PWA vs Flutter: Who is Better For Business and Why?

The more the technologies, the more is the confusion. With a number of cross-platforms rising, it becomes difficult to decide upon which one is the best. Well, sit back and relax as here is a guide that will give you a clear picture. Mobile development was an easy process earlier. People approach the ecommerce mobile app development company, mutually decided the features, developed, launched, it and done. Today, the competition has become fierce, and the technologies have multiplied. The era of cross-platform is here! No, that does not mean native apps are becoming a thing of the past, they are still in demand but many entrepreneurs consider it as an additional expense when they have the website and back out in order to avoid chipping in for both Android and iOS individually. While cross-platform, it is like you can kill two birds with one stone.

The Craze for Cross-Platform

The reason cross-platform is getting too much fan-following is because of the flexibility it gives in developing applications that can run on multiple platforms. It uses a single codebase which is then exported to various smartphone platforms allowing the one “app” to work across multiple habitats. With cross-platform development, the benefits for a business are many like – low development cost, less time consuming as the coding has to be done only once, increased uniformity across different operating systems that provides users with seamless user experience, wide customer reach, quicker deployment, increased exposure, high ROI, etc. Now coming back to the point, today, there are two famous cross-platform frameworks – Flutter and PWA (Progressive Web App), that are winning hearts but simultaneously making people confuse with their similarity, about which, we are going to take a deep look into its features, benefits, and come into a conclusion which one is the best for business but before that let’s understand each individually.

PWA (Progressive Web App)

A progressive web app is like old wine in a new bottle. It is a website that gives the look and feel of a native app while eliminating the drawbacks. It provides a seamless native app experience along with offline functionality and can be opened in a web browser on any device including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. It has access to the device hardware (push notifications, camera, GPS, etc.), and can be installed on the home screen directly without any need to download and update, unlike a native app. In short, it is an incredible mix of the best of both, the web and native applications.

Also Read: Progressive Web Apps: Shaping the Future of mCommerce 

Flutter

If you shop from Alibaba, run campaigns on Google Ads, book an Ola cab or watch videos on Voot, then guess what? You are already using Flutter apps. Google’s new open-source technology – Flutter is more of a comprehensive SDK i.e. software development kit than a framework because it comes with everything that you need to build the cross-platform application which includes rendering engine, readymade widgets, options to test and integrate APIs etc. Its ability to create fully-featured native Android and iOS apps with the help of a single code base has made it popular on GitHub within a short period of time. Now, although both are Google’s creation and can create mobile apps using a single codebase, it is time to compare them by getting into the details of each.

Flutter vs PWA

The Good 

• Other than the above comparisons, there are a few things in which each is best. For example, PWAs are good for SEO. Since PWAs have URLs, they can be indexed in Google, and due to their fast loading speed, they rank higher in the search results that means you get greater visibility.
• Flutter is good in debugging because of the tools – Dart Analyzer and Dart Observatory in it which find errors with the help of specific commands. Moreover, being a comprehensive SDK, it comes with an automated testing toolset that allows developers to perform unit testing, widget testing, and integration testing easily.

Don’t miss: PWA for Online Marketplace: A Right Technology Investment? 

The Bad

• Flutter has relatively high app size due to inbuilt widgets. Also, it is difficult to find Flutter developers since it is new, and Flutter has no support offered for TV devices (Android TV, Apple TV).
• PWAs have limited support for device features and have higher battery usage. They can be buggy if the user has the out of date version or some uncommon browser.

Whom to Choose & When?

If you need a fast-performing application to serve iOS users at large, that supports device hardware features, with beautiful app designs, then Flutter is for you. While if you are low on budget and are planning to serve both Android & iOS equally with seamless user experience, then PWAs should be your choice. They may look a lot similar but, ultimately, it depends upon your requirement whether to opt for Flutter or PWA and as far as Flutter PWA is considered, we have to wait and watch. For now, if you need professional progressive web app builder for eCommerce, MobiCommerce is at your service.

Dipika Jadwani

Dipika is a skilled marketer who manages marketing communications at MobiCommerce. From content and social media to branding and PR, Dipika overlooks all aspects of digital marketing meticulously at MobiCommerce. She collaborates extensively with the sales and operations teams to bring more business and build a loyal customer base.