While one is officially owned and managed by Google, the other is an official language that is recognized and supported by Google. Yup, Flutter was released by Google in 2015 and while Kotlin is still owned and managed by JetBrains, but the Kotlin on Android is officially supported by Google since 2017.
Kotlin- the new Titan:
Initially, the battle was between React Native and Flutter, but as Google has itself acknowledged the progress of Kotlin on Android and with Kotlin multiplatform, Kotlin has now officially entered the reign of the Titans and is progressing alongside React Native and Flutter to disrupt the Mobile app development market.
No matter which framework or SDK you choose, the idea is simple, to reduce the development time and cost by providing code reusability and to empower developers to shorten the development lifecycle by providing ready to use modules and libraries for quicker and effective deliveries. Both Kotlin and Flutter are adopted in the market by enterprises and start-ups and both are growing at a tremendous pace! So, if you as an enterprise are looking for Mobile App development, which programming language you should choose?
To help you make an informed decision, we have presented you the comparison of Kotlin and Flutter on the following criteria:
- Cost of Development
- Ease of development
- Availability of resources
- Performance
- Scalability
- Testing and DevOps support
The reason why these criteria are chosen is because these are the majority of the factors that determine how likely the potential end-users are going to like the mobile app. Thus, being an enterprise, you must know which programming language triumphs in the above-mentioned criteria and based on your need and priorities, you can easily choose the better app development platform for your Mobile Application.
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Kotlin vs. Flutter: comparison from the Enterprise Perspective:
Cost of Development:
As most of the mobile app development projects are continuous in nature, the cost of development naturally becomes one of the most important factors. While both the platforms are Open Source and thus free to use, for those who are not sure about the user acceptance of the Mobile App, it is wise for them to mitigate the risk by opting for the cost-effective alternative.
So, if you talk from the cost perspective, Kotlin Multiplatform is relatively new and it only delivers semi-native functionalities. On the other hand, developers get complete native UI and backend development support from Flutter. Thus, in the longer run, Kotlin will prove to be more expensive in comparison to Flutter.
Gist- Flutter app development is cost-effective.
Ease of Development:
Although Flutter was introduced 5 years back, the fact that it uses Dart programming language is one of the major reasons the developers find it tough for development. Especially in the long run as the app becomes more complex in nature, developers have to learn new Dart Functionalities to execute certain features.
On the other hand, Kotlin is quite similar to Java, Swift and Scala and the fact that it runs on JVM for multi-platform execution, it is easy for developers to learn the language and deliver complex app logic and modules. Thus, if your Mobile App has a complex structure and higher integration requirements, Kotlin would prove to be a comparatively easier language to adopt for the developers.
Gist- Kotlin app development enables ease of development.
Availability of resources:
While Kotlin for Android is an old concept, Kotlin multi-platform is quite new in the market and thus, if you are looking for cross-platform development, Kotlin still is considered as a developing platform and has lesser developers in comparison to Flutter.
Apart from that, even the libraries and support staff of Kotlin Multi-platform are very limited while Flutter holds the largest widget and animation libraries and modules in the cross-platform development market.
Gist- Flutter app development has a bigger resource pool.
Performance:
When we talk about performance, both Kotlin and Flutter have their own expertise and both ensure that the performance of the Mobile App is seamless and powerful on all the platforms. On one end where Flutter allows developers to utilize Hot Reload Facility for effective change management, Kotlin provides excellent Native experience with its multi-platform code compilation.
Gist- Both Flutter and Kotlin app development results in better Mobile App performance.
Scalability:
Both Flutter and Kotlin allows developers to reuse the single code base for cross-platform executions such as Android, iOS, web, desktop and embedded applications, Flutter has a tougher programming language Dart and thus, if in future there arises a need to execute complex functionalities and features, execution can be challenging with Flutter.
On the other hand, Kotlin has an easier learning curve but when it comes to UI and widgets, the platform has relatively limited resources and even the development of the language is independently handled by JetBrains.
Gist- Flutter app development ensures better UI scalability and Kotlin app development ensures better backend scalability.
Testing and DevOps Support:
Flutter has its Testing features along with the unique widget testing feature. And when it comes to DevOps, while Flutter does not provide official support to DevOps, there are guidelines available for developers to execute Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery. On the other hand, Kotlin has no such support either for testing or for DevOps.
Gist- Flutter app development facilitates better Testing and DevOps support.
The verdict:
While diplomacy is not an answer that is expected, but as each enterprise has a different set of needs and priorities, there cannot be one clear winner as to which platform is better between Kotlin and Flutter. But, if you as an enterprise have sorted your priorities, you can easily make an informed decision by choosing a development platform that favors your priorities.
Also, to ensure that the platform that you choose provides optimum and desirable results, whether it is a Flutter App Development Company or a Kotlin App Development Company, the service provider must have the required technical proficiency, customer-centric approaches and domain experience to deliver a seamless and profitable Mobile App.