What is Flutter and How to Build a Flutter App for Businesses?

Have you ever wondered why some digital businesses perform so well while others struggle to make ends meet? If yes, then we have the answer you are looking for.

After the recent pandemic, most people have shifted to online assistance. This has given a major boost to businesses with cross-platform accessibility, such as web, desktop, and mobile applications.

Flutter is the future of mobile app development, and most leading enterprises and organizations use it to create interactive cross-platform applications. Its ability to deliver beautiful and responsive user interfaces while reducing cost and time has made it a game-changer for businesses.

So, in this blog, we’ll explore Flutter’s importance and how your business can leverage this powerful framework to create scalable apps that meet today’s consumer demands.

Everything You Need to Know About Flutter Apps Development

Define Flutter:
Before we get into the technicalities, understanding the basic concept of ‘what is Flutter’ is essential.

Flutter is a powerful, open-source UI toolkit created by Google that allows developers to build high-performance, natively compiled iOS, Android, Web, and Desktop applications from a single codebase.

Unlike other frameworks, Flutter doesn’t rely on native components or WebViews; instead, it uses its rendering engine to draw everything on the screen, creating custom software that offers a seamless and consistent experience across platforms.

Key Features of Flutter

1. Hot Reload: One of Flutter’s standout features is Hot Reload, which allows developers to instantly see the changes made to the code without restarting the application.
2. Widgets: The Flutter framework operates using a comprehensive library of pre-built widgets. Everything in Flutter is a widget, including buttons, text fields, and layout structures like rows and columns.
3. Performance: Unlike many other frameworks that rely on intermediate code or native components, Flutter’s performance is comparable to that of native apps.

What is Flutter Used For?

Now that you know what is Flutter, let us see its versatility and robust feature set have attracted some of the biggest names in the tech industry, proving its reliability and effectiveness. Popular companies that have adopted Flutter for their web and mobile applications include:

• Google: Google uses Flutter for many of its internal projects, including Google Ads and Google Pay.
• Alibaba: The e-commerce giant used Flutter to enhance its app’s performance and improve user engagement across multiple platforms.
• BMW: The automobile manufacturer uses Flutter to build its BMW Connected app, which offers features like remote car control, navigation, and more.

How to Build a Flutter App for Businesses: Flutter Apps Development Step-by-Step Guide

Now that we have cleared what Flutter is and its core features, this section will walk you through the essential steps involved in building a Flutter app that meets your business needs.

Step 1: Define the Purpose and Requirements of the App

Before exploring the technical aspects of app development, it’s crucial to define the app’s purpose and clearly outline its features. What problem does the app solve? Is Flutter a programming language? How will it benefit your business?

A clear understanding of the business goals is key to developing an app that aligns with your company’s objectives.

• Clarify Business Goals: Is the app designed to increase sales, improve customer service, or streamline internal processes? Understanding your goals will help you prioritize features and ensure the app serves its intended purpose.
• Analyze the Target Audience and Platform Requirements: Consider your target audience. Are you focusing on a mobile-first approach for younger, tech-savvy users, or will your app need to cater to a more diverse demographic? Also, determine which platforms (iOS, Android, Web, Desktop) are essential for your business.

Step 2: Set Up the Development Environment

After the purpose and requirements are defined, the next step of the app development approach is to set up the development environment.

• Install the Flutter SDK and Dart: Flutter is powered by the Dart programming language, so the first step is to install the Flutter SDK, which comes bundled with Dart. Follow the installation instructions provided in the official Flutter documentation for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
• Choose an IDE: You must also choose an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to write your code. Flutter supports popular IDEs like Android Studio and Visual Studio Code. Both offer features like code completion, debugging tools, and Flutter plugin support, but the choice depends on your personal preference and the complexity of your app.

Step 3: Design the User Interface

With the Flutter app development environment set up, it’s time to design its user interface (UI). Flutter offers extensive options for building beautiful, responsive UIs.

• Introduction to Flutter Widgets: Flutter uses widgets for UI creation, and everything in Flutter is a widget, including buttons, sliders, text fields, and entire layouts. Flutter provides two main widget sets:
  1. Material Design Widgets: For Android-style Flutter apps, Material Design offers a modern, user-friendly interface with          animations and visual elements.
  2. Cupertino Widgets: These are used for iOS-style apps and provide a native iOS look and feel.
• Create Custom UI Components: While Flutter’s pre-built widgets cover many common use cases, you can also create custom UI components to create a monetization strategy for apps tailored to your business needs. For instance, you might design unique branding elements, customized forms, or interactive features that reflect your business identity.

Step 4: Develop the App Logic

With the UI in place, the next step is to develop the app’s logic.

• Write App Functionalities: Use Dart to write the necessary logic for your app, from navigation to backend communication. Flutter uses a declarative programming approach, so you’ll describe the UI and its state through Dart code.
• Connect the UI with Dart Code: Flutter’s widget tree enables smooth interaction between the UI and app logic. For example, you can link buttons or input fields to their respective actions or backend services.
• Implement Features: Depending on the app’s requirements, you may need to integrate features like:
  1. Authentication: Sign-in, sign-up, and password recovery features.
  2. Databases: Local databases (like SQLite) or cloud databases (like Firebase) for storing user data.
  3. API Calls: Retrieve and send data to external services, Java API, or other APIs to keep the app dynamic.

Step 5: Test the App

Testing is a crucial part of the development process. Flutter provides various testing frameworks to ensure the app is functioning properly across all devices and platforms.

• Unit Testing: Write unit tests to check the correctness of individual functions and logic.
• Widget Testing: Test individual UI components to ensure they behave as expected in different scenarios.
• Integration Testing: Test the complete flow of the app to ensure all components work together smoothly.

Step 6: Deploy the App

Once the app is fully developed and tested, it’s time to deploy it to the appropriate app stores or platforms.

• Publish on Google Play Store and Apple App Store: Follow the guidelines provided by Google and Apple to submit your app to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. You’ll need to create developer accounts, provide necessary app details, and upload assets like screenshots and icons.
• Web and Desktop Deployment Options: If you plan to release a web or desktop version of your app, Flutter makes this process easy as well. You can deploy your app to a web server or publish it for macOS, Windows, and Linux users.

Step 7: Maintain and Update the App

Launching Flutter mobile apps is just the beginning. Regular maintenance and updates are essential to keep the app functional, secure, and relevant to users.

• Importance of Regular Updates: Keep the app updated with new features, security patches, and optimizations. Regular updates help retain users and keep your app aligned with changing business goals.
• Collect Feedback and Improve: After the app is launched, gather feedback from users to identify areas of improvement. Use app analytics and user reviews to guide future updates, making adjustments to enhance user experience and app performance.

Flutter Framework vs. Other Cross-Platform Development Tools

When it comes to mobile app development for businesses, choosing the right development framework can be a game-changer.

Nevertheless, we understand not all our readers have the time to go through extensive details, so here is a quick table for you to understand how each framework offers the best services

For those who would like to learn about the above frameworks, here are all the details you need to make an informed decision.

Flutter

Earlier, we explored what flutter is and its key features. However, how does Flutter stand out from other frameworks? Let’s find out.

Bringing Flutter to your app development process can transform your entire functioning. In fact, since its launch in 2018, Flutter Development has had over 2 million users. Before investing in Flutter development, check out all the benefits and drawbacks.

Pros of Flutter:

• Superior Performance: Flutter compiles native code directly, meaning it doesn’t require a bridge between the app’s code and the platform’s native components. This results in faster performance and smoother animations, a significant advantage for businesses aiming to deliver high-performance apps.
• Rich Set of Widgets: Flutter provides a large set of customizable widgets, ensuring businesses can create visually rich, consistent, and beautiful UIs across platforms.
• Unified Development Experience: Flutter uses a single language (Dart) and a unified architecture, simplifying development and avoiding mixing native code with the main codebase.

Cons of Flutter:

• Smaller Community: While growing rapidly, Flutter’s community is smaller compared to React Native, meaning fewer resources and third-party libraries are available.
• Learning Dart: Dart is a less widely-used language compared to JavaScript, so developers may need to spend extra time learning it.

React Native

React Native is one of the most popular cross-platform frameworks developed by Facebook, and it’s often seen as the main competitor to Flutter. Let’s break down the pros and cons of both frameworks for business apps.

Pros of React Native:

• Native-Like Performance: React Native allows for building apps with near-native performance by using native components, making it a solid choice for apps that need high performance.
• Large Community: React Native has been around for longer than Flutter and has a large, active community, meaning plenty of resources, libraries, and plugins are available.
• JavaScript Ecosystem: Since React Native uses JavaScript, a language widely used for web development, developers can leverage their existing skills and tools, making the learning curve less steep.

Cons of React Native:

• Performance: While React Native offers near-native performance, it can still fall short in comparison to Flutter in terms of speed, especially for complex animations and UI components.
• Limited Native Support: React Native often requires developers to write native code (Java, Swift, Objective-C) for platform-specific features, which can increase the complexity and development time.

Xamarin

Xamarin is a Microsoft-backed framework that uses C# and the .NET ecosystem to create cross-platform apps. It is often seen as a solid option for enterprise-level applications. However, there are a few notable differences when compared to Flutter:

Pros of Xamarin:

• Native Performance: Xamarin provides close-to-native performance and allows developers to access the full range of platform-specific APIs.
• C# and .NET Ecosystem: Xamarin is an attractive choice for businesses already using the .NET stack and C# as their primary development language.

Cons of Xamarin:

• UI Limitations: Xamarin’s UI components don’t offer the same flexibility and customization as Flutter’s widget-based approach. This can lead to apps that feel less polished or lack the same design control level.
• Larger App Size: Apps built with Xamarin can be bulkier compared to Flutter apps, which could be a disadvantage for businesses targeting users with lower-end devices or those concerned about download sizes.

Ionic

Ionic is known for building high-performance mobile and web applications using CSS, HTML, and Javascript. So, here are the pros and cons that every enterprise must know.

Pros of Ionic:

• Web-Based: Ionic uses web technologies, making it a good option for businesses with a web development background. Developers familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can quickly adapt to building mobile apps with Ionic.
• Cross-Platform Support: Ionic allows businesses to deploy apps on mobile devices, the web, and even desktops from a single codebase.

Cons of Ionic:

• Performance: Since Ionic is a hybrid framework, it doesn’t offer the same level of performance as Flutter or React Native. Apps built with Ionic often rely on WebViews, which can cause slower performance, especially for resource-intensive apps.
• Limited Native Capabilities: While Ionic does offer plugins to access native device features, it may not provide the level of customization and native performance required by more complex apps.

When to Choose Flutter Development Over Other Frameworks

Now that you know about some alternative frameworks, the question is, when should businesses choose Flutter over other cross-platform frameworks? Here are some key factors to consider:

• Performance Needs: If your app requires smooth animations, high performance, and responsive interactions, Flutter’s native compilation offers significant advantages over frameworks like Ionic or React Native.
• Design Flexibility: If your business app needs a highly customized design and a consistent experience across platforms, Flutter’s rich set of customizable widgets makes it an ideal choice.
• Unified Codebase for Multiple Platforms: If you want to build for mobile, web, and desktop with a single codebase, Flutter’s cross-platform capabilities stand out. Unlike Ionic, which is more web-centric, Flutter allows you to create truly native-like apps across multiple platforms.
• Faster Time to Market: Flutter’s Hot Reload feature and its single codebase for multiple platforms can significantly speed up the development process, which is crucial for businesses looking to launch apps quickly.

Conclusion

That’s it for today’s blog. We discussed what Flutter is and how it works. We have also covered other development frameworks and what they are best for, including the challenges that involve them.

Flutter has rapidly established itself as one of the most potent and versatile frameworks for cross-platform app development. It offers businesses an impressive combination of performance, flexibility, and efficiency.

As the demand for cross-platform apps continues to rise, Flutter is evolving rapidly to meet the needs of modern businesses. Google is committed to enhancing Flutter’s capabilities, especially in desktop app development and web app support.

Flutter is an excellent choice for businesses aiming to create visually stunning, high-performance apps. If you want to build a high-performance, scalable, and visually appealing app for your business, book a free demo call with a flutter development company today!