Flutter VS Ionic

Choosing the right platform for development is a critical question for product developers and their teams. This is because a framework can affect the performance of the software, the development time, the effort needed, and much more. Today, we will focus on cross-platform mobile platform frameworks and compare their two popular examples. So, the topic we have at our hands is Flutter vs. Ionic. Ionic is an open-source UI toolkit you can integrate with other open frameworks and libraries.

On the other hand, Flutter is a comparatively new technology by Google. It is based on the Dart programming language and works on Android and iOS. Let us dive into the details and comparison of specific qualities.

Flutter

Google designs flutter, and it is based on the Dart language. This framework works on many operating systems, including Linux, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Flutter does not rely on web-based or platform-based user interface elements. Rather, it works on its built-in UI toolkit and uses a cross-platform graphics library called Skia.

Ionic

Ionic supports web-based development with component-based UI elements rendered using a webview compartment. It supports iOS, Android, and also the web.

Flutter vs. Ionic

We can compare these two frameworks based on different parameters, including popularity, performance, user experience, architecture, code maintainability, etc., so let’s start.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Architecture

The architecture of the project can make or break it. The right architecture can simplify the development process and saves time by making programming and revisions easier. Flutter offers hierarchical layered architecture with different layers, including platform-specific widgets, a separate presentation layer, and a business logic layer.

On the other hand, Iconic uses an MVC structure, i.e., Model View Controller. It separates three components of the product, and separate developers can work easily on separate components.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Performance

Flutter eliminates the need for a communication bridge because the native modules are available as native components. In comparison, Ionic needs around 1.6-1.8 seconds to complete the interaction because it is a non-native platform. It works well with pre-rendering, but we can generally conclude Flutter wins in the performance race.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Modularity

Modularity helps the team to create products fast since various developers can work on different modules without disturbing each other. Both Flutter and Ionic offer modularity. Flutter uses hierarchical architecture so developers can make multiple sub-packages. Ionic uses Angular’s NgModule class, and thus developers can create multiple modules.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Code Maintainability

Hot reloading allows better code maintainability because the developers can see their code changes reflected in functionality in real-time and resolve issues easily. However, maintainability is difficult with Ionic code because backward compatibility is missing.

Flutter vs. Ionic: User Experience

This is the most relevant feature for users because they reap its benefits, and their feedback counts the most. Flutter provides the best user experience because of its native-like customized widgets. Ionic also provides a great user experience because it offers native-like UI navigation.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Testing

Flutter offers testing automation with Spec, Spek, and Mocha unit testing. In comparison, Ionic app testing relies on web technologies without emulators. Ionic CLI also makes web component testing simple.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Application Size

Flutter has a bigger application size than Ionic because it also loads Dart virtual machines and a C/C++ engine.

Flutter vs. Ionic: Learning Curve

The learning curve for Flutter is steep because developers need to learn the Dart language first. Though Dart is not a very difficult language, Flutter also has very detailed documentation. Ionic uses Angular, which is already very popular, and many developers use it already, so the learning curve is easier.

Conclusion

It is very important to make informed decisions while choosing the framework for development. We have compared Flutter vs. Ionic based on performance, user experience, testing, learning curve, etc. Both frameworks fare well in one aspect or the other, so the choice is yours.