React-Native vs Flutter vs Ionic

Picking out the right mobile development framework can be challenging with so many options available. A few such frameworks involve React Native, Flutter and Ionic, each of which offers unique advantages for cross-platform app development. They also include impacting factors like performance, UI flexibility, and development speed.

The comparison that we draw out today in our blog will highlight their strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases to help you further decide.

About React Native

• React Native is an open-source framework, developed by Facebook that allows you to build mobile applications using JavaScript and React. It enables developers to build native mobile applications for Android and iOS using familiar web development techniques.

• React Native was first released by Facebook as an-open source project in 2015. In just a few years, it became one of the most popular and top solutions for mobile development. React Native development has been used to build some of the world’s top mobile apps, like Instagram, Facebook, and Skype.

• Language: JavaScript (with support for TypeScript)

• UI Framework: React

• Platforms: iOS, Android , Web (experimental)

Popular Apps Created on React Native:

Discord (Entertainment)	Discovery VR (Entertainment)
Instagram (Social)	Myntra (e-Commerce)
Facebook ADs Manager (Social)	Airbnb (Healthcare)
Gyroscope (Fitness Tracker)	MicroSoft Office
MicroSoft Outlook	MicroSoft Teams
Skype

Pros of using React Native:

 Leverages existing web development skills (JavaScript/React).

 Large community and ecosystem (React).

 Fast development cycles with hot reloading.

 Good performance, near-native performance with optimization.

 Single code-base.

 Native-Components

Cons of React Native:

 Dependency on native modules for complex features.

 Sometimes slower than native apps, especially in graphic-intensive applications.

Also Read: Reason to Choose React Native

About Flutter

• Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK), Which is developed by Google. It is used to create natively compiled applications for desktop, mobile and web from a single codebase.

• When Flutter was launched in 2018, it mainly supported mobile app development. Flutter now supports application development on six platforms: iOS, Android, the web, Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

• Language:- Dart

• UI Framework:- Flutter’s own widget-based framework.

• Platforms:- iOS, Android, Web, Desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux).

Popular Apps built with Flutter:

Google Ads	Alibaba (e-Commerce)
Birch Finance (Finance)	Watermaiac (Healthcare & Fitness)
Coach Yourself (Healthcare)	Cryptograph (Finance)
Hookie (Social)

Key Benefits of Flutter:

✔ One codebase for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Web, Desktop).

✔ Fast rendering with Flutter’s own rendering engine.

✔ Hot reloading for quick development iterations.

✔ Good Performance, near-Native performance.

Limitation of Flutter:

◉ Requires learning Dart (although similar to JavaScript)

◉ Smaller community compared to React Native.

Also Read: Reason to Choose Flutter

Understating Ionic

• Ionic is a free framework for creating cross-platform mobile and web applications that works on different platforms. It uses web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript/TypeScript. And offers a collection of UI components and tools that simplify the development of hybrid mobile apps (apps that run natively on mobile devices using web technologies).

• Ionic Framework extends Capacitor by providing a rich library of mobile-optimized UI components, mobile routing, navigation, gesture, and animation. Ionic Framework works with specific JavaScript frameworks, including React, Angular, and Vue.

• Language:- TypesScript (JavaScript)

• UI Framework:- Ionic Framework (Angular or React)

• Platforms:- iOS, Android, Web (progressive web apps).

Popular App Built with Ionic:

Sworkit	Shipt (Grocery)
Untappd	Senvello
86 400	JustWatch
Pacifica	Chefsteps
McDonalds Turkiye	Joule

Advantages of using Ionic:

⚡ Uses web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript).

⚡ Fast development with pre-built UI components.

⚡ Cross-platform Development for iOS, Android, and web.

Drawbacks of Ionic:

» Performance can be a concern for complex apps, especially animations.

» Dependency on web views for certain functionalities.

Considerations while choosing between React Native vs Flutter vs Ionic

1. Performance

Flutter offer near-native performance due to tier compilation to native code. React Native and Ionic can achieve good performance but may require optimization for complex applications.

2. Developers Expertise

React Native and Flutter  provide excellent developer experience with features like hot reload for quick iterations. Ionic leverages web technologies, which can be familiar for web developers.

3. Platforms Support

Flutter support a wider range of platforms like mobile, web, and desktop. React Native and Ionic primarily focus on mobile platforms with limited web support.

4. Community and Ecosystems

React Native and Flutter have larger and more active communities compared to Ionic, resting in more libraries, tools, and community support.

 React Native, Flutter, and Ionic Compared: Key Differences in One Table 

Features	React Native	Flutter	Ionic
Development Language	JavaScript and React	Dart	HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Code Reusability	High	Very High	High
Platform targeting	Android, iSO, Web	Android, iOS, Web, Desktop,	Android, iOS, Web, PWA
Performance	Near Native (Excellent)	Near Native (Excellent)	Web-Based (can be slower) (good)
Android Compatibility	Android 4.1+	Android Jelly Bean +	Android 4.4+
iOS Compatibility	iOS 8+	iOS8+	iOS8+
Total apps	NEED TO ADD	1 million +	4 millions +
Code Reusability in %	90% +	50- 90%	97%+
Hot Reloading	Yes	Yes	No
Testing	Mobile device or emulator	Mobile device or emulator	Any Browser
License	Open Source (MIT)	Open Source (BSD License)	Open Source (MIT)
Community Support	Facebook	Google	Community
Learning Curve	Moderate	Moderate	Low
UI Components	Native-like	Customizable Widgets	Web Based
Development speed	Fast	Very Fast	Fast
Integration with Native Code	Yes	Yes	Limited
Native Modules	Available	Available	Limited
IDE Support	Any text Editor, VSCode	Android Studio, VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA	Any Text Editor, VS Code
Community and Ecosystem	Large and Active	Growing	Moderate
UI Theming and Styling	StyleSheets (CSS-in-JS), Styled Components	Customizable  Widgets, ThemData	StyleSheets (CSS), Ionic CSS utilities
Community Package	NPM (React Native Libraries)	Pub (Flutter package)	NPM (Ionic libraries)
Testing Frameworks	Jest, Detox, Appium	Widget testing, integration testing	Jasmine, Karma, Protector
Maturity Level	Mature	Rapidly Evolving	Established
State Management	Redux, Context API, MobX	Provider, Bloc, MobX, Redux	Angular services, RxJS
Popular Apps	Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, Skype	Google Ads, Alibaba, Reflectly	Pecifica, Diesel, Sworkit
Uses in 2020	42%	39%	18%
Uses in 2021	38%	42%	16%
Uses in 2022	36%	45%	11%
Uses in 2023	36%	45%	9%

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/869224/worldwide-software-developer-working-hours/

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Wrap Up

React-Native is suitable if you prefer utilizing existing web development skills and need a larger community and ecosystems (especially if you are familiar with React).

Flutter is ideal for building apps with a single codebase for multiple platforms, focusing on performance and visual fidelity.

Ionic is great for web development looking to build cross-platforms mobile apps using web technologies.

Hope this comparison will help you to choose between React Native vs Flutter vs Ionic.

Do let us know in the comment section if you have any questions.