Flutter vs React Native in 2024: The Battle Continues

I've shipped production apps in both. It's not about "which is better"—it's about "which is better for YOU."

The Core Philosophy Comparison

React Native: "Learn once, write everywhere"

• Language: JavaScript/TypeScript (Huge ecosystem)
• Rendering: Uses native platform UI components. A <View> becomes android.view.ViewGroup or UIView.
• Feel: Truly native feel because it IS native components.

Flutter: "Write once, run everywhere"

• Language: Dart (Easy to learn, type-safe)
• Rendering: Draws every pixel itself (Skia engine). Bypasses native components mostly.
• Feel: Consistent pixel-perfect design on all devices, but scrolling can feel slightly "uncanny" if not tuned.

Developer Experience

React Native

• ✅ Hot Reload (Fast)
• ✅ Use any JS library (Redux, Lodash)
• ❌ Upgrading versions can be "dependency hell"
• ❌ Styles are CSS-like but not full CSS

Flutter

• ✅ State-space Hot Reload (Very Fast)
• ✅ Widget catalog is incredible (Material + Cupertino built-in)
• ✅ Layout engine is predictable
• ❌ Dart is another language to learn
• ❌ Nesting hell in code structure

Performance

Flutter wins slightly. Because it compiles to native code (ARM) and draws efficiently, animation performance is often 60fps consistent. React Native uses a "Bridge" (though the new Architecture "Fabric" removes this bottleneck) to talk to native modules, which can cause frame drops on complex lists.

Job Market (India Context)

• React Native: Highly demanded. React web devs can transition easily. Used by Flipkart, Swiggy, Uber (partially).
• Flutter: Exploding in popularity vs startups. Google Pay, Zerodha, Dream11 use it.

When to Choose What

Choose React Native if:

• You already have a strong web team (React).
• You rely heavily on complex native OS features.
• You want to push over-the-air updates (CodePush).

Choose Flutter if:

• You want pixel-perfect consistency across Android/iOS.
• You are starting a fresh team willing to learn Dart.
• App is UI-heavy with custom animations.

Both are excellent. The "wrong" choice won't kill your startup.