In the present era, our lives are immensely dependent on mobile applications. From tracking health to ordering food, groceries, setting up reminders for important events, booking a cab, or even our sleeping cycle, we are too dependent on apps for our day-to-day activities.
This is one of the primary reasons why mobile app companies are putting so much emphasis on the advanced app creation tools and technologies that can streamline all the processes while also helping them stay ahead of their competitors. On top of that, the competition is extremely fierce.
As of February 2024, there are 8.93 million apps globally, among which the Google Play Store solely comprises 3.553 million apps, followed by the App Store with 1.642 million apps and the Amazon App Store with 483 thousand apps.
Are you getting the point?
It is very evident to say that the market is saturated, which is a very concerning thing for businesses. A lot of startups, small app development companies, and enterprises are actively looking for cost-effective app building methods through which they can deliver their products to a broader audience.
That is where the role of Flutter cross-platform app development comes into play. It is an excellent framework that, through its skills, builds cross-platform mobile, desktop, Fuschia, macOS, and web applications and expands the target market.
In this blog, we will learn about Flutter app development in detail and will also discuss why it is considered an ideal choice for startups and organizations.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What is Flutter?
Officially released in 2018, Flutter is an open-source UI framework created by Google for developing native-like machine compiled, cross-platform applications including Android, iOS, Fuchsia, Web Platform, macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux from the same codebase. It leverages the Dart, C, and C++ programming languages and is redefining the future of the app development industry.
Contrary to the traditional approaches, Flutter has combined some advanced features that beautifully manage the shortcomings of its forerunners in cross-platform app creation. It also integrates seamlessly with widely used software development platforms, such as Android Studio and Visual Studio Code.
Overall, Flutter’s ability to build applications that run smoothly across Android and iOS platforms and even Google’s buddy app building platform, Fuchsia, and reduce app creation costs for companies have increased its popularity among developers.
In fact, according to a Statista app developer survey, Flutter ranks in the top position with 42% of developers picking it, followed by React Native with 36%, Ionic with 16%, Cordova with 16%, Unity with 11%, and Xamarin with 11%.
Let’s head towards what characteristics of Flutter make it a right cross-platform app development for businesses of all sorts.
Advantages of using Flutter framework
Following are the reasons why the Flutter framework stands out among all cross-platform application building frameworks:
Open-source framework
Flutter is an open-source framework developed by Google and its community, which means it’s entirely free to use. You can seamlessly add third-party libraries, widgets, or features like live chat, interactive media, and much more.
Fast performance
Contrary to other software development kits, Flutter mirrors a native design and feel without incorporating plugins or web views. Instead, it compiles to ARM or Intel machine code along with JS for faster performance on any gadget.
Persistent and customizable rendering
Rather than depending on platform-specific rendering software, Flutter uses the Skia open-source 2D graphic library by Google, which offers common APIs that work effortlessly across a range of software and hardware platforms. Hence, users can have consistent visual graphics irrespective of the platform they are using.
Multi platform
Using Flutter, app developers can build applications for multiple devices, such as mobile, web, desktop, and embedded devices, from a single codebase. This can save businesses a lot of time, effort, and money while reaching a broader audience at the same time.
Developer friendly
The Flutter framework has been designed to retransform the app development process for developers. With tools like Hot Reload, a programmer can iterate swiftly and see the changes in real time. Also, one can create using interactive custom widgets such as beautiful layouts and platforms without wasting time.
And lastly, the Flutter apps are highly compatible with VSCode and Android Studio, two coders’ most-liked editors. Overall, it provides a favorable open-source ecosystem for developers.
Native-like experience
The framework uses the Dart programming language and compiles down to native machine code, which speeds up performance and gives a native-like feel to host devices and users.
Stable and reliable
Created by Google, supported by a large community, and trusted by well-known brands across the world, it is pretty obvious to say that Flutter is a reliable framework for developers.
Flexible
Flutter makes it possible for coders to control every single pixel and create beautiful adaptive and responsive designs that work well on every screen they are targeting.
Best for MVP development
Flutter works best in scenarios where you need to build your product prototype rapidly and showcase it to potential investors. The apps built using the Flutter framework save you more time and resources with almost native-like experiences on both platforms, Android and iOS. This way, investors can see your MVP without having to spend time and money developing apps for several platforms.
Robust community support
One of the major reasons why the Flutter framework is thriving globally is because of its strong community support. Developers from all over the world are contributing with an extensive diversity of resources, such as plugins and themes, which makes it easy for newbies to employ the existing tools and also provides constant backup support for learning new trends and technologies.
Famous apps examples built with Flutter
Several industries, such as healthcare, food, e-commerce, retail, and many others, are using Flutter to build mobile applications. Some of the leading examples from businesses of all sizes are:
Google Ads, Reflectly, Postmuse (an Instagram editing app), Tencent, BMW, Groupon, TikTok, and more.
What values does Flutter bring to the business?
The cross-platform app development feature of Flutter bring a following contributions to the business:
Reduced cost
The Flutter framework is known for optimizing app development costs. In fact, the apps developed by the Flutter framework cost almost half as much as the traditional app-building process. Thus saving businesses a lot of potential money.
Code reusability
Code reusability is the next important feature of Flutter for businesses. The framework allows coders to develop rich applications cross-platform with reusable code and gives them a nearly native-like feel. Again, saving significant time, efforts, and resources for a company.
Quicker time to launch
Building separate apps for specific platforms, like native apps, could take more time to develop and, as a result, will take more time to launch to the market, which also reduces the target customer base. This area has been a pain point for many emerging businesses.
One might suggest that companies should not go for hybrid app development, but that is also not feasible because of some performance issues.
However, one of the prominent features of Flutter is its fast testing via hot reload functionality. This feature eliminates the requirement of providing the app in order to view any code modification that is necessary.
Faster performance
One of the many reasons why companies are so inclined to opt for Flutter is because of its fast speed and incredible performance. And that is made possible because of Flutter’s DevTools, Skia graphics, and the Dart programming language. You would be amazed to know that Flutter beats the native language, Swift, in some areas.
Rising popularity
Since it’s officially released in 2018, Flutter has become the number one choice of frames for over 2 million programmers worldwide, surpassing React Native with a 42% market share in 2024. Thus, it has also influenced businesses to build applications using Flutter.
Why are startups opting for Flutter?
The Flutter framework offers immense benefits to businesses and developers, as mentioned above, but its primary one that is captivating everyone’s attention is its lower app development cost.
As the framework allows coders to build cross-platform applications that give a nearly native experience using a single codebase, they no longer need to invest double the amount of their time into building platform-specific applications.
Moreover, Flutter has a large community of developers across the globe that gives a wealth of resources, ease, and relief to the rookies.
Why are enterprises opting for Flutter?
We won’t deny that the above reasons add up to why businesses of all scales are using Flutter to build applications. However, for enterprises, the motivations are slightly different.
They are choosing Flutter over other cross-platform app development and native app development because of the capabilities of Flutter in building high-performance applications with native-like experience.
The Flutter unified app building process makes it feasible for enterprises to make scalable apps within the app ecosystem, making it an ideal choice for large-scale projects. This ensures consistent performance in the long run.
How much does it cost to build a Flutter app?
We can’t tell you the exact cost of building a Flutter app; however, it can vary anywhere between $50,000 and $200,000 and even beyond, depending on several parameters.
These include the complexity of the project, the project timeline, the UI/UX design, additional features you are planning to incorporate, the hourly rate of the software developer or mobile app development company at that point in time, and unforeseen circumstances.
Furthermore, keep in mind that building apps via the Flutter framework is one of the most cost-efficient methods with lower maintenance requirements. So, if you are worried about the final number, we would suggest you think first about how much a traditional app creation platform would cost.
Final Words: What is the future of Flutter in the business world?
When we hear the word Flutter, we think of it in two ways: one, in the form of a cross-platform framework and two, in the form of its role in the business world. Even though the framework is relatively new in the market, its future is luminous in either sense.
The reason is its fast app-building process for multiple platforms using a single codebase with a native-like experience.
Moreover, Flutter reduces the amount of app creation and eventually leads to less time for the app to market. All these decrease the overall cost of the project and profit businesses from diverse industry angles.
We hope that you have a clear understanding of what Flutter is and how it is considered an right option for businesses.
Now, being fully aware, go and save some pennies on app development and build high-performing native apps with Flutter framework.
