Author: Katarzyna Szulc from LeanCode
Everybody makes a choice. Various sources suggest that the average adult makes up to 35k decisions daily. Yet, in the tech world of startups and enterprises, betting on a proper technology for a specific project (an app) is another one to make. But what if we tell you there is a way to make better decisions? The key is to base them on data and experience from those who chose a particular technology path before you. Now, there is the first of its kind, “Flutter CTO Report 2024” by LeanCode, which brings all the ups and downs of Flutter closer.
But before you dive into this great summary of insights on Flutter, let us guide you through the key findings in this article.
Flutter has proven to be a truly cross-platform framework.
Cross-platform app development frameworks allow you to build native-looking applications for multiple platforms using a single codebase, one of the key advantages of this approach over native app development. Moreover, Flutter UI includes many UI widgets that can be customized to create visually attractive and responsive user interfaces, which may also be native-like. Other cross-platform frameworks are React Native, Kotlin Multiplatform, .NET MAUI, and Ionic.
What other CTOs and Tech Leads are building with Flutter? 89.3% of respondents chose Flutter for their brand new application, 31.8% migrated an existing application to Flutter after using different technologies, 23.8% decided to do a PoC to validate Flutter as a technology, and 13.2% tried Add to App — Flutter components inside an existing non-Flutter app.
Although Flutter has been built as a go-to technology for mobile development, and more than 95% of respondents choose it for each mobile operating system, only 30% of companies use it extensively for iOS and Android. Flutter is also used for web applications (64.4%) and desktop apps (between 11 and 24% depending on operating system — macOS, Windows, and Linux).
Code reusability and developer experience are the key arguments favoring Flutter.
You might be wondering what the most decisive factors were in favor of choosing Flutter. This question appears no matter the size of the app and its state of development. Since Flutter is a cross-platform framework, it probably won’t surprise you that 89.7% of respondents chose Flutter because of its code reusability between iOS and Android. This technology was made for this.
What should bring attention to any technical person is that 66.2% of respondents chose Flutter because of the excellent developer experience that it delivers. That developer experience, taken into account along with Flutter capabilities, impacts other aspects of mobile app development. 64.8% of respondents chose Flutter due to its lower development cost, 57.7% due to its quicker time to market, and 55.5% due to its unified UX/UI across platforms.
Flutter development is seen to be 50% faster than native development.
Since Flutter’s true power comes from its ability to allow users to build applications for different platforms from one codebase, which improves the speed of development, we wanted to find out the perspectives of CTOs, Tech Leads, and Engineering Managers on this matter. In the “Flutter CTO Report 2024,” we asked if, based on their experience, Flutter development is quicker than development in native technologies. The result? 56.4% claim that Flutter development is more than 50% faster than in native technologies. 24.8% think Flutter development is at least 20% quicker than in native technologies.
The speed of mobile app development is an important factor influencing a company’s ability to compete, satisfy users, and manage costs. Quick development allows companies to respond promptly to market trends and user demands, ensuring their app remains relevant. When it comes to new app development, being the first to offer a new feature or service can capture a more extensive user base than the competition. Besides that, it may positively impact the final development costs due to the less work needed.
Fear of Google discontinuing product support is one of the biggest arguments against Flutter.
Interestingly, the fear of Google discontinuing product support (56.1%) was chosen as one of the biggest arguments against Flutter. On the one hand, it’s a fully understandable objection since betting on any specific technology, investing resources, and integrating it into projects is an important decision to make. If Google were to discontinue support, this investment could be at risk. On the other hand, this argument is fairly easy to dismiss. Google has invested considerable resources in its development and promotion, and there are no concrete signs as of now that they plan to discontinue it, which confirms the interview with Craig Labenz, Developer Relations Engineer at Google.
The second biggest argument against Flutter is its limitations regarding web implementation (e.g., SEO support), as 43.1% of respondents mentioned. Here, Flutter definitely needs improvement. However, it’s important to keep in mind that Flutter for Web is a solution dedicated to specific cases, such as adding an add-on to your mobile app or building a Single-Page App. So, if someone plans to build a complex web application, web limitations might indeed be factors to be aware of. For more examples of arguments against Flutter, check the “Flutter CTO Report 2024”.
The vast majority of respondents would choose Flutter again.
You can find objections to every existing technology because none of them is perfect, and all have some points of friction to address. Having various perspectives matters when making a decision about Flutter. The important question is whether someone would select Flutter again after using it in their own projects, and 95.7% confirmed they would choose Flutter again from the time perspective. Additionally, 52% of respondents are extremely likely (10/10) to recommend it.
Besides that, in the “Flutter CTO Report 2024”, you may see that financial and healthcare-related applications are mentioned in the top 5 industries using Flutter, which is a clear indicator that Flutter is a reliable framework that allows users to build secure applications for the most demanding environments.
Flutter is a mature framework ready for enterprise projects.
At LeanCode, we have built enterprise-scale applications with Flutter, so from our experience, we know this technology is ready for it. Many large companies have successfully adopted Flutter for their projects, providing a proven track record of Flutter’s capabilities in handling complex and large-scale enterprise applications. We prepared a list of enterprise companies using Flutter from different industries, which we update each year because the number of them is growing.
Flutter has been maturing a lot, not only in the framework but also in the state of the ecosystem packages. However, we decided to ask CTOs, Tech Leads, and Engineering Managers if, according to them, Flutter is suitable for large-scale projects but from different time periods perspectives. 71.2% of respondents somewhat agree or strongly agree that over the last 3 years, Flutter has been ready for enterprise apps. This number increased to 85% when it comes to the future perspective described as in the next 2 years.
Flutter for Web is a growing trend that is gaining interest.
We’ve mentioned before that the second biggest argument against Flutter is its limitations regarding web implementation. However, Flutter for Web as a solution is continuously improving, aiming to make it a more robust and versatile platform for building web applications. For example, increased compatibility with a broader range of web browsers ensures that Flutter web applications run smoothly across different environments. Continuous enhancements to the CanvasKit and HTML renderers provide developers with options to balance performance and compatibility based on their application’s needs.
The Flutter team regularly updates with new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes, reflecting a commitment to the framework’s continual improvement. We notice the impact of these improvements on opinions about using Flutter for Web applications. More respondents now consider Flutter a serious alternative to web development frameworks than over the last 3 years, showing an increase from 15% to 33.8%.
Summing up
The above-mentioned data on Flutter are just a small piece of what you might find in the “Flutter CTO Report 2024” by LeanCode. This report brings closer voices from CTOs and Tech Leads experienced in different programming languages and mobile development frameworks and provides crucial insights on Flutter to help you make informed decisions about incorporating it into your technology stack.
