The React Native vs Flutter debate continues in 2026, but both frameworks have matured significantly. As a team that actively ships production apps in both frameworks, here's our definitive comparison based on real project data.
Performance: Flutter has a slight edge in raw rendering performance due to its custom Skia/Impeller rendering engine. React Native with the New Architecture (Fabric + TurboModules) has closed the gap significantly. For 95% of apps, both frameworks deliver smooth 60fps experiences.
Development speed: React Native wins here for teams with web development experience. JavaScript/TypeScript skills transfer directly, and the React paradigm is familiar. Flutter's Dart language has a learning curve but the hot reload experience is exceptional.
UI fidelity: Flutter's widget system gives pixel-perfect control across platforms. React Native relies on native components (which look native by default) but achieving custom designs requires more effort. For highly branded, custom UI, Flutter has an edge.
Ecosystem: React Native has a larger ecosystem of third-party libraries, especially for integrating native SDKs. Flutter's ecosystem is growing fast but occasionally you'll need to write platform channel code for less common native integrations.
Platform support: Flutter now targets iOS, Android, Web, macOS, Windows, and Linux from a single codebase. React Native primarily targets iOS and Android, with web support through React Native Web. If multi-platform beyond mobile is important, Flutter leads.
Hiring: JavaScript developers outnumber Dart developers significantly. Finding React Native developers is easier and generally cheaper. However, Dart developers tend to be more focused specialists with deep Flutter expertise.
Our project data: Across 80+ app launches, React Native projects average 15% lower development cost due to code sharing with existing web properties. Flutter projects average 10% fewer platform-specific bugs due to the consistent rendering engine.
Our recommendation: Use React Native if you have an existing React web team, need maximum code sharing with web, or are building apps that should feel native to each platform. Use Flutter if you want maximum UI consistency across platforms, are building a new product without existing web infrastructure, or need desktop + mobile from one codebase.