| Criterion | React Native | Flutter | Native (Swift / Kotlin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | JavaScript / TypeScript | Dart | Swift, Kotlin |
| Codebase | Single (≈ 90 % shared) | Single (≈ 95 % shared) | Two separate |
| Relative budget | 60–70 % | 60–70 % | 100 % (baseline) |
| UI rendering | Platform-native components | Own engine (Impeller) | Fully native |
| iOS/Android consistency | Follows each OS convention | Identical everywhere | Specific to each OS |
| Complex animation | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Hardware access | Good (native modules if needed) | Good (plugins) | Total and immediate |
| New OS features | A few weeks behind | A few weeks behind | Same day |
| Talent pool | Very wide | Moderate, growing | Wide but segmented |
| Sharing with web | High (React) | Low in practice | None |
| Poor fit for | AR, real-time video, games | Public websites, heavy AR | Tight budget, short deadline |
In short
React Native and Flutter build an iOS and Android app from a single codebase, for roughly 30 to 40 % less than two separate native builds.
React Native suits teams already fluent in React and products sharing logic with the web. Flutter excels on heavily crafted interfaces and animation. Native development (Swift, Kotlin) stays preferable for augmented reality, real-time video and low-level Bluetooth.
React Native, Flutter or native:
the honest table.
No universal winner. These are the criteria that actually decide it on our projects.
Four questions
that settle it.
We ask these in every scoping workshop. The answers point to a technology in under an hour.
1. Does the app touch the hardware?
Augmented reality, real-time video or audio, low-level Bluetooth, high-frequency sensors? If so, native keeps a clear edge. Otherwise cross-platform is enough.
2. Who maintains the code in two years?
An in-house React team points to React Native. A team used to native adapts faster to Flutter. No in-house team at all? React Native makes future hiring easier.
3. Must the design be identical everywhere?
A strong brand wanting a strictly identical render on iOS and Android is better served by Flutter. An app that should feel native on each platform points to React Native.
4. How long until first release?
Under three months for both platforms and cross-platform wins almost every time: two native builds do not fit that calendar at the same budget.
How we do it
Cross-platform, done properly.
Poorly handled cross-platform produces slow, unstable apps. Here is what we put in place as standard.
- Modern React Native architecture (Fabric, TurboModules) on every new project.
- Strict TypeScript or typed Dart: errors caught before production.
- Custom native modules when no off-the-shelf library fits.
- Real offline mode: sync queue and explicit conflict resolution.
- Automated delivery pipeline (Fastlane, EAS): one command, two stores.
- Crash and performance monitoring in production from day one.
React NativeExpoTypeScriptFabricReanimatedFlutterDartRiverpodFastlaneSentryFirebaseDetox
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One base, two stores
iOS
Android
Release
Frequently asked questions
React Native or Flutter — which should we pick in 2026?
Both are mature and ship iOS and Android from one codebase. The decision comes from context, not from the technology:
- React Native if you already employ React developers, if you want to share logic with a web app, or if you plan to hire — the talent pool is far wider;
- Flutter if the design is heavily crafted and must look strictly identical on both platforms, or if the app is animation-heavy.
For a business, content or commerce app, the difference in perceived performance is negligible today.
Is cross-platform slower than native?
For the vast majority of apps, no — the difference is not perceptible. React Native (with the Fabric architecture) and Flutter both hit 60 frames per second on standard interfaces.
The gap reappears on specific workloads: real-time video or audio processing, augmented reality, games, heavy on-screen computation, low-level Bluetooth. There we recommend native — or a hybrid approach where only the critical module is written in Swift or Kotlin.
How much does cross-platform actually save?
Around 30 to 40 % of the development budget compared with two separate native apps, and more over time: every change is written once, tested once and shipped to both stores together.
It is not 50 %. Platform specifics remain — permissions, notifications, in-app purchases, store compliance — and each needs dedicated work.
Can we migrate an existing native app to React Native?
Yes, and progressive migration is usually the right approach. React Native embeds inside an existing native app: you replace it screen by screen, with no global rewrite and no service interruption for your users.
We start with an audit of the existing code to identify reusable modules and size the real effort.
What skills do we need to take the project in-house?
React Native needs JavaScript/TypeScript developers comfortable with React — a very common profile. Flutter needs Dart, less widespread but quick to pick up for an experienced mobile developer.
Either way we hand over documented code, the build pipeline and a transfer session. You are never locked in.
Related pages
Unsure which stack?
One hour of scoping — and the decision is made.
We audit your requirement and recommend the right technology. Including when the answer is “stay native”.