How much does it cost to build a mobile app? The factors that really matter
What drives the cost of building an iOS or Android app — features, design, integrations, platforms and team location — and how to plan a budget that does not surprise you.
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Flutter vs React Native in 2026: which should you choose for your app?
A practical comparison of Flutter and React Native — performance, developer experience, ecosystem, hiring and cost — to help you choose the right cross-platform framework.
If you are building an app for both iOS and Android, a cross-platform framework can save a large share of the cost and time of two native codebases. The two leading choices are Flutter (from Google, using Dart) and React Native (from Meta, using JavaScript or TypeScript). Both are mature and power apps used by millions. The right choice depends on your product and your team.
How they work
Flutter draws every pixel itself using its own rendering engine. Your UI looks identical on every device, and animations are smooth and predictable.
React Native renders real native UI components, driven by JavaScript. Its New Architecture — with Fabric rendering and a direct JavaScript-to-native interface — removed much of the overhead older versions were criticised for.
Side-by-side
| Flutter | React Native | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Dart | JavaScript / TypeScript |
| UI | Own rendering engine, pixel-perfect consistency | Native platform components |
| Performance | Excellent, especially for rich animation | Excellent for most business apps |
| Code sharing with web | Possible, less common | Strong with React web apps |
| Talent pool | Growing fast | Very large (React developers) |
| Best for | Custom, brand-heavy UI, animation | Teams already using React, apps that should feel “stock native” |
When we recommend Flutter
- Your app has a distinctive, branded design and lots of motion.
- You want consistent behaviour across many Android devices.
- You are starting fresh, without an existing React codebase.
When we recommend React Native
- Your company already has React or TypeScript developers and a React web app.
- You want UI that follows each platform’s native look and conventions.
- You need to share business logic and tooling with your web front end.
When to go fully native
Choose Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) when you need deep platform features — advanced camera or AR, heavy background processing, wearables — or when the app is a single-platform product where every millisecond matters.
Cost and timeline
A cross-platform app is typically faster to build than two native apps, because UI, business logic and tests are shared. The bigger drivers of cost are scope, integrations and design complexity — not the framework. Read our breakdown of what it costs to build a mobile app.
Our take
Both frameworks are excellent. Pick the one that fits your team and design goals, invest in good architecture and automated tests, and you will be well served by either.
Need help deciding? Our mobile app development team builds with Flutter and React Native — talk to us about your app.