Three years ago, a client asked me to rebuild their React Native app from scratch. It had bugs. The iOS version and Android version behaved differently. Fixing one broke the other. The codebase was a mess that every new developer refused to touch.
We rebuilt it in Flutter in 14 weeks. Same features, both platforms, one codebase. It's been in production since with near-zero maintenance issues.
I'm not selling Flutter. I'm telling you why most of our clients end up using it — and when they shouldn't.
What Flutter Actually Is
Flutter is Google's open-source framework for building cross-platform apps. You write the app once in Dart (Google's programming language), and Flutter compiles it natively for iOS, Android, web, and desktop.
Not "wraps it in a browser." Not "bridges it to native APIs through JavaScript." Actually compiles to native machine code for each platform.
This is why Flutter apps feel fast and consistent — unlike some earlier cross-platform frameworks that always had a slight lag or a slightly "wrong" look on each platform.
Flutter vs React Native: The Real Comparison
I get asked this constantly. Here's my honest take:
React Native uses JavaScript to bridge to native platform components. This means it looks native because it uses actual native UI components. It also means the JavaScript bridge is a performance bottleneck for complex animations or heavy data processing. And it means the two platforms can behave differently — because they're using different native components under the hood.
Flutter draws everything itself using its own rendering engine (Skia, now Impeller). This means pixel-perfect consistency across platforms. The app looks and behaves identically on iOS and Android. The trade-off is that Flutter widgets look like "Flutter" rather than "native iOS" or "native Android" — though Flutter's Material and Cupertino widget libraries are excellent approximations.
For most business apps — productivity tools, customer portals, internal tools, booking systems — Flutter wins. The consistency advantage matters more than platform-native feel.
React Native's main advantage is JavaScript talent availability. If you have a web team that knows React, they can contribute to a React Native app. For a Singapore SME with no existing dev team, this doesn't apply.
What Flutter Is Good For
Consumer apps with rich UI — Flutter's widget system makes complex, polished interfaces achievable without massive effort. Animations that would take weeks in native take days in Flutter.
Business apps with offline capability — Flutter has excellent local database options (Hive, Isar, SQLite). Apps that need to work in low-connectivity environments (warehouses, field service, events) work well.
MVPs and fast prototypes — One codebase means one set of bugs to fix and one deployment to manage. Time-to-market is faster when you're not maintaining two separate native apps.
Internal enterprise tools — If your team uses iOS and Android mixed, Flutter gives everyone the same experience without double the development cost.
Multi-platform expansion — Flutter's web support is real and improving. Build your mobile app today, have it accessible on web tomorrow with the same codebase.
What Flutter Is Not Good For
Flutter has gaps. I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't name them:
Apps that deeply depend on platform-specific features — Augmented reality, NFC, Bluetooth LE with complex profiles, deep Apple Watch integration — these require native code plugins. Flutter can call native code, but you lose the "one codebase" purity.
Apps where iOS-native look-and-feel is non-negotiable — If your app needs to feel indistinguishable from a built-by-Apple app (certain banking or fintech contexts), native iOS is the right call.
Very large teams with existing React Native expertise — Switching frameworks has a real retraining cost. If your 20-person team knows React Native deeply, switching to Flutter is a deliberate strategic decision, not an obvious choice.
The Cost Difference
Let's be concrete. A medium-complexity business app built in Flutter vs native:
Flutter (one codebase, two platforms): approximately S$30,000–S$60,000
Native iOS + Native Android (separate): approximately S$55,000–S$110,000
The Flutter version takes roughly 60% of the development time. The native version gives you marginally better platform integration but costs nearly double.
For an SME in Singapore, that S$25,000–S$50,000 difference is meaningful. It can fund a whole phase of additional features.
Flutter's State Management: The Part Everyone Gets Wrong
If you're evaluating Flutter developers, ask them how they handle state management. It's a revealing question.
Flutter doesn't have one official answer. The ecosystem has several approaches — setState, Provider, Riverpod, BLoC, GetX. Each has trade-offs. The wrong choice leads to the same maintenance nightmare we described with React Native apps.
We use Riverpod for most projects. It's type-safe, testable, and scales well. GetX is faster to write but becomes difficult to maintain at scale. BLoC is powerful but verbose — good for enterprise projects with strict architecture requirements.
Ask your developer why they chose their state management approach. "It's what I know" is not a good answer.
What to Look for When Hiring a Flutter Developer in Singapore
Flutter is growing fast in Singapore but experienced Flutter developers are still relatively rare compared to iOS/Android native specialists. Here's what to check:
- Do they have published Flutter apps on the App Store and Play Store?
- Can they explain their state management choice and why?
- Have they handled platform-specific code (method channels) before?
- Do they write widget tests and integration tests?
- How do they handle app signing, certificates, and store deployments?
At NICKTUNG, Flutter is our primary mobile framework. We have apps live in production across F&B, logistics, education, and professional services. We can show you working apps, not just portfolios.
Getting Started
If you're evaluating Flutter for your project, the first thing you need is a clear feature specification. Vague requirements lead to scope creep regardless of the framework.
We offer a free scoping session for new mobile projects — an hour to map your requirements, identify the right tech stack, and give you a realistic development estimate.
Book yours here. No commitment required.