Google’s cross-platform framework has been a staple of mobile development for nearly a decade, lauded for its compact widgets, solid performance, and significant QOL features, like Hot Reload.
But outside of mobile, praise seems to always come with an asterisk, with one particular question on everyone’s mind:
How does Flutter perform in web app development?
Flutter Web was marked production-ready back in 2021 with version 2.0, but its popularity remains overshadowed by more flexible frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular.
Recently, Google introduced features that moved the needle on Flutter Web’s capabilities, with built-in support for WASM and Hot Reload, which had previously only been available for mobile. Several key portfolio apps, such as Google Earth and Google Classroom, now utilize Flutter. And yet, the dev community seems split on its value for real-life projects.
So, is Flutter a wise choice for your web app?
Let’s break it down:
Advantages of Flutter Web in 2025
Cross-Platform Development for Mobile and Web
Flutter’s biggest selling point still holds strong: a single codebase across all platforms, including iOS, Android, desktop, and, well, web. A unified process speeds up the development cycle while squeezing down costs, at least in comparison to most natively developed apps.
Widgets for Detailed UI
Another great asset remains intact. Widgets allow for the creation of highly customized, interactive UIs across all browsers. Hence, animations and complex interactions are generally easier to implement than with traditional web frameworks.
WASM (WebAssembly)
WASM can compile code from other languages, like C++ or C#, and optimize it for web performance while ensuring near-native load times. In layman’s terms, WASM makes apps faster and lighter.
In June 2024, the WASM module started compiling Dart, boosting the performance of all Flutter-based web apps.
Hot Reload for Web
Thanks to Hot Reload, devs observe code changes almost instantaneously, significantly improving efficiency across all areas of programming and design. The game-changing feature was finally introduced to Flutter Web in the 3.35 update.
Healthy Ecosystem
A framework is nothing without a nourishing ecosystem. Flutter offers a stable community of enthusiasts, frequent updates, and a wide variety of packages and libraries that further extend its possibilities.
Disadvantages of Flutter Web in 2025
Troublesome SEO
Because Flutter renders most content on a canvas instead of HTML, its search engine optimization is next to non-existent. Packages can sometimes act as workarounds, but the results are usually mixed (to bad). Thus, content-heavy websites, such as blogs or news sites, are rarely a good fit.
Slow Initial Load
Flutter Web apps are larger than React, Vue, or Svelte applications, and in general load more slowly on initial visit. Deferred loading partially mitigates the issue by loading selected components only on demand. It’s not the end of the world, but you’ll notice a difference.
Performance Trade-Offs
Although the performance gap is gradually closing, for certain apps with complex visual effects or animations, Flutter Web can still feel less smooth compared to web apps built with JavaScript frameworks.
When Should You Use Flutter Web?
Ideal for:
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) aiming for native-like experience across devices.
Project management and complex interactive dashboards needing high performance and adaptability.
Internal business apps with possible mobile version
Unfit for:
Blogs and editorial websites
Lightweight landing pages
Marketing and SEO-dependent websites
Over time and many frequent updates, Flutter Web is becoming more and more suitable for various types of web apps, but as always, the framework’s flexibility remains tied to the requirements of your project. Defining the goals and expectations of your project should always precede committing to a specific technical solution.
Just like Flutter promises a quicker development cycle, the actual turnaround is determined by many other factors, like initial analysis, team size, and a clear roadmap. But this is where we can help.
If you’re considering Flutter for your next web or mobile app, reach out for a free consultation.
