You’re planning to build a mobile app for your business, great!
But have you ever wondered- What is the first step to build a mobile app?
Well, the answer to the question lies in none other than choosing the best “Cross-Platform mobile app development framework”!
Did you know?
Nearly 90% of developers are currently using cross-platform frameworks to build their mobile apps!
Though you have figured out the journey to the best app development framework, you need to choose one that caters to your needs!
With a plethora of options available, “Flutter” and ‘Xamarin” stand as an incredible choice for building responsive, feature-rich, and scalable mobile apps.
Now, the question arises- What framework to choose for mobile app development? Which is better: Xamarin vs. Flutter?
Let’s dive in!
What is Flutter?
Launched by Google in 2017, Flutter is a dedicated cross-platform app development framework that enables professional developers to build high-performance apps for Android, iOS, Mac, Linux, and more. Powered by Dart programming language, developers can easily build natively-compiled apps for mobile, web, and desktops. Unlike other frameworks, this framework has a simple SDK and comes with built-in widgets that enable developers to build powerful apps. Also, it comes with a hot reload feature that allows your developers to view changes before restarting the app.
Since Google launched Flutter, it has been in high demand among app development companies for many good reasons. From the hot reload feature to built-in UI toolkits, choosing Flutter for mobile app development may let you reap countless benefits.
Ready to witness the popularity of Flutter? Let’s look at popular facts and statistics related to the Flutter app development framework.
- Flutter has more than 2 million users across the globe.
- Flutter has achieved more than 145K Stars on GitHub.
- As per Google statistics, more than 500,000 apps have been built using the Flutter cross-platform app development framework.
Well, that’s the popularity of Flutter!
In addition to its popularity, it comes with a myriad of benefits that may help developers ease the app development process. Before we dive into the Xamarin vs. Flutter comparison, it’s time to unwrap its benefits.
Let’s discuss them in detail!
What are the Benefits of Flutter for Mobile App Development?
Here are the potential reasons to invest in the Flutter app development framework.
1. Easy & Hassle-Free Installation
One of the biggest benefits of Flutter is that it is relatively easier to learn, unlike other frameworks that require ample knowledge and technical skills. Furthermore, since there are no hidden configurations or guidelines, developers can easily start working on their projects. All they need to do is simply install the “IDE” to start and build a new app development project. The major highlight of the framework is that there are no formalities to take care of.
{Also Read: Most Popular Flutter Libraries, Tools, Plugins and Packages for Development}
2. Dart-Powered
Since it is powered by Dart, it is easier to learn and acts as one of the best programming languages favored by developers. Furthermore, the framework comes with multi-platform capabilities that may empower businesses to save money when it comes to mobile app development. Also, professional developers don’t need to spend a lot of time grasping knowledge about a multitude of tools and languages. Thus, it makes it an ideal choice for developers planning to build a mobile app.
3. Great Community Support
One of the major highlights of the Flutter app development framework is that is backed by a huge community of developers. No matter whether your developers run into any issues during mobile app development, they can easily leverage documentation, files, tutorials, and more from the community. Furthermore, Google continues to add a wide range of new features to enhance the performance and efficiency of the platform.
4. Application execution speed
It is no secret that when developers run into app development for multiple platforms, the main problem arises with its performance. But that’s not the case with the Flutter app development framework! With Flutter, developers can easily use components, load and execution time to ensure that the app may open at a rapid speed which brings quality to your app development process.
5. Google Support
Lastly, the popular search engine giant, Google extends its unmatched support to Flutter which has a strong community that offers a series of solutions, including documentation, tutorials, and more. Furthermore, it’s easier for beginners or expert programmers.
What are the Apps Built Using Flutter?
Here’s a list of the apps built using Flutter.
- Google Ads
- Postmuse
- KlasterMe
- Xianyu by Alibaba
- The New York Times
Now, that we have learned a lot about Flutter, let’s discuss Xamarin and then find out the real winner of the Xamarin vs. Flutter comparison.
What is Xamarin?
To put it simply, Xamarin is a popular multi-platform app development platform that efficiently uses the C# language to enable developers to build mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Windows. One of the major highlights of the framework is that Microsoft owns it and thus, users cannot use the upgraded features like the latest Android or iOS update. Though the apps built using Xamarin look similar to Native, developers cannot change the appearance of the UI like native forms.
Just like Flutter, Xamarin is quite popular among developers looking to build mobile apps.
Well, the stats don’t lie!
- Xamarin has an impressive market share of more than 62% in mobile app development platforms.
- Nearly 15% of developers use Xamarin for cross-platform app development.
- The framework is being used by more than 15,000 companies worldwide, ranging from healthcare to transportation and energy.
Just like there are multiple benefits of Flutter, there are some highlights about Xamarin which makes the Xamarin vs. Flutter comparison quite interesting. Let’s find out!
What are the Benefits of Xamarin for Mobile App Development?
Here is a list of the benefits of the Xamarin app development framework.
1. Comprehensive Binding for SDKs
One of the major benefits of Xamarin is that it offers the bindings for the whole platform for SDK for Android and iOS. Since these bindings are easily and strongly typed, they are easy to use and can easily provide successful type-checking during the app’s compile time. Then, it won’t be wrong to say that the app built is of high quality without any errors.
2. Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
Another major highlight of the Xamarin framework is that it efficiently uses Visual Studio and Windows on Mac OS X. Remember that these IDEs come with essential features such as integrated source control, code auto-completion, project and solution management system, and a complete project template library.
3. Advanced Language Constructs
There is no denying the fact that Xamarin apps are written in C#, which enables developers to enhance the app’s efficiency via Objective-C and Java. For those who don’t know, these changes are known as functional constructs which may include additional aspects such as LINQ, Dynamic Language, Lambdas, Sophisticated Generics, and Parallel Programming Features.
4. Mobile Cross-Platform Support
One of the biggest highlighting aspects of Xamarin is that it offers cross-platform mobile support across Android, iOS, Windows smartphones, and more. Furthermore, the mobile library in Xamarin offers a unified API to access a wide range of resources across platforms. Not only does it help reduce the overall app development costs but also it may minimize the marketing time for developers targeting the mobile platforms.
5. C# Language
Last but not least, Xamarin effectively uses the C# language, when it comes to mobile app development. With such a framework, developers can easily build an app for all mobile platforms without compromising the native look and feel of the app. Furthermore, with the seamless integration of Xamarin into the .NET platform, the framework now extends its capabilities to make the app development process smoother.
What are the Apps Built Using the Xamarin App Development Framework?
Let’s take a look at the apps built using the Xamarin app development framework.
- FreshDirect
- UPS
- BBC Good Food
- Novarum DX
- Storyo
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it! That’s a wrap to the Xamarin vs. Flutter comparison. Make sure you have an idea of both to choose the right cross-platform app development framework for your mobile app development journey. Speaking of both platforms Flutter is an ideal choice for startups and businesses planning to get scalability in their operations. On the other hand, Xamarin is known to be stable and competitive which also makes it the best option for startups finding stability and credibility. Planning to build a mobile app for your business? If so, look no further than EitBiz! Simply visit EitBiz or you can even drop us an email at info@eitbiz.com to discuss your mobile app development project requirements today! Whether you are looking for Xamarin or Flutter app development services, we’ve got you covered.
