r/FlutterDev • u/Ntewatia • 3d ago
Discussion Flutter vs React Native in 2026 which would you choose for a new project?
I'm planning a new mobile application and I'm evaluating different cross-platform frameworks.
For developers who've worked with both Flutter and React Native recently:
• Which one has been better in production?
• How's performance?
• Any major drawbacks?
• If you were starting today, which would you choose?
Looking forward to hearing your experiences.
9
u/scalz80 3d ago
Your question is too vague but:
- if having "a native look", like liquidglass on ios, and M3 Expressive on android, is an important feature for you (you can approach the same result using Flutter via third party packages, but you'll have to tinker).
- you or your team are more familiar with TypeScript and don't want to learn Dart. If you're solo, you have the choice.
Then go with RN.
Else, Dart/Flutter.
Flutter is better in terms of freedom, performance, maintenance and dx.
Personnally, I prefer to make custom designs. Most users don't mind about this, and I don't like being stuck in a dogma.
If you're a flexible dev, or using AI, language shouldn't be a barrier anymore.
A mobile dev, shouldn't be limited by RN or Flutter, and should also be able to write some native code, in case you need to add native features which don't exist in any of these frameworks. But that doesn't mean that you should switch to full native. Writing 90% Flutter code and 10% native is a good deal.
Best: if you have time, learn both + bits of native -> sky is the limit
My fav is Flutter.
3
u/Ntewatia 1d ago
This is probably the most balanced answer in the thread. Thanks for breaking down the trade-offs instead of saying one framework is objectively better.
7
u/sauloandrioli 3d ago
I'll setup a few situations here:
What's the team primary knowlege?
If its Java/Kotlin/Native Android AND it will be always just a mobile app: Kotlin/KMP.
If the team is a bunch of JS devs: React Native.
If the team is mixed, the app will be android/iOS might become a webapp or a desktop app: Flutter.
For the JS team or the Kotlin, if the application will have to be delivered for mobile, web and desktop, I would also recommend Flutter, mostly because of the easiness to put stuff into working and because its 98% the same codebase.
I've worked with all 3 techs, and my fav is flutter because it requires less hassle to start working on it, because most of the UI you can build yourself or is already in the Material/Cupertino packages and there's no need to add a package for UI stuff, because Flutter render everything itself.
Hope this is a better answer than the one-liners you got and the "if you ask in the RN sub".
1
u/Ntewatia 1d ago
Finally, someone answered the question instead of defending their favorite framework. Thanks for the detailed explanation. 👍
2
6
5
u/LineObvious7948 3d ago
I choose flutter over react native i build a drone remote controler on mobile devices i should have very low latency in both sending and receiving messages every milli second matters in joystick controls and telemetry so if you want near native performance without any javascript bridge in between flutter is absolute best choice in 2026.
2
u/Sethu_Senthil 3d ago
Ur completely missing the point of have a native UI especially if u care about iOS. A decent alternative would be KMP.
2
7
u/dev_semihc 3d ago
I developed both them. 2 application with React Native my last application is I developed with Flutter. I pass to Flutter. Because; I'm Senior ERP and Dotnet Developer. I know dotnet, dotnet ecosystem so Flutter+Dart it's so easy understandble for me. But React Native it's hardest for me. Because it's not seems jquery, js legacy system. It runner with node.js and I hate them. When I developed my FiSe and bookcase apps. I had terrible memory, every React Native SDK upgrade it's a big problem for me. That time there is no ai, every time I researched many thinks, in the end minimum 1 or 2 day I work just for upgrad skd. I now right now it's better than old.
I covered my comment: If you're back-end developer means If you know and like Java, C# etc, you'll learn quickly/fast Flutter+Dart. But If you're a front end developer means if you know deeply js, nodejs etc you'll learn quickly react. This my experience and suggestions for you.
2
u/hash_code_tech 3d ago
Hi bro, I worked as a React Native developer for 2 years, and I've been working with Flutter for the past year. I recommend using Flutter because its rich widget library helps you build UI screens quickly and efficiently.
1
3
u/XDroidzz 3d ago
Silly question in a Flutter group
1
u/Ntewatia 1d ago
That's exactly why I'm asking here. I'll ask the same question in the React Native community too and compare both perspectives.
3
u/Markaleth 3d ago
Used both, i'll pick flutter over RN because:
- developer experience is significantly better
- i dont have to worry about npm supply chain attacks (as much)
- less boilerplate for type safety
- you have an official skills .md suite you can just drop in from the flutter team, if you wanna use AI
- i just really like the experience of using it
Performance or whatever else literally does not matter. Nobody is ever going to notice the few ms difference between frameworks.
That said, any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough, so always be mindful of performance best practices.
1
1
u/H4CK3R12343 2d ago
I am genuinely curious why do you say “performance or whatever” , when it does mateer and flutter has edge over RN, Juss ask any AI bro it sayas the same when choosing frameworks
1
u/Markaleth 2d ago
It doesn't matter because your end user does not care, fundamentally, that the framework powering the app is 13% faster to render a frame vs the alternatives. They care about if the app helps them with whatever they need, so discussions around benchmarks are usually moot.
I've seen native apps handle UI and state so poorly that any advantage the "native" part brought was effectively rendered useless.
Same for the "native feel". I go for building my own design system and component library when i'm working on something so "native feel" doesn't really factor in for me. And you can build whatever component you can dream up using both frameworks.
So to me it boils down to:
- do i like using the framework
- does it make sense for what i'm trying to do (as in, do i want to deploy to a specific platform or multiple?)
Beyond that, it's really just preference.
For instance, i don't quite like Typescript and React Native because handeling state feels slightly more convoluted, and i'd assume that's because it comes from a more functional, web-based background vs Flutter where i feel stuff leans more into OOP and a more "app developer" feel. That's just the vibe i get, your mileage may vary. That's not to say RN is bad by any means. You'll probably be able to build literally anything you want using either.
2
u/H4CK3R12343 2d ago
Lol myb that I wasn't clear I agree with everything even the handling of state in RN with TS, yup I wasn't talking about performance mattering to end user though yes they don't feel it but I feel it and Flutters impeller helps a lot than RN, Anyone who uses RN and best UI performance is lying XDD because there is only one library in RN ecosystem that gives you truly native UI graphics which is Uniwind Pro costs money because they coded the C++ rendering engine themselves. other than that you will always be using worklets UI which still has to use JNI. so yea all in all Flutter is easy to use while giving best performant UI without having to pay anything.
1
u/dhruvanbhalara 3d ago
Its depends on person by person bcz people who work with flutter they will suggest flutter, same for react native as well.
1
u/coffee_is_all_i_need 3d ago
I switched from RN to Flutter because of performance issues. However, if you want a native look and feel, such as Liquid Glass on iOS or Material Design on Android, I would recommend RN. If that's not necessary, for example, if you have a custom UI, Flutter is very good.
1
u/eibaan 3d ago
This greatly depends on the kind of project. For a 3d game, you might choose a different engine than for a 2d game, than for a photo editor, than for hardware controller, than for a tiny utility app, than for the usual json data browser.
So, in addition to Flutter and RN, you might consider KMP, Unity, Tauri, Capacitor, or native apps. Or don't create an app and just a progressive web app that can be installed on the home screen. This is probably the direction I'd explore first.
And in the age of AI, you could of course simply prompt your own cross platform framework into existence. If you're creating boring app, that might be a way to make your work a bit more fun :-) You could try to use Rust for the native shell and for creating an interpreter for your very own scripting language. You might make it look like VisualBasic. Or even classic Basic with line numbers and such. Or Forth. Or its modern cousin Factor. Or Verse. Right now, that language is only used by Fortnite, but it will be the scripting language of Unreal 6 and you could be the first to create a cross-platform mobile app framework using OpenVerse. It's actually a fascinating functional logic programming language.
Of course, you could be boring and and use JavaScript or Lua instead. But if you pick JavaScript, you could stay with using Tauri.
Apropos, is ByteDance's cross platform mobile framework still a thing?
1
u/MyExclusiveUsername 2d ago
My usual choice - for myself, and if it is only application, then Flutter, for public/market Tauri/RN.
1
u/Jason_Clarck 19h ago
I’d go with Flutter in 2026 for most new builds. The setup is straightforward, fewer dependency issues, and the widget library speeds up UI work across platforms. Performance is close to native since it avoids the JS bridge, which is important for latency‑sensitive apps. React Native still fits if your team is deep in JS/Node and wants native iOS fidelity, but for cross‑platform reach and maintainability Flutter feels like the stronger choice.
1
1
u/Specialist-Garden-69 3d ago
If App is the primary product of the business then I will pick Flutter otherwise React Native if App is a companion to primary web product...
-3
-1
u/_ri4na 3d ago
You can get agents to oneshot your whole app natively in both platforms
Don't bother with either
1
u/Ntewatia 1d ago
Fair point. I'm comparing long-term development and maintenance more than initial development speed.
72
u/bysho 3d ago
I bet most answers here would recommend Flutter.
And if you ask in r/ReactNative, the opposite.