Flutter, made by Google, is a widely adopted framework cross-platform mobile development thanks to near-native performance, highly customizable UI, and a rich pool of widgets. Gradually, the race between Flutter and its adversary, React Native, has evened out, with specific advantages depending on the project at hand.
From a technical standpoint, Flutter is the best it's ever been, and frequent updates have boosted both mobile and web functionalities.
Despite the solid support, large enterprises like Shopify or Meta have always given Flutter the cold shoulder. And while their reasoning may be sound, we’ve also observed mid-sized companies follow their example, often without further thought.
Here are 5 most likely reasons why companies still doubt Flutter.
And why they’re all wrong.
1. 📱 Flutter doesn’t match native performance
Performance – a clash as old as time, even though the gap has gradually closed up.
Flutter now matches native performance on the vast majority of business apps, offering smooth animations and fluid responsiveness. Issues sometimes stem from architectural imperfections or platform-specific features, usually on iOS. In most cases, the user won’t notice the microscopic drops, and the difference is likely to be unrecognizable.
Flutter performs well even with animation-heavy, visually rich apps thanks to its Impeller graphics engine and AoT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation for all written Dart code. Stable 60/120 FPS is the new standard, not a luxury.
2. 👩💻 Less tech talent on the market
First the facts – yes, JavaScript devs outnumber Dart devs by a considerable margin. But what was once a major concern has dissipated into a slight inconvenience.
Recently, tech companies have been betting on internal reskilling of native developers. The learning curve is mild for anyone familiar with JavaScript, TypeScript, or Swift. Flutter’s approachable design and detailed documentation paves the way for a friendly adoption process.
Same goes for React developers who are keen to hop over to Flutter. The overlap between both cross-platform frameworks is substantial enough that a skilled coder will quickly spot all similarities and use them to their benefit.
3. 🔎 Google’s support is uncertain
Doomposting about the future of Flutter circles around every few months and remains largely baseless.
Skeptics often point out that development has slowed down. While Google is notorious for abandoning ambitious in-house endeavours, Flutter is a key asset in their product portfolio, drawing traffic to other Google services, like Firebase or Cloud Platform, and generating revenue. Flutter also pairs well with Google’s new AI-powered IDE Antigravity.
The sentiment from Google seems to be clear: Providing you with all necessary dev tools to keep you inside the ecosystem. And Flutter fits right into it.
The framework also welcomes frequent updates, with Google providing a comprehensive roadmap for each year. New architecture changes are also underway and expected in the coming year.
As an open-source framework, much of Flutter’s appeal is amplified by an active dev community. We’re happy to report that we haven’t observed any slowdown in that area.
4. 🖥️ Flutter Web can’t keep up
Flutter Web has been treated as an afterthought for many years, mostly for its tricky performance and limited functions. Since then, the game has changed significantly.
First and foremost, Flutter Web now packs Hot Reload and WASM compilation, substantially boosting performance.
In turn, progressive Web Apps or internal business apps can now run on Flutter Web and achieve market-standard results. This is especially valuable for mobile-first businesses looking for a cost-friendly solution to expand their app to the web.
See our detailed breakdown of how to employ Flutter Web mindfully.
5. 🎈 Large app sizes
A longstanding thorn in Flutter’s side: Download sizes are bigger than for most native apps. The difference ranges from 5 to 15 MB on average, which becomes negligible when weighing the benefits of cross-platform development.
But in comparison with other crossplatform frameworks, the difference is squeezed down to a statistical error. Bundling the rendering engine within the initial download is what causes a slight uptick in size, usually around 3-6 MB.
Does this create a journey-breaking barrier for the users?
Probably not. Only if they are seriously running out of storage.
Key Takeaways:
Flutter’s ecosystem remains as healthy as ever.
Google isn’t going to pull the plug on Flutter since it’s deeply embedded in its portfolio.
The lack of senior developers on the market can be solved with internal upscaling.
Larger app sizes are a minuscule issue.
Flutter Web has a plethora of new functions, and is worth trying on the right project.
