: Being in the market for a long time, it is in use to build apps such as Sworkit, JustWatch, MarketWatch etc.
Comparing the Main Attributes of Flutter, React Native, and Ionic Since every business has different needs and hires a mobile app development company with different levels of skills, it is not mandatory that a framework that fits one startup also be perfect for another startup. So here we will be discussing the top attributes that developers usually look for while comparing the frameworks. They are
Programming Language
React Native: React Native is the top preference of developers as it is based on JavaScript, which is at present one of the most popular and dynamic languages for developing hybrid apps. Also, this framework combines the advantages of JavaScript and React and is backed by Facebook. There is an important advantage of React Native that makes it stand apart from the other programming languages. It is that it provides the ability to write a few components in Swift, Objective-C, or Java when required.
Flutter: Since Flutter is a baby of Google, it uses an in-house language, Dart, that helps us develop applications for Android, iOS, and the web. Compared to JavaScript, Dart is an uncommon language. But even though it is new, this language has great potential to take the industry by storm in the coming years.
Ionic: Ionic uses multiple technologies (like HTML5, CSS, and JS) to develop and run applications and access the Cordova Wrapper to use native platform controllers. To improve the quality of the code, we can also use TypeScript while using Ionic.
Execution and reusability of the code
All three frameworks use different code execution strategies. React Native follows “learn once and write anywhere,”. Ionic uses “one code base, any platform,”. Flutter offers us an advanced set of features to expedite the coding process.
React Native: The prime principle of writing code with React Native is: A single code base can be used to develop multiple apps for various platforms like Android, iOS, and Windows. This will help developers to build better applications in a short span of time.
Flutter: The main reason behind the increasing popularity of Flutter is that it provides a comprehensive toolkit that helps developers create modern apps with ready-to-use widgets, APIs, and its own rendering engine. By using the rich feature set of Flutter, developers can create beautiful mobile experiences.
Ionic: The simple mantra of Ionic “one code base, any platform” provides the privilege of reusing the code base for various applications. By using the same code base, developers can build highly interactive applications in a quick time frame.
Popularity and Community
42% of developers are using React Native whereas Flutter, even though it is a new framework, only 39% of developers are using it. Moreover, 18% of developers are using Ionic. When we compare all these three frameworks, then React Native is at the top position. However, it has the same percentage of developers as in 2019, and for Ionic, it is 18% (earlier it was 28%), whereas Flutter has shown a rising bar from 30% to 39%.
Performance
React Native: Since this framework uses native APIs and components, it helps us build an application that provides a native look and feel.
Ionic: Unlike other frameworks, Ionic uses advanced web technologies, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, that help in creating high-performing hybrid applications. But it requires plugins and third-party packages to wrap our application in a native cover.
Flutter: Undoubtedly React Native and Ionic both deliver excellent performance but Flutter goes a step ahead and it provides ready-to-use plugins, a wide range of widgets, and its own rendering engine that helps in developing beautiful, high-performance cross-platform applications.
User interface
React Native: To deliver a native-like app experience, React Native utilizes React libraries that offer us amazing UI.
Ionic: Ionic is totally dependent on web technologies, like HTML and CSS, to deliver a native-type app experience, but it also accesses Cordova to gain the look and feel of native apps.
Flutter: Undoubtedly, Flutter provides the best UI by simply skipping interactive bridges with native components. Because of this, a large number of mobile app development companies prefer to use Flutter for developing cross-platform apps. It’s true that Ionic can provide a cross-platform application. However, it fails to beat the efficiency and performance of Flutter and React Native. This is because it uses Cordova for running JavaScript.
Current state of usage
React Native: Whether it is about mobile or web app development, JavaScript is the king of programming languages. It is based on Javascript, and that is why a couple of leading companies have adopted this framework for development. The companies are Facebook, and Airbnb.
Flutter: Even Though it is relatively new, Flutter has already set the benchmark in the development industry by simply providing a complete software development kit for developers. With Flutter it is easier to build beautiful apps. It’s also quicker to edit code with the hot reload feature.
Having plenty of advanced features, Flutter has already impressed approximately 39% of developers. As a result, it has been used to build major applications, including Google’s AdWords.
Ionic: Comparatively, Ionic is the oldest framework, but it has not developed any groundbreaking outstanding app. Almost 86,400 development teams have leveraged Ionic to develop Android and iOS apps.
Cost of app development
React Native: It is an open-source framework that allows developers to access a wide choice of libraries for free. To reap the maximum benefits of this framework is, hire a professional software development company.
Flutter: Flutter is an open-source platform that allows developers to access a wide choice of widgets, libraries, and APIs for free. Moreover, we can easily find Flutter app developers with a starting price of $18 to $35+ all across the world.
Ionic: It is a free, open-source cross-platform mobile app framework, but for a professional development environment, we need to go for the paid version. However, Iconic Pro can easily expedite the development process. Thus, makes it easier for developers to create an application in real-time.
Which Framework Will You Select for Cross-Platform App Development? If we are looking for wrapped app solutions, then Ionic is the perfect solution. But since Ionic uses third-party components or Cordova to give a native-like feel to the app, it fails to beat the efficiency and performance of Flutter and React Native. On the other hand, Ionic ensures a super-fast development experience. Moreover, it enables us to build two apps with one stack in less time.
If performance and the need to access a wide range of native device features are the priorities, then consider Flutter and React Native.