Kotlin Vs Flutter: Which One to Choose and Why?

Kotlin Vs Flutter App Development: both are two significant app development languages and frameworks which are generally utilized for mobile application development. Now, mobile apps have become such an integral part of our lives that right from booking a hotel or air ticket to food ordering, shopping clothing, online grocery order, paying a variety of service bills, everything is accessible simply with a couple of taps.

The developing prominence and increase in demand for mobile apps have elevated the demand for mobile app developers and mobile app development companies that are productive in developing various sorts of cross-platform apps.

Lately, cross-platform apps have acquired momentum as they are available from different stages. The developers used to prefer such types of platforms for the ease of coding, cost-effective, and less time-consuming. A single codebase can be used for app development for multiple platforms at the same time.

A couple of years prior, the developers used to depend on React Native and Flutter to develop a cross-platform app, however, now advancements in technologies have introduced Kotlin.

Therefore, to assist you in picking between Kotlin Vs Flutter, we’ve set up this comparison today. What precisely is Flutter? What is Kotlin, and does it pose a danger to Flutter’s fame? Moreover, what are the advantages of both technologies? How about we go through everything appropriately.

Kotlin Vs Flutter: Google Trends Comparison 2022

In terms of popularity, both Kotlin and Flutter frameworks are profoundly famous for mobile app development. Since both these frameworks are open source and allowed to utilize without any charges. Hence, mobile app developers are showing more interest to work with these tools. There are adequate reasons to legitimize why Flutter shines to build cross-platform mobile solutions, on the other hand, Kotlin has its own functionalities and features that made it shine as a top mobile app development tool.

Let’s understand Google trends comparison for both Kotlin and Flutter app development that provides you a clear idea about their popularity among developers.

Kotlin Vs Flutter: Basic Details

What is Kotlin?

Kotlin is a general-purpose, statically typed programming language with type inference. It is generally used to develop Android applications. Kotlin is built to completely interoperate with Java, and the JVM version of its standard library relies upon the Java Class Library. However, type inference permits its syntax structure to be crisper and to the point. Kotlin mostly focuses on the JVM yet in addition compiles to Native Code or JavaScript. Kotlin is supported by JetBrains and Google, through the Kotlin Foundation.

Furthermore, let’s move ahead and know the variety of unique features of the Kotlin programming language.

Features of Kotlin App Development

The justification behind Kotlin’s ubiquity is a result of the special features that it has. How about we presently dive into the subtleties of different features why developers prefer Android development with Kotlin.

1. Concise: Kotlin is a more concise programming language than Java and you would have to compose roughly 40% fewer lines of code as compared to the Java programming language.
2. Interoperability: Kotlin programming language is profoundly interoperable with Java. You won’t ever confront any trouble using Kotlin in a Java project.
3. Feature Rich: Kotlin delivers multiple advanced features, for example, Lambda expressions, Operator overloading, String templates, and many more.
4. Simple: Kotlin is a very easy programming language to learn. In the event that you have come from a Java background, you would find it easy and quick to learn Kotlin.
5. Less Error-Prone: Kotlin is a statically-composed programming language, which enables you to find mistakes at compile-time, as Statically typed programming languages really do type checking at compile time.

In this way, these are a portion of the Kotlin features that add to the ubiquity of the Kotlin programming language.

Top Apps Developed Using Kotlin

What is Flutter?

Flutter was presented by Google as an open-source technology for coding and developing native applications for Android and iOS. The technology combines ease of development with execution similar to native execution while keeping up with visual consistency between platforms. Flutter app development language, Dart, was at first planned as a replacement for JavaScript. In particular, Flutter is open-source and totally free. Right now, Flutter has equivalent ubiquity with React Native on both GitHub and Stack Overflow.

Features of Flutter App Development

Some of the top features behind why developers prefer Flutter app development:

1. Increases Productivity: Utilizing the same codebase for iOS and Android saves both time and assets. Native widgets of the Flutter framework additionally limit time spent on testing by guaranteeing there are next to zero compatibility issues with various OS versions.
2. Easy to learn: Flutter permits developers to fabricate native mobile applications without expecting to access the OEM widget or utilize a huge amount of code. Hence, Flutter’s especially engaging UI, makes the application development process a lot more convenient.
3. Great Performance: User reports are hard to notice the difference between a Flutter application and a native mobile application.
4. Cost-Effective: Building Android and iOS applications with the same codebase is basically fabricating two applications at the cost of one.
5. Accessible on various IDEs: Designers are allowed to pick either Android Studio or Visual Studio Code to edit their code on Flutter.

Top Apps Developed Using Flutter

Various Parameters for Comparing: Kotlin Vs Flutter

1. Performance: Kotlin Vs Flutter

Android development with Kotlin works as a general-purpose programming language. It is regularly compared with the Java programming language. This object-oriented programming language is generally used for Android app development and cross-platform app development.

With regards to performance, Kotlin applications are quicker and ensure great performance on all platforms. Google alone had its 60 applications written in Kotlin. Additionally, Kotlin codes are compiled in the same platform it is composed for. This makes Kotlin one of the robust and advanced tools for cross-platform application development.

On the other hand, Flutter app development technology uses the Dart programming language. Flutter applications are compiled straightforwardly to machine code, which leads to staggering fast applications. It doesn’t rely upon web view or device OEM gadgets. Rather it uses engine rendering to deliver each view component. Its rich widget set comprises all basic differences of the platform, like fonts and icons, scrolling, navigation, and other UI elements. This will assist with accomplishing native-like performance on both Android and iOS platforms.

Flutter ensures rapid performance – it aims to achieve 60 frames per second (fps) of delivery speed. Flutter app development performance is mostly measured by how the UI of an application looks or how smoothly it functions. This is on the grounds that Flutter is a UI toolbox and mostly targets the frontend part of the application.

Both Kotlin and Flutter convey astonishing performance and it, by and large, relies upon the features and functions involved in the mobile app development.

2. UI Experience: Kotlin Vs Flutter

Whenever we talk about cross-platform applications, UI assumes a significant role. One of the significant objectives of a cross-platform application is to use a native-like user experience. Also, Flutter does likewise.

Kotlin is a general-purpose programming language that gives freedom to UI designers to customize UI experience and construct an application aligned with their vision in a hassle-free way.

Android development with Kotlin gives the opportunity to design an exceptional application according to the developer’s abilities. It doesn’t have any pre-considered rules or guidelines to follow, thus, developers gain control with the application’s conduct and appearance.

Flutter app development offers a unified or concise user experience across various platforms. Flutter is a widget-based cross-platform framework that has countless customization choices – allowing Flutter app developers to fabricate a scalable and functional application.

Initially, Flutter was shaped as an SDK to help UI designing. It gives custom widgets that reduce the development time. The programming language gives an application solution that is quite efficient yet quick.

3. Third-Party Libraries and Tools Integration

Android development with Kotlin works on the native platform environments rather than concentrating on building one. Thus, application development specialists can utilize similar libraries and tools they have been utilizing during native app development, including Jetpack Compose and SwiftUI. This eventually implies they need not search for third-party tools and libraries to connect an association with the native environment.

However, it is expected in the case of Flutter app development the cross-platform SDK, provided it is essentially a UI designing tool.

4. Cost and Testing Support

Both Kotlin and Flutter are open-source app development tools and subsequently, they’re allowed to use for free. Thus, there could be no greater player in this situation.

With regards to utilizing testing support, Flutter and Kotlin contrast from one another.

While Flutter offers an immense assortment of testing features including a unique widget testing feature. Kotlin’s significant focus lies in delivering backend-as-a-service tools. It uses Firebase to offer secure backend options.

5. Documentation: Kotlin Vs Flutter

Flutter is an open-source app development technology and allowed to utilize, giving extensive documentation. Additionally, it gives the user a rich arrangement of testing capacities that unit test the widget while incorporating the level. Having amazing testing documentation, it likewise has intriguing widget testing features.

With this central issue, the client makes widget tests to attempt the UI and runs them at the speed of unit testing.

Contrasted with Flutter, the Android app using Kotlin is still new and, indeed, in a trial state. In addition to this, the documentation for Kotlin falls to some degree behind Flutter. However, this point is relied upon to further develop when the multi-platform becomes stable. Yet, it is expected that the documentation, as well as the developer’s community strength, will evolve once the multiplatform becomes steady. Further uplifting all to use Kotlin for cross-platform mobile app development.

6. Scope in Back-End Development

When it is about considering back-end software development technology and services to acknowledge the distinction between Kotlin and Flutter. Kotlin again has an edge over Flutter.

Flutter language goes with Firebase, which is a viable BaaS (Backend-as-a-Service) platform, to ensure compelling backend development opportunities. However, Kotlin multi-platform empowers developers to build backend code.

When is Kotlin Good?

Kotlin is created and taken care of by JetBrains that additionally creates numerous Java products and has a wide scope of developers’ tools. Kotlin attempts to overcome a few disadvantages of Java yet it has a long to cover. One reason behind Kotlin’s popularity is its compatibility with Java. The Android development with Kotlin, allows developers to use it in their ongoing applications, cross-platform applications, and furthermore compose server-side code in Kotlin.

Kotlin is the most ideal decision for beginning another project in Android or customizing the existing one. It’s a very decent decision for cross-platform applications no matter what the size and complexities.

When is Flutter Good?

Flutter is a cross-platform framework that fundamentally saves your time and app development costs. Flutter app development is an extraordinary decision for creating MVP and prototyping applications where resources and time are restricted. It very well can be utilized by small, medium, and surprisingly, large-size business applications. It works best where user engagement is a key to success, for example, business applications, online stores, and FinTech applications.

Kotlin Vs Flutter: Key Differences

Kotlin Vs Flutter – Who Wins the Race?

Both Kotlin and Flutter are great app development tools that intend to decrease development time and cost to mark its presence on both Android and iOS platforms, along with other platforms as well.

On one hand, Flutter is a more well-known technology than a new entrant like Kotlin. On the other hand, Kotlin is used to develop Android applications. However, both the tools offer native-like performance while using a single codebase. Both the frameworks are giving extraordinary competition to one another. Furthermore, with each new release, they’re getting harder to wager on.

Conclusion

No technology is perfect. Despite that, both Kotlin and Flutter offer an unmatched performance that saves the developers time and energy. However, both have their own arrangement of limitations too.

Assuming you’re in a dilemma to pick the best framework to construct your effective and user-friendly mobile application, it is suggested to reach out to experts of mobile app development companies. Then, try to break down your cross-platform application idea and requirements to analyze which is better between – Kotlin Vs Flutter. 

For resolving such issues or detailed assistance you can connect with our experts. We had a well-versed team of Kotlin developers and Flutter developers, who can help you in finding a feasible solution. Apart from that, if you like, we can also assist in finding a suitable tech partner who can help you in achieving your business goals.