Presented in 2015 as Sky, and renamed to Flutter in 2017, in 2020, Flutter is one of the trendiest software development kits. According to Google Play, in December 2018, there were more than 3,000 Flutter applications, with BMW, Google Ads, eBay, and other giants among them. What has made Google Flutter such a popular framework and is it the best tool for fast and cheap cross-platform development? Will it replace React Native and Xamarin? What are the pitfalls of creating a Flutter app in 2020? Let’s find out by taking advantage of the experience and knowledge of the MWDN`s developers!
Flutter for business: What do developers and business owners say?
There are thousands of testimonials on the Flutter app development, written by coders, product owners, and startup founders. As the tool becomes more and more popular, the number of its fans continues to grow. They share tips and opinions on Flutter mobile development in StackOverflow, Quora, and even Slack. Google efficiently creates a Flutter community, and for the moment, there are tons of materials about the framework online. To rescue you from thousands of articles and testimonials by Flutter users, we’ve composed a brief Flutter app development review.
- It is an open-source SDK with a single code base. It operates on object-oriented language Dart and applies Firebase on the backend.
- Every object on Flutter is a widget. They are reusable and can easily be customized to create applications of any type or complexity.
- Flutter applies common UI patterns and has the same business logic on all platforms. It helps to create a flexible UI that will look the same on mobile, web, and desktop.
- Android, Mac, iOS, Windows, Linux… Flutter will help you to create an app with less code on all these platforms and more.
To get a better understanding of Flutter functionality, take a look at some particular applications and Flutter web projects created with this Google’s UI toolkit.
Top-6 Flutter apps
Among thousands of successful applications developed with Flutter, there are several dozens of iconic leaders. Here are our favorite top-6 of Flutter business apps.
Google Ads
As Flutter is a Google in-house software development kit, Google itself uses it in various forms. For example, it created its mobile app Google Ads for business with this tool. With this application, Google Ads clients can manage and operate advertisements they place, increase their visibility and efficiency.
Alibaba Group
The leader and pioneer in eCommerce, Alibaba group has used Flutter for the development of its new shopping app, Xianyu. The conglomerate also uses Flutter for its multiple other projects in the spheres of retail, shopping, eCommerce, and the internet.
Dream 11
Flutter game development is also possible and it was proved by Dream 11. This application was developed for fantasy sports fans and today it has more than 50 million users. As the company’s CTO Amit Sharma states in his interview for the Flutter community, “With Flutter, the iOS version of our app was up and running in two days.” Amazing speed.
Realtor.com
Realtor.com is one of the oldest websites working in the real estate industry. It was launched in 1995 and today it helps people to search for, rent, and buy real estate all over the USA. Thanks to Flutter, the application can send its customers notifications about new offers and interesting deals.
SpaceX Go!
This application was developed for SpaceX and Tesla fans. It tracks ships and rockets, notifies its users about the new launches, gives information about the Tesla Roadster’s orbit, position, speed, and distance. The application uses the Material Design principles and it looks minimalistic and trendy.
Hamilton
The application is Hamilton-themed and offers the merchandising shop and digital stickers. With this application, users can take selfies with AR technologies. There are also karaoke and a trivia game. Thanks to Flutter, the application is compatible with any device or platform.
A step-by-step guide to the first Flutter project with MWDN!
Getting a Flutter developers team is easier than you think if you decide to order your project from MWDN. Our experts will find for you cross-platform developers who know Dart and can create a Flutter app fast and easy, using all the benefits the technology has to offer. Check out how simple it is to create and run your app with MWDN:
- Contact us. You can do so via the contact form, phone us, email us, or write to us on Skype.
- Tell us about your project. Describe your app, provide the detailed requirements to your future dedicated team, choose the type of collaboration you prefer.
- Hire your team. We will help you with selecting the best Flutter developers and will assist you in onboarding your team.
- Get things done. According to the type of cooperation you choose: outstaffing or hiring a dedicated team, we will manage your developers to make sure that you meet all your business goals. We will also cover all financial and legal issues for you.
Pros and cons of Flutter for APP owners
+ The main benefit of using Flutter is that it helps to create cross-platform applications that would look native on any platform. Flutter allows the developers to spend less time on app customization. You can use the same code for various platforms which makes the app development easier.
+ Another important benefit of Flutter is its speed. Its language, Dart, applies hot reload, the function that allows developers to make instant changes in the code. This feature is crucial when it comes to applications on which UX designers work closely with coders. When other technologies like Xamarin or React Native are applied, coders have to re-compile and re-deploy the project after every change, but things are easier and faster with Flutter.
+ Flutter has detailed and structured documentation, like every other product by Google. Google coders make video tutorials on Dart and create a strong community where developers share their knowledge. All this support increases the quality of code and makes the development process faster.
+ There is no need for JavaScript bridge or XML files in Flutter and for this reason the user’s experience with your application improves.
+ Flutter applies the Material Design principles that help to create amazing applications with an appealing interface.
– Some developers state that Flutter has limited libraries for iOS.
– There are not so many developers who know Dart. On the other hand, if you delegate the selection and hiring your remote Fluter developer to professionals, like Flytika, this weakness won’t affect your experience with the technology.
– The debugging can’t be held directly in the browser like with Ionic. However, Flutter has other tools for debugging: Dart Analyzer and Dart Observatory.
Is Flutter the best framework for a startup?
Flutter is popular when it comes to creating a minimum viable product that helps to evaluate the idea’s potential and test it on real clients without investing a fortune into the app development. As creating a Flutter MVP is one of the cheapest and fastest ways to deliver an app to the market, many startups choose this technology.
How much does a Flutter app cost?
There is no such thing as an average price for an application if we don’t know the details of the project. What influences the price the most is the time needed to write code and the salary of the coder. A simple application can cost around $5,000, something more complex can hit $50,000, and there are no limits for the price. What makes Flutter applications cheaper than those developed with other technologies is that developers need less time to write code on it which saves you a lot of working hours.
The average hourly rates of MWDN’s Flutter developers compose $35 to $45. This is the price you will have to pay to hire a developer who will be dedicated to your project.
Will Flutter replace React Native and Xamarin?
All the battles Flutter vs React Native vs Xamarin vs Ionic end with almost equal ratings. At the moment, Flutter is at the peak of its popularity but no one knows what new technologies the next month will bring. What we can state for sure is that Flutter is with us for long and that other hybrid cross-platform technologies won’t go anywhere as they have their loyal developers who won’t switch JavaSctipt for Dart. The more technologies there are, the better it is for the market. They provide opportunities for various projects and every coder can choose what he or she likes the most.
Flutter is a great tool for fast and cheap cross-platform development and hundreds of successful projects and apps written on Flutter prove this statement. You can check out all the benefits of this technology by hiring MWDN’s Flutter developers to work on your application. Let’s take your great ideas into life together!