Flutter Vs PWA: A Detailed Comparison to Understand the Future of Mobile App Development
November 11, 2021
We have been witnessing exponential growth in mobile app development over the years. The prime reason is the growing adoption of mobile devices in our everyday lives. Mobile has become a necessity, and even research shows that the average time spent on mobile is around 3 hours and 43 minutes, approximately 80 times a day.
With continuous technological advancements, you have many opportunities to build a mobile app for your brand without burning a hole in your pocket. With cross-platform development options, you can develop an app with a single codebase that delivers engaging experiences across multiple devices.
We’ve done all the legwork to compare the details of top cross platform technologies – Flutter and PWA. Both promises to deliver native mobile app experience, is it true? Which one is better for your business and why? Read on to find out all the differences between Flutter Vs PWA features.
What is Flutter framework?
Launched by Google, Flutter is an SDK that is used to create high-performing and appealing cross-platform mobile applications. You can also develop Flutter web apps and Flutter desktop apps (for Mac OS). A common question among entrepreneurs – Is Flutter the best choice for web development? Although, it is a brand-new framework but delivers an extra-ordinary user experience than previous generation frameworks such as Ionic and PhoneGap. Flutter provides swift performance like native apps as it does not require intermediary components to connect with in-build device features like Bluetooth or camera.
Benefits of Flutter App Development
Expressive, Beautiful UIs – Flutter strong suit is a huge collection of in-built widgets that are used for creating UIs. Hence, app developers don’t need to search for external plugins while designing the front end.
Development Efforts Reduced – Flutter significantly streamlines the workflows. Using the Hot Reload feature, programmers can run and debug the code without app reloading.
Excellent Solution for Creating an MVP – Flutter has unique features like UI components, ease of development, faster-loading speed, and reduced costs. Thus, it becomes a great solution to build an MVP.
Flutter Top Statistics
- Over 100,000 apps are launched since the launch of technology. (Source: Flutterdev)
- Flutter has over 109k stars, which is much more as compared to other technologies. (Source: GitHub)
- Flutter is one of the most popular cross-platform mobile frameworks worldwide. (Source: Statista)
Flutter Examples
There are around 370 companies that are using Flutter. The New York Times is also one of them that is using Flutter and gaining immense profits in a short time.
What is Progressive Web Application (PWA)?
PWAs are the best of both worlds, i.e, web development, and native mobile applications. They are built using web technologies, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Frameworks. It is a promising cross-platform app development technology on which several Fortune 500 companies have been capitalizing on and earning well due to its extensive capabilities.
Benefits of Progressive Web App Development
No Need to Install and Update – Just like any website, uses don’t need to download the app to access it. Once opened within web browsers, users can add it to the mobile devices’ home screen.
Offline Accessibility – The capability to operate offline makes PWAs much more convenient technology than any other technology. In-built service workers cache important information and allow users to access it without an internet connection.
Incredibly Light – PWAs take much lesser storage space than hybrid or native apps. For instance, using PWA capabilities, Pinterest has lowered app size to 9.6 MB, which was 56MB for Android and 150 MB for iOS earlier.
PWA Top Statistics
- 38% higher conversion rates than native apps. (Source: Forbes)
- Businesses switching to PWA notice ten times decrease in loading speed. (Source: Statista)
- The cost of developing a PWA app is 3-4 less than native app development. (Source: Medium)
PWA Examples
Twitter Lite is said to be the most successful PWA implementation. It launches in less than 2 seconds on all devices, whether desktop, mobile, or tablet, seamlessly.
The core distinction of the best performing PWA is that it does not take more than 2MB on your device.
Flutter or PWA: Which is Suitable for your Business?
Both cross-platform mobile app development platforms, Flutter and PWA, come with a defined suite of features. If you want a fast-performing iOS app that supports device hardware features, Flutter is the right option for you. However, if you have budget constraints but want to launch an app for both operating systems (Android and iOS), then PWA should be your choice.
A Flutter PWA, is it Possible?
Web support for Flutter is already in its beta stage. There are still some complications that are obstructing the programmers from reaching their goals. But, yes, it is possible, and if it happens, Flutter PWA will be the next big thing in the future.
Final Verdict
Choosing between PWA and Flutter entirely depends on your business requirements. You can consult a reliable cross-platform mobile app development company to resolve your queries and get started with your project idea. With an in-depth analysis of your business, the development team can help you select the most suitable features and technology.