When a company asks us for an app, the first technical question is almost always the same: two native apps, one for iPhone and one for Android, or a single codebase for both? For years, for most projects, our answer has been Flutter. But not for all of them.

What Flutter is, in short

Flutter is an open-source framework developed by Google. You write the app once, in the Dart language, and Flutter turns it into a real app for iOS and for Android. It is not a website in a frame: the app is compiled and draws its own interface, so it runs as smoothly as a native app.

Why we often choose it

  • One codebase, one team. Every feature is written and tested once. For you, that means lower costs and, above all, updates that reach iPhone and Android on the same day.
  • The interface is the same everywhere. The design you approve is the one every user sees, on any phone.
  • Development is fast. Changes show up in the app within seconds, without rebuilding. In review sessions with a client, that makes a huge difference.
  • It lasts. The project is mature, backed by Google and used by many companies. It is not a gamble.

When we prefer native instead

Flutter is not the automatic answer. We choose native apps, written in Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android, when:

  • the app relies deeply on system features, such as home-screen widgets, Apple Watch, CarPlay or special sensors;
  • it needs every new operating system feature from day one, because that is part of its value;
  • the app exists for one platform only and will stay there.

In those cases building twice costs more, but it is the right choice.

And after launch

An app is never finished. Every year Apple and Google release new system versions, and store rules and privacy requirements change. That is why, when we build an app, we plan from the start who updates it and how: new versions, store releases, and checking the errors users report.

How we decide together

Before choosing the technology, we start from three questions:

  1. Who will use the app, and on which phones?
  2. Which phone features are really needed?
  3. Who will look after it over the next three years?

With the answers, the choice between Flutter and native usually makes itself. If you are thinking about an app, send us your answers: we'll tell you which way to go, and why.