Mobile applications these days are more popular than ever before due to the public demand and spike in mobile application usage in recent years. But one thing mobile application developers always had to grapple around is to create different databases for iOS and Android, but thankfully this thing didn’t last anymore. Flutter app development has made it considerably easier for mobile developers to utilize the same database for cross-platform mobile applications keeping the feel of a native app.
In this article, we will discuss how to use Flutter apps to take your business off the runway in 2021, benefits and drawbacks of using Flutter, and how can SoftCircles can help your business to get cross-platform mobile apps on Flutter.
Here’s everything about Flutter:
Flutter has risen as one of the emerging technology in the field of mobile app development and seems to be popular across a number of projects. Flutter is known by many as groundbreaking and age defining apps with a native user interface simply for the simplicity of developing cross-platform applications. The Google-supported platform has already built a niche for the quicker build of highquality mobile apps with a strong value for money. No wonder Flutter is now a preferential option for start-ups in mobile app growth.
Google began to work on Flutter back in 2015, but it stayed in the beta stage until it formally started at the end of 2018. Since then, prominence and strengths have certainly increased. For that, there are a couple of good explanations. It began as a mobile open source user interface that allowed developers to create Android and iOS applications. However, Flutter began to support the development of desktop, embedded, mobile and web apps from the same codebase not so long ago. Where less code exists, fewer bugs are usable.
Every new technology comes with some pros and cons which helps in determining
whether it’s easy to use or relatively difficult. Here are some of the pros and cons of
using Flutter app development:
Pros:
- Quick Development: You save time, effort and money by using flutter. It enables you to utilize the same code base to create different iOS and Android applications, just like any other cross-platform technology. In essence, this accelerates the entire production and ensures that for a single platform, you do not need two teams that work on the code.
- Best for creating MVP: If you are a start-up and want to create a minimum viable product to present in front of an investor, then Flutter is your go-to platform as it consumes less time and results can be extracted by putting minimum effort.
- Less Testing: Developers need to perform less testing because once the code is written, it can be used for creating multiple platforms. So, for the other platform, code can be implemented automatically which means developers don’t have to test separately for each platforms
- Customization and Rapid Rendering: Due to the layered architecture of Flutter it gives you control of every pixel in the display and allows you to overlay and animate without restriction graphics, video, text, and controls.
- ‘Hot Reload’ Feature: The “Hot Reload” feature of Flutter allows you to make code adjustments, and instantly display the results on the app preview without compiling the code. This helps you to quickly correct bugs and experiment once you are at them with various UI elements and functions.
Is Flutter all about pros? No, that’s not true. Every technology has its cons and so does Flutter. Here are some disadvantages of using Flutter app development (at least for now):
Cons:
- Fresh Framework: Flutter is not here from a long while and therefore is considered as a newbie framework. Some of its features are not yet launched and are in beta stage, so as for now, it’s safe to say that Flutter is still not a very reliable option to go for when compared with its counterpart React Native that has shown complete dominance and brilliance over the years.
- Limited Library: Developers face certain limitations while using Flutter app development as it offers limited template library. If you compare it with its counterpart, React Native has so much to offer to developers with a range of template libraries.
- Does Not Support Browser: As of yet, the biggest disadvantage of Flutter is, it does not supports any browser yet.
- Look and Feel is not at par: Flutter does not produce native components, in theory. It replicates Android Materials and iOS components with its Cupertino library in certain respects, but that is not exactly the same. It is particularly noticeable for various device models, in which text fields or buttons vary, but remain the same in Flutter.
As always, you get to decide.
It’s obvious that Flutter app development is not as mature a framework to fully rely on for mobile application development at least for now, but this is the stage every technology goes through. Nevertheless, if you are a start-up and looking to develop an MVP, then Flutter is good to go with as it uses less effort and time. As you know time = money, the more development time you can shave off, the bigger will be your financial savings. Just remember, you’re just starting out and ‘perfect is the enemy of good’.
SoftCircles as Flutter App Development Company:
If you are planning to get a Flutter based mobile application for your business,
we can help you ideate, design, and develop an amazing and seamless app for
you.