What is the difference between cross platform versus native app development? The answer is simple, writing two codes one in Swift or Objective-C for iOS platform and in Java or Kotlin for Android is considered native app development. While, writing code in Flutter allows for writing of the code ones and distributing it for both platforms. While previous cross platform languages such as React Native did not have a high quality framework, with Flutter you would not see the difference between a native app and Flutter app.
What projects are ideal for Flutter?
Any app can in theory be written in Flutter, however, if you are developing a game and depending on the game type you may wish to do so using Unity framework instead. If your app is exclusive for Android only or for iOS only, there is no need to write it in Flutter and therefore you can use the native languages. If you are app is already written in native language, it is easier to maintain as oppose to re-write. For all other cases Flutter is the way to go!
Business advantages of Flutter?
One code base for two platforms means two things which business users care about: time and money. It takes less effort to create one code that work for two platforms as oppose to creating two codes for two platforms. This translates to shorter development time and with that cheaper pricing. This makes Flutter an ideal language for MVP (minimum viable product) development. The other brilliant thing about flutter development is that you have no loss of quality which you saw with other languages.
Any Concerns with using Cross Platform development?
Quality was an issue historically with cross platform development. React Native was based on framework development for the web by Facebook, while Flutter is a Google product which has put mobile first. There are no decreases in quality for apps using Flutter.
The other concern, is that Flutter is relatively new. It has only been around for a few years, and most programmers are just starting to learn how to program in Flutter. This leads to two problems, first it is hard to hire for flutter development positions and two it is still not perfected for the web. While, the framework for the web is improving it may take a few months or even years for it to work perfect, it is great to use for mobile today which is satisfactory for many app developers. As for hiring mobile developers, the interest is growing and in the meantime you can hire a flutter freelancer as a stop gap.
UI/UX for Flutter Projects?
By using the Cupertino (iOS style) widget or Material Design (Android Style) you can make your app utilize iOS and Android look and feel but still write your code in Flutter (Dart). Alternatively, you can make a UI look whatever you want, without it be an”iOS” or “Android” app looks.
If you are looking to hire a Flutter Freelancer, who is based out of North America, consider hiring Brian Kayfitz.