It is a complicated task for developers to choose a better app development framework. There are two new approaches: PWA and Flutter. They both sound familiar because of their standard features. One of the most significant similarities is that they use a single codebase to develop apps.
A good way to tell the difference between PWA and Flutter is to compare them. This blog will break down their features and highlight their benefits and drawbacks.
Table of Contents
What is PWA?
Progressive web apps are web applications that can run on browsers. However, they look and feel like native apps. Web apps are the perfect blend of modern websites and mobile applications. Customers will enjoy a mobile browsing experience with the PWA framework.
Progressive web applications are rich in features and highly customizable. It offers cross-browser compatibility that helps developers build them easier than native apps. They can fit on any screen size, irrespective of the device.
- It loads three times faster than traditional websites.
- No need to download and update from app stores.
- Browse or access even when there is no or slow Internet connection.
- Lightweight to install and take less storage than native apps.
- Able to access the device’s features, including camera, Bluetooth, or GPS.
- Support SEO features unlike native apps and help rank higher in search engines.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is a software development kit for creating cross-platform applications. This open-source framework is used to develop an app for Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides a highly customizable widget to make the interface in minutes.
Flutter is a free SDK that supports the platforms in beta and alpha versions. Over the next few years, it can develop responsive and attractive progressive web apps with it. However, it is still a new technology for many developers and merchants.
- It helps to reduce development time and effort.
- Debug faster with no app reloading.
- Provide all essential widgets necessary for the app development.
- Cost-effective solution to build the minimum viable product.
- QA experts need to test apps only once as they use a single codebase.
- Performance is the same as native apps.
- Use Flutter UI components for developing beautiful apps.
PWA and Flutter: Comparison Based On
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Programming Language
PWA uses the old JavaScript libraries. It is easy to find developers with the skill to develop web apps. It uses standard technologies such as HTML and CSS. Also, there is no restriction on which programming language you use.
Unlike PWA, Flutter uses Dart – an object-oriented programming language. It is easy to learn for developers because its syntax is largely C-based. You can compile Dart to ARM and x86 code. The new version can transpile it to JavaScript, so your Dart code can run smoothly.
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Complication
Flutter is a newer technology for developing cross-platform apps. So, it can be a little complicated for developers to learn. UI components are difficult to use at first sight. A widget-based framework like Flutter is used to create a deep widget tree.
PWA is an older and more mature language. As a result, the learning curve is simple. It is also because of several JavaScript frameworks and libraries. Developers are more familiar with progressive web app frameworks.
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Performance
Compared to Flutter, PWA is a little slower performance-wise. PWA apps have to ask the access permission for using GPS, camera, and Bluetooth. All because of JavaScript libraries. However, PWA doesn’t have many workloads as it distributes the process on different worker threads.
Flutter uses a single process code system. So it loads faster than PWA. However, Dart cannot handle CPU-intensive workloads.
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Installation
Flutter apps are accessible from a device, regardless of the operating system. But it has requirements for installation. Here they are:
- Platform–iOS or Android
- Xcode installation
- 4 MB storage capacity
It does not require much storage but takes up more space than web applications.
PWA does not need to install – add the web apps to your home screen. It requires up to 200 kb of storage. Customers can enjoy the shopping experience without downloading.
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Longer to Develop
PWA is faster to develop. As they offer reusable code features. Therefore, the developer doesn’t have to write the same code repeatedly.
Flutter takes more time to develop as it doesn’t have a range of third-party libraries. Also, the code reusability in Flutter is moderate.
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Native Features
Flutter is designed to develop cross-platform mobile applications. It offers more features than PWAs. The app can take advantage of native features on the device. Also, the Flutter toolkit offers UI components that make it preferable for Android and iOS users.
PWA takes time to adapt device features. Because of standard web technologies, they have fewer features than Flutter.
When to choose PWA
- When you want to improve your web app performance.
- You need a mobile-friendly application for mobile users.
- When you want to save storage space on your device.
- Affordable solution for startups and small enterprises.
- Offer offline functionality to access the app without the Internet.
When to Choose Flutter
- Your business needs fast-performing mobile apps.
- When you need a web app to access hardware features.
- PWA can’t publish on iOS apps, but Flutter can help you reach an iOS audience.
- Help design attractive apps for your store.
Conclusion
Both new technologies have lots of potential. It gives the advantage of learning about more options before choosing the best app development platform. It is best to explore so you the option that fits your business needs.
If you are still confused, you can choose Flutter PWA. This new approach can help you achieve your business goals. You can build apps with a better user experience and reach the target audience.
