React Native vs Flutter comes down to your team more than the framework. Both ship one codebase to iPhone and Android. Pick React Native when your team or web product already uses React and JavaScript. Pick Flutter when you want pixel-identical custom screens and your team is happy in Dart. Pick native Swift and Kotlin when the app leans on deep phone features such as widgets, watch apps or heavy camera work. We work in Swift, Kotlin and React Native. We do not offer Flutter, so weigh our view with that in mind.
At a glance
| React Native | Flutter | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | JavaScript, with React components | Dart, developed by Google |
| How the screen is drawn | Creates the platform's own Android and iOS views | Draws every control itself |
| Native code | Modules in Java or Kotlin, and Objective-C or Objective-C++ | Platform channels to Kotlin, Java, Swift or Objective-C |
| Web | Expo supports web through React Native for web | Web supported, suited to app-like pages |
| Tooling | Expo: routing, native modules, EAS Build, EAS Update | Hot reload and DevTools |
| Backed by | Meta, plus a community of companies |
- Drawing. React Native's documentation says that "at runtime, React Native creates the corresponding Android and iOS views" (React Native docs). Flutter's interfaces "are built, laid out, composited, and painted by Flutter itself" (Flutter architecture). So React Native screens follow each platform's look by default, and Flutter screens look the same everywhere.
- Language. If your web product is React, your developers already know most of React Native. Dart is a separate language to hire for.
- Web. Expo documents running one codebase on web using React Native for web. Flutter says its web support suits "complex standalone web apps that are rich with graphics and interactive content" and less so text-rich, document-like pages. A marketing site is usually better built as a normal website.
- Updates. Expo's EAS Update can change JavaScript, styling and images in an installed app without a new store release, but not native code or permissions (EAS Update). We did not find an equivalent first-party service in Flutter's documentation.
- Backing. React Native's site says "Meta supported. Community driven." (reactnative.dev). Flutter says Google supports and maintains it (flutter.dev).
As of 9 October 2026, both are active. React Native's current release line is 0.87, from August 2026. Flutter's docs list release 3.47 on 12 August 2026 (what's new). Expo is a framework on top of React Native, with file-based routing and native modules. Its cloud services, EAS, include EAS Build, which builds iOS and Android binaries for you.
Native: Swift and Kotlin
Native means two apps: Swift and SwiftUI for iPhone, Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for Android. It wins when the app leans on OS features (widgets, Live Activities and watch apps are built with Apple's frameworks, so a cross-platform app needs native code for them), when you do heavy camera, audio or on-device AI work, or when you launch on one platform only. The cost is two codebases and usually two sets of skills.
Kotlin Multiplatform
JetBrains lists Kotlin Multiplatform as stable for Android and iOS. Compose Multiplatform, the shared interface toolkit, is stable for Android and iOS, and in beta for web. It suits teams that already write Kotlin and want to share business logic.
A website or PWA
If your app is mostly content, forms or bookings, a mobile website or a progressive web app (PWA) may be enough. It needs no store approval and works from a link. Since iOS and iPadOS 16.4, a web app added to the Home Screen can ask to send push notifications after a direct tap from the user. Apple's guideline 4.2 says an app should offer more than "a repackaged website" (App Review Guidelines), so wrapping your site in an app shell is a poor plan.
What no framework removes
Cross-platform means one team and mostly one codebase, not zero platform work. You still have:
- Two store listings, with separate accounts, screenshots and policies.
- Two reviews. See App Store rejection reasons and how to publish an app on the Play Store.
- Platform-specific permission flows and native modules for features the framework does not cover.
Over-the-air updates do not skip review. Apple's guideline 2.5.2 says apps may not "download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app", so use them for fixes and copy changes.
Decision table
| Situation | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Content, forms, bookings, no device features | Website or PWA |
| Existing React web team, both platforms | React Native with Expo |
| Custom branded UI, team happy with Dart | Flutter |
| Widgets, Live Activities, watch app | Native |
| Heavy camera, audio or on-device AI | Native |
| Kotlin team sharing business logic | Kotlin Multiplatform |
Ask who will maintain the app in two years. Cost and timing depend more on scope than on the framework: see app development cost in India and how long it takes to build an app. Tell us about your project.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better in 2026, Flutter or React Native?
Neither wins on every app. React Native fits teams that already use React or JavaScript and want platform-native screens. Flutter fits teams that want identical custom UI on every device and are happy in Dart.
Is Flutter still relevant in 2026?
Yes. Flutter's documentation lists release 3.47 on 12 August 2026, and Google says it supports and maintains the framework.
Is Gpay made using Flutter?
Google Pay is listed in Flutter's showcase. The case study says Google Pay was rebuilt with Flutter for iOS and Android so the team could scale across both platforms (Flutter showcase). It dates from 2021, so check the current app before treating it as today's state.
Should I choose a PWA instead of a native or cross-platform app?
If your app is mostly content, forms or bookings, a PWA may be enough, and it needs no store approval. If you need widgets, store presence or deep device access, you need an app.