Flutter is Google's open-source mobile framework: one Dart codebase, compiled to native code on iOS and Android, with its own rendering so the interface looks the same on both. We use it when a product needs to reach both stores quickly and keep one team maintaining it afterwards.
Develop once for both Android and iOS , saving time and resources.
Ensure consistent branding and user experience across all devices.
Benefit from the hot reload feature for quicker development cycles.
Easily create detailed and smooth animations.
More affordable than developing separate apps for each platform.
Tailor unique user interfaces with its flexible widget system.
Extend your app to web and desktop with Flutter’s growing support.
Leverage the simplicity of Dart, ideal for quick learning or existing knowledge. However, there are situations where Flutter might not be the best choice.
In practice
Google Ads, Alibaba (Xianyu by Alibaba) and Reflectly are built with Flutter.
The technology
Flutter is a free and open-source mobile UI framework created by Google and released in May 2017. In a few words, it allows you to create a native mobile application with only one codebase. This means a development team can use one programming language to create two different apps (for iOS and Android).
Flutter consists of two important parts:
To develop with Flutter, you will use a programming language called Dart. Google originally created Dart in October 2011, but they improved it a lot over these past years.
Dart is an object-oriented, class-based programming language that Google developed. They introduced Dart 2011 and was originally aimed at replacing JavaScript as the dominant language for web development. While that initial goal wasn’t realized, Dart found significant adoption among development team.
Concurrency. Dart provides support for asynchronous operations using Future and Stream objects. This makes it easier to write non-blocking code, especially useful for UI applications and I/O operations.
Dart uses a unique approach to concurrency called isolates. Unlike threads, isolates don’t share memory, which eliminates potential issues with locks. Instead, they communicate by sending messages, ensuring that each isolate has its own heap memory and avoiding shared state problems.
Just-In-Time (JIT) Compilation. Dart can be both interpreted and compiled to native machine code. JIT compilation allows for features like Flutter’s hot reload during development and ensures optimized performance in production environments.
Rich Standard Library. Dart has a comprehensive set of core libraries that provide functionalities for collections, math, async programming, and more.
Familiar Syntax. For developers coming from languages like Java or C#, Dart’s syntax will feel quite familiar, easing the learning curve.
Object-Oriented. Dart uses an object-oriented approach with classes and objects, supporting interfaces, mixins, and abstract classes.
Package Ecosystem. Dart’s package manager, pub, offers a range of packages and libraries shared by the community. This ecosystem has grown, especially with the popularity of Flutter.
Web Development. Dart can be compiled to JavaScript using tools like dart2js, allowing Dart code to run in standard web browsers. The dart:html library provides APIs for DOM manipulation.
Dart is a statically typed language, which means that variable types are checked at compile-time. This can catch many errors before the code even runs.
In summary, Dart’s early mission as a direct JavaScript competitor didn’t pan out as expected. However, its adoption as the language of choice for development team has given it new life..
Flutter, a popular open-source UI software development kit created by Google, has been used to develop a wide range of mobile applications across different categories due to its ability to compile to native code and its single codebase feature for both iOS and Android platforms. Here are some notable examples of mobile apps built using Flutter:
Google Ads. Google’s own advertising platform app, allowing users to manage ad campaigns from their mobile devices.
The world’s largest online and mobile commerce company uses Flutter to power parts of its app, enhancing the user experience with smooth and engaging interfaces.
Reflectly. A personal journaling and mindfulness app that uses artificial intelligence to help users navigate life’s complexities, built with Flutter to provide a seamless and visually rich user experience.
Birch Finance. Helps users manage and optimize their credit card use, taking advantage of Flutter’s capabilities to create a clean, accessible UI.
Hamilton Musical. The official app for the Broadway hit musical, offering fans lottery entry, merchandise, and exclusive content. Flutter was chosen for its performance and design flexibility.
Coach Yourself. A personal coaching and mental health app that leverages Flutter’s framework to provide a user-friendly and engaging experience.
Cryptograph. Tracks cryptocurrency prices and portfolio values in real time, utilizing Flutter for its cross-platform efficiency and smooth performance.
Hookle. Social media management tool for small businesses, allowing them to manage multiple social media accounts in one app. Flutter enables a unified and streamlined user interface.
There are various scenarios where it might be an excellent choice for mobile app development:
Cross-Platform Development. Develop once for both Android and iOS, saving time and resources.
Ensure consistent branding and user experience across all devices.
Fast Iteration. Benefit from the hot reload feature for quicker development cycles.
Advanced Animations. Easily create detailed and smooth animations.
Cost-Effective. More affordable than developing separate apps for each platform.
Customizable Design. Tailor unique user interfaces with its flexible widget system.
Future-Ready. Extend your app to web and desktop with Flutter’s growing support.
Leverage the simplicity of Dart, ideal for quick learning or existing knowledge.
However, there are situations where Flutter might not be the best choice:
Deep Platform-Specific Integrations. If your app requires deep integration with platform-specific APIs, or if you need to use a particular SDK that doesn’t have a Flutter package, native development might be more straightforward.
Very Complex Apps. For extremely complex apps, like 3D games or apps requiring advanced graphics, specialized frameworks or native development might be more suitable.
If you have a mature app already developed natively for Android or iOS, it might not make sense to switch to Flutter unless there’s a compelling reason.
Flutter apps can be larger in size compared to native apps, especially for very simple applications. This is due to the inclusion of the Flutter engine.
At CodeStringers, we offer a comprehensive suite of Flutter development services designed to empower your business with the latest in hybrid mobile application development technology. Our team of skilled Flutter developers is committed to delivering high-performance, scalable, and current solutions tailored to your specific needs.
Build beautiful mobile applications in Flutter to reduce the effort of development and maintenance on multiple mobile device platforms. Developing with Flutter to support iOS and Android devices can save a third or more of the development effort using native technologies (Swift, Java, Kotlin).
Building cross-platform mobile applications requires interfaces that support portrait and landscape layouts on phones and tablets where there are hundreds of screen resolutions creating obvious design challenges. Moreover, the choice must be made of whether to adhere to mobile platform provider (Apple, Google) UI design conventions or design a custom experience aligned to your brand that presents the same experience on all devices.
Flutter is one of multiple technologies needed to build any SaaS-based mobile software product. Databases and backend service technologies must also be considered. CodeStringers can guide your tech stack decisions to ensure software performance, scalability and security.
Maintenance & Support. Our commitment to your success doesn’t stop after the project is completed. We provide ongoing Flutter maintenance and support to ensure your applications remain secure, up-to-date, and optimized for peak performance.
Native and cross-platform iOS and Android apps, with design, API, data and operations in one engagement.
User research, wireframing, interactive prototyping, and interface and interaction design for web and mobile.
Custom backends, API development and integration, enterprise and cloud services, and backend testing.
The capability these pages belong to: how we build custom software, and when we do not.
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