Recently updated on April 15, 2024
Perhaps you know that feeling when people start to use some new tools or technologies, but you still hesitate. You think that maybe this tool is short-lived. After some time, you see that this new technology is practical and useful for a business. And you are sorry that you have not started using it before. To avoid such a situation with a new tool in the software development area, we offer our readers a short Flutter review.
Find out more about Flutter and the benefits of Flutter mobile app development in 2022 in our article.
Content:
1. What is Flutter?
2. Dart side of Flutter
3. Flutter benefits for developers
4. Pros and cons of Flutter mobile app development
5. What is Flutter development? The advantages of Flutter
6. Final Thoughts
7. Our Experience
What is Flutter?
Flutter is a solution to the long-term pain point of many developers. In the past, if someone built an app and wanted to put his product in both the App Store and Play Market, he had to do double work creating two different versions of the app. As a result, he also had to maintain two separate codebases. Moreover, if something in the application looked incorrect, it could mean that developers did not fit the UI to all possible screen sizes, including the latest releases of some devices. Take it into consideration that all those devices with their different diagonals are running on various platforms.
Flutter has been created to solve these problems. It is the development instrument that provides a possibility to make cross-platform applications with no extra work. This is the core advantage of Flutter app development, plus it combines lots of benefits for a developer that uses it.
Previously, it has been so complicated to design the UI of an application for every possible screen size. That is why the idea of Flutter is so valuable. If there are so many screens and they are everywhere, including a fridge, why could we not create something to allow developers to make a beautiful design for all screens at once?
Dart side of Flutter
Flutter apps are written in Dart. Dart is a programming language created for apps on multiple platforms. This language first appeared in 2009. Google creates it to build applications for mobile, desktop, server, and web. It is an object-oriented, class-based, garbage-collected language. The code of Dart is compatible with main browsers, so browsers do not need to adopt Dart. Sometimes Dart can run even faster than JavaScript. And Flutter is how developers can build and deploy mobile apps written in Dart.
Dart has a comprehensive set of libraries. It also uses Just in Time (JiT) technology, which permits fast work. Developers can build an application in a record short time. As a result, Dart became extremely popular this year. Compared to 2019, the growth of those who have learned this language in 2020 is +532% a year.
Flutter benefits for developers in 2022
1. Cross-platform environment
Flutter offers a system that can be used to design and develop on almost every machine. It requests from the device a blank window, no matter if it is iOS, Android, Web, or Mobile. After that, Flutter will render all components of the UI that are also painted by using this tool kit. It means that the developer does not need to create separate application versions for Android, iOS, and Web anymore. The Flutter framework allows the developer to create cross-platform apps that could be specified on different smartphones. As a web and mobile software development company, we are also passionate about new trends in the world of technologies.
2. Easier and faster development
Using Flutter for mobile development shortens timelines and cuts the costs of operating resources. Developers have to create only one codebase, and it means they will spend less time testing the system. With Flutter now is available a Hot Reload feature. It allows preview changes in the application instantly, without wasting time as previously. With Flutter, the product teams can not worry about the specifics of the framework but concentrate on the project itself. Also, developers skip some time-consuming steps in application development when using Flutter. For instance, Flutter offers a lot of widgets that simulate the behavior of different design languages.
3. Lego-like simplicity
Using Flutter for mobile development lets you build a native smartphone application as simple as putting together lego bricks. To design an application with Flutter, you need to plug customized widgets together. So, piece by piece, the developer can create an app the way he likes it. This concerns functionality, too.
Using Flutter for mobile app development is proper, especially if you want to create a simple application or if you need to make an app quickly, or you have a limited budget. If the core of the future application is UI, you also should try to develop with the Flutter framework. According to Flutter, 7% of developers that use flutter software work at design agencies.
4.No need to rewrite the code across the platforms
As a result of Flutter app development, you will get a cross-platform application for every smartphone. Updating such an app is enjoyable because the developer can deploy the code to different devices and platforms without rewriting this code or learning new technologies. For instance, teams at Nubank that use Flutter for mobile app development can become full-stack if they want. People can focus on a hybrid platform with Flutter.
5. Apps built with Flutter Technology
The most sizable digital bank in Latin America and the largest digital bank outside Asia, Brazilian Nubank, used Flutter to unify the development team on a single framework. Due to this, they were able to launch new features synchronously on iOS and Android. That is the reason why Flutter development is booming. Over two million developers started using Flutter after its release in 2018. You can find in the Play Store more than 50 thousand applications built with Flutter.
6. Value for business
Flutter performs really fast. It is a stable platform with an extensive number of followers, so it will not be a problem to find developers. As proof of the quality of Flutter, we can only add that such companies as Google Ads, Reflectly, My Leaf, Alibaba, and AppTree use Flutter. It is expected because the UI of the application, developed with Flutter, does not change from platform to platform, saving a lot of time.
Pros and cons of Flutter mobile app development for business in 2022
Let’s take a deeper look at Flutter pros and cons to make a fully informed choice about whether this technology meets your project requirements.
Advantages of Using Flutter
Below are the main benefits of Flutter mobile app development in 2022.
Hot reloading
The hot reloading feature matches the nature of Flutter perfectly and is one of the main benefits of using Flutter for streamlined cross-platform development. With the help of this feature, the developers can make quick changes and instant tweaks and then combine the updated elements together. Such an approach significantly streamlines the development process and makes bug fixing easier.
Embedded application builder
The presence of an in-built application builder is another core advantage of Flutter app development. This tool comes with a lot of pre-developed UI elements that the developers have to customize and combine. What’s more, an application builder is pretty flexible, allowing for realizing creative and non-patterned ideas.
Codebase sharing
One of the main benefits of Flutter-build applications is that they share the code between Android, iOS, and other platforms, eliminating the need to rewrite it from scratch. This is the feature that makes Flutter a great choice for MVP creation. With its help, the developers can deliver the app with a close-to-native look, test it with the target audience and then decide on the necessity to build a native app.
Cons of Using Flutter
Along with the benefits of using Flutter for cross-platform app development, there are also some drawbacks and pitfalls you should be aware of.
Flutter apps are heavy
Some developers say that the Flutter apps can be heavy. This drawback is especially relevant for the apps that come with many animated elements. However, given the performance and flexibility Flutter can promise, there is almost always a way to make an app more lightweight without sacrificing the user experience.
Dart programming
While Dart still has something in common with JS, mastering and using it can be a challenge. Dart is also less popular and well-known than JS, so it has a smaller community and fewer resources for upgrading Dart programming skills.
Flutter is immature
To date, Flutter still can’t be called as mature as React Native, for example. However, Flutter has all the rights to compete with it, and this tool is already ranked second by cross-platform developers. So, there is a reason to expect Flutter to become as popular and stable as React Native soon.
Final Thoughts
We had to conclude that Flutter has some disadvantages. The main one is that it is an immature technology. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the framework will become more solid in the future. As for today, Flutter is a perfect choice for startups that want to initiate a great idea but have a limited budget and time. Finally, there are already big enterprises like Alibaba that use Flutter. It looks like this technology will have unprecedented growth in the next few years.
Our Experience
KindGeek is a company that always stays on the wave of the freshest trends. Our company always relies only on solid technologies. And Flutter presents itself as a strong and proven one. Among our employees, there are developers with considerable experience in using Flutter for mobile app development, and our company succeeds in the realization of projects built with Flutter.
We are ready to accomplish your goal using Flutter. Our team is open to brand-new companies and start-ups that are looking for an opportunity to start developing a cross-platform application. To explore more about our expertise, surf our site or visit our portfolio:
If you have any ideas to implement – drop a message here.
What types of projects is Flutter most suitable for?
Fluter can be a good choice for on-demand apps the users like to always have at their fingertips, like taxi or delivery services. It can also be used for simple eCommerce websites, social media, and dating platforms. For these use cases, the developers can benefit from the pre-developed UI elements even if there is a need to create a lot of them.
Is there an alternative to Flutter?
The most popular and frequently chosen alternative to Flutter is React Native. However, mastering and using it is more complicated compared to Flutter. So, for the projects that need to validate their idea and quickly get a response from the target market, Flutter becomes a more cost-effective option at a streamlined development speed.
Where can I use Flutter technology?
You can use Flutter technology to create powerful and awesome cross-platform applications. It is also frequently used to create an MVP since the development process is fast and affordable.
What are the main types of Flutter-based apps?
The main types of apps built with Flutter are the cross-platform ones – that is, the solutions that come with a close-to-native look regardless of the OS, adjusting to its requirements right on the go.
What value can Flutter development technologies bring to a business?
The main business values Flutter can promise are streamlined development speed, a close-to-native look of cross-platform apps, easy testing, and debugging, plus the opportunity to share the codebase between Android and iOS.