It will not be an overstatement if we say that Cross-Platform applications are the need of the hour. Businesses are expected to reach their customers on various devices. It is not as simple as it sounds because of the device assortment options available these days. You are expected to create applications that are compatible with both Android as well as iOS. Fortunately, we have a savior for this scenario that can provide the requisite support. It is none other than the Flutter App development. The framework of Flutter App developments takes out the lengthiness and efforts that are required in the process of developing. What makes it even better is the fact that it lets the App work across each and every platform with the same excellence and efficiency.
All in all, Flutter App Development is a crucial responsibility and should be given to the company that can very well manage it. So in order to guide you, in this article, we will be talking about the things you need to keep in mind before you hire a Flutter App Development company. But before we get started, let us know more about what Flutter actually is.
1. What Exactly Is Flutter?
Flutter is basically an open-source mobile SDK developer that can be used in building native-looking applications for both Android and iOS platforms with the same code base. The platform has been in the market since the year 2015 and was introduced by Google. It was launched officially in December 2018, and before that, it remained in its beta stage. The platform is growing strong with each passing day since then. On the basis of the GitHub stars, Flutter is in the best 11 software repos. What is more, we have already come across numerous Flutter apps that are already published on the app stores of both Android as well as iOS platforms. One of the most well-known Flutter apps is the one created by the team Alibaba called the Xianyu app, which boasts a user base of more than 50 million people.
2. What makes Flutter App Development Framework Unique?
The unique features with which the Flutter is set up makes it pretty different from how the other native apps are created. Flutter focuses a lot on widgets and also delivering its users a natural feel. The framework is basically a modern react-style that comes with a 2D rendering for engines controlling the debugging, testing, building as well as designing.
To put it in a perspective, you can look at the stages of flutter app development as a cake that has several layers. Each and every layer is anchored in such a way that it receives the next layer.
When it comes to Flutter Apps, the three layers are as follows:
1. Framework
Framework basically defines the App’s theme and the platform it will be built on. At this point, the choice is made between having an iOS-based or an Android-based framework.
2. Engine
It is all about handling the Dart, Skia, Platform Channels, Runtime, as well as many other things, and this makes the next layer.
3. Embedder
This layer is all about handling the embedder API for a particular app as well as the shell.
Your app will just appear like a native iOS or Android app if you successfully choose the right theme for the development of a Flutter app.
This is why it is crucial to pick the Flutter App developers who have the correct expertise as they know every technical aspect of it, and their work will work like a magic wand bringing your project to life. A Flutter development company that is right for your business needs will help in bringing up solutions to various challenges that you might face during the process of App Development.
You can use Flutter for creating Banking solutions, mCommerce solutions, Taxi booking Apps, Entertainment Apps, Gaming and Sports Apps, Online training or eLearning Apps, Knowledge management or Educational solutions, Healthcare websites, and a lot more.
You might sometimes wonder if you should be putting into use Flutter for a particular project. The best way to get an answer to this question is by reaching out to an expert developer and consulting with them. This way, you will get accurate advice. In order to get the solution that will work great for the type of business you are in, you will need a complete outline of all that you wish that your app can do. When you list out all the functionalities and features you are looking for in your app, it becomes super easy to ensure that the developer of your Flutter App will be able to understand your needs precisely. A consultation session will definitely fetch you a clear picture of stuff that will work for a peculiar scenario.
3. Why Should You Choose Flutter For App Development?
Flutter is offered by Google and is designed in such a way that it meets the hybrid requirements of the development of an app. It is both open-source as well as a framework based on cross-platform app development. The platform allows the hybrid development of an app with just a single code base. Flutter thus has a great level of convenience to offer to its users. One can very easily deliver an app without spending much time and limited coding knowledge because of its quickness.
The platform is very much based upon the DART. DART is basically a language that is pretty similar to JavaScript and is developed by Google in-house. The developers thus do not need any additional technical know-how in order to use the development support of the app. With Flutter, you get top-tier results, quicker and with fewer efforts. You also get to reach different platforms. All these reasons make modern time companies into mobile app development to deploy Flutter for the development of their mobile apps.
In the next section, we will talk more about the benefits of Mobile App Development with Flutter.
4. Benefits of The Flutter Mobile App Development
1. Code Writing Becomes Faster
The Hot Reload feature of Flutter helps developers in building fast and a lot more dynamic applications for mobile. It is just a matter of milliseconds and thus helps the developers in making their job easier. It lets uploading changes on the app in real-time. Debugging is pretty fast, and you do not need any downtime for the upgrade or update of the app.
When it comes to experimenting with the look of an app or checking the effects right on the spot, Hot Reload proves out to be a pretty comfortable option in the developer-designer cooperation. Unlike many other processes of native app development that require developers to rebuild and much more time consuming, Flutter lets you Hot Reload that can prove out to be an effort and time-savior.
2. Same Code For Both The Platforms
As the Futter has its own design and widgets, it does not have to depend on a particular platform. A developer just needs to write a single codebase for an app on both platforms. To put it in perspective, this basically means that a single codebase can be used for the development of both iOS as well as android devices. This also means that you only need one single team to manage the Flutter apps, and as there are very few people involved, the management cost too will decrease. All in all, using the same app on both platforms will help in cutting or reducing the cost as well as the time required to hire a developer for both the iOS and Android platforms.
3. Lesser Testing
When for both the platforms, you have the same apps, it simply means lesser testing. This is because when you use the same codebase for both platforms, the developer needs to write the automatic test just once. It will speed up the process of Quality Assurance. It also cuts down the work of a Quality Assurance specialist as they just have a single app to test.
4. Top-Tier Performance
The apps made on Flutter are pretty smooth and work in a fast and efficient manner without any issues like cutting when you scroll, hanging, or lagging. The team of Flutter have stated that you can very easily expect 60 frames per second consistently. This is the exact same rate where you get clear and smooth pictures on your modern screens. Developers work hard to maintain the motion at 60 fps because any lag at this frame rate can be noticed immediately by the human eye.
5. Beautiful Design
With Flutter, you can very easily customize the widgets that already exist in such a way that it suits your requirements. Not only that, but you can also create widgets of your own. The designs are just as great-looking as the native apps and also have an incredible appearance. Native Apps, as we all know, is pretty simple, fast, user-friendly, and has great user support to offer. All in all, the apps made on Flutter do not lag in any of these traits. You do not require any special up-grate or set up to access the apps made on Flutter. It runs very easily on any device you wish and offers the same user experience as the other native apps.
6. You Get Same User Interface Of The App Even On Older Devices
The new app will look exactly alike on the old as well as the new versions of both the iOS and the android devices. You do not even have to spend an extra penny in order to get support for the older devices. Flutter can run very well on iOS 8 and the versions above it as well as Android 3.0 and the versions above it.
7. MVP
If you are looking for a Minimum Viable Product for the app in order to show the investor in scenarios where you have time constraints, then Flutter will work the best for you.
8. Accessibility And Internationalization
Google is well-known for its inclusivity and diversity. What makes Flutter so incredible is the fact that it has built-in opportunities to offer in order to make a particular app accessible to the masses.
In usual cases, when you want an app to run in various languages as well as be used in various regions, you have to create a code in such a way that it is ready for the localized content that is created later. This entire process is nothing but internationalization. The widgets offered by Flutter are on the basis of the Dart International packages that can very much simplify the entire process. It supports almost 24 languages, has web accessibility as well as supports the following three components:
- Large Fonts- For a particular OS setting, you can adjust the font size according to the user-specified settings.
- Screen Readers- It has spoken feedback to offer on the UI elements.
- Abundant Contrast- With this feature, you can make the text easy to read.
9. Wide Range Of Appealing UIs
With Flutter, a developer can create appealing UIs with differing intricacy and features that emphasize on ease of usage. There isn’t any feature that is out of the developer’s reach with Flutter as they get to lay hands on everything ranging from Cupertino widgets, lovely material design, to rich motion and scrolling support. Overall, the UIs manages to stand out when it comes to deliverability and engagement as well as significantly contributes to the extraordinary user experience.
10. Better Support Because Of The Open-Source
A flutter is open-source software, which basically means that the developers get incredible support from the community of experts instantly. These experts share the same level of intelligence and expertise. This online support will prove out to be helpful in the resolution of issues that are related to functionality in a matter of minutes. All in all, there isn’t anything like getting stuck when you are working with flutter, as all the solutions that you will look for will just be a click away.
A user can also make the changes in the modules of the app according to the requirements as the flexibility of the platform lets you change the features in a pretty customized manner. This is possible by bringing in simple changes within the code. All this makes it possible to bring about a change in the layout of each and every app you wish, even without the need of beginning from the scratch.
Now that we know what makes Flutter App Development so important, it is very obvious that choosing the right company to take this responsibility is pretty crucial. In the next section, we will talk about things you should be looking for before you hire a Flutter App Developer
6. Top Considerations For Hiring The Flutter App Development Services
You can very easily hire the top-tier flutter app development services in the market that will work best for your needs even if you aren’t technologically literate if you keep in mind the points mentioned below:
1. Make Sure You Look At The Portfolio Of The Prospect Company
The portfolio of the company plays a crucial role as it can tell you numerous things about the credibility that is enjoyed by them. The service record with their previous clients as well as the experts on board with the company can be an indicator of the punctuality in the delivery of a particular task and their understanding and experience in the business niches. These companies need a lot less briefing, and that basically means saving a lot of cost and time.
2. The Availability Of A Company
You definitely do not want to invest your time, trust, and money in the services of a company that takes up the order and then disappears. It is important to opt for a company whose developers on board will remain in touch, offer you regular feedback, and the most crucial of all is taking your order request as earliest as possible. A company that has developers on-board with such traits will prove to be helpful in converting your idea into your dream app while retaining the feasibility.
3. Has Reasonable And Upfront Quotes To Offer
As we all know, when it comes to business, the focal point is to cut off the expenses and maximize the gains. But both the cheapest as well as the costliest company, may not compulsorily be the perfect option for your project. It is thus best to opt for a company that can offer their quote upfront and can tell the expenses in advance. This way, you can quickly make intelligent decisions.
4. They Can Reach Beyond Mobile
Flutter is in trend in today’s time because of the fact that it has a reach that is beyond just making mobile applications. With Flutter, you can produce the apps for desktop as well as web. It is also looking ahead to take wearable gadgets in its scope as well. Basically, in one single budget for the development of an application, the business becomes visible for various formats of the devices and the platforms that are embedded. This is why when you choose a flutter app development company, it is best to ensure that they have on-board the developers who have the skillset to make expansion plans that will fit the needs of app development.
5. They Offer Fast And Easy Troubleshooting
As well, all know that Flutter is a very well-known name in the community of developers, and any problem on this platform doesn’t remain impenetrable for really long. The team of developers dedicated to your project will be able to find the best possible solution to your problems and also provide 100 percent uptime. This is because these apps never fail in providing efficient functionality, problem management, as well as the upgraded features.
6. They Are Open To The Ideas Presented By Clients And Also Have A Good Understanding Of The Business Processes
Whether your app is made on the basis of Flutter or not, the main focus of most of the business these days is to adopt digitalization. This is possible only if the developers you choose have a good understanding of the processes in a business. The developers are best for you and your business’s needs if they can ask you accurate questions and also show interest and comfort in the processes that are involved.
Wrapping It Up
You might have understood by now that Flutter is very much a development framework that is time relevant and can help in boosting your m-commerce. The framework lets your business cover a wide array of users that are accessing their services through various devices and OS platforms. On the one hand, where a business saves on the costs and minimizes the risks, a dedicated team of developers, on the other hand, can save a lot of time and complete many more projects, thus creating revenue for themselves too.
In this article, we have made an attempt to gather and put in all the vital information that is needed to help you in easing out the process of hiring, and hopefully, it will prove out to be helpful for you to pick up the company that will suit the best for your business needs.
ZestMinds are in the business of offering Mobile App Development and Web Development solutions and have expertise in boosting and empowering your business to the next level.
