In the world of mobile development where tools and frameworks change so fast, choosing the right framework is crucial. Two prominent options are Flutter and Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM). Google supports both frameworks but serves different purposes and targets different use cases. This article will explore each framework's objectives, advantages, and suitability for various projects.
Comparing Flutter and KMM main objetives
Flutter simplifies the development process by enabling developers to create products quickly and at a lower cost. Thanks to its rich set of customizable widgets and reactive framework, it is ideal for rapid prototyping and agile teams.
On the other hand, Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM) is designed for companies needing versatile and scalable products. It requires well-prepared and experienced teams due to its complexity. KMM offers the flexibility to share business logic across platforms while allowing each platform to have its native UI, making it appropriate for applications requiring specific platform features.
Why Google Supports Both Frameworks?
Google promotes Flutter and KMM to provide a wide range of development needs. Flutter is oriented to cost-effective, rapid development, while KMM focuses on leveraging native capabilities and scalability. This dual support allows Google to promote experimentation and innovation across different types of projects.
Reviewing Differences and Use Cases
Cost and Development Speed
Flutter: Perfect for quickly building MVPs and data-driven apps. The ability to share both UI and business logic reduces development time and costs.
KMM: Best for apps that need to leverage platform-specific features and require a high degree of customization and performance.
Team Requirements
Flutter: Enables more agile teams with a focus on UI/UX. The framework's simplicity allows for faster development cycles.
KMM: Requires experienced developers familiar with native development on both platforms. Teams can focus on sharing business logic while maintaining platform-specific UI.
Architecture
Flutter: Uses a reactive framework that redraws the entire UI when the state changes. It relies on a single codebase for both UI and business logic.
KMM: Encourages a traditional architecture, allowing the sharing of business logic while maintaining native UI components for each platform.
Community and Ecosystem
Flutter: features a large and active community with extensive documentation, plugins, and third-party packages. It enjoys strong support from Google and widespread adoption.
KMM: Benefits from the existing Kotlin community and active support from JetBrains. Although newer than Flutter, its ecosystem is growing steadily.
Performance
Flutter: Generally offers good performance due to its direct compilation to native code, though some performance optimizations might be needed for complex UIs.
KMM: Ensures high performance by using platform-specific UI components while sharing business logic, leading to efficient and native-like performance.
Complex UIs
Flutter: Excels in creating complex and custom UIs with its vast library of widgets.
KMM: Better suited for applications where the UI needs to be tailored to each platform's specific requirements.
Comparing the Pros and Cons of KMM and Flutter
Advantages
Flutter:
- Perfect for MVPs and quick development cycles.
- Simplifies the development process with a single codebase for both UI and business logic.
- Strong community support and extensive resources. It has a great packages offer at https://pub.dev/.
- Dart, the programming language, is versatile, being used not only for Android and iOS but also for web applications (compiling JavaScript and WebAssembly), Windows, macOS, and Linux.
KMM:
- It provides the flexibility to share business logic while maintaining platform-specific UI.
- Suitable for complex applications requiring native performance and capabilities.
- Leverages the strengths of Kotlin and the extensive Kotlin ecosystem.
Disadvantages
Flutter:
- New native SDK features may take time to become available.
- Requires generic or agnostic UI/UX, which may not fully align with native platform aesthetics.
KMM:
- It may require separate teams for Android and iOS development. In addition, to cross-platform developers.
- The need for some parts of the app to be developed natively can add complexity.
Conclusion
Choosing between Flutter and KMM depends on your project's specific needs and goals. If you aim to develop a cost-effective, rapid prototype focusing on UI, Flutter is the way to go. However, if your project requires platform-specific features and scalability, KMM offers the flexibility and performance to create robust applications. Both frameworks have their strengths and can be powerful tools in the hands of skilled developers.
