Choosing how to build your mobile app affects your budget, launch date and maintenance costs for years. Here's a practical comparison from a team that ships apps to the App Store and Google Play.
Native (Swift + Kotlin)
Two separate apps, one for iOS and one for Android.
- Pros: full access to the newest platform features on day one
- Cons: two codebases, two teams, roughly double the cost and time
Best for apps that depend heavily on brand-new, platform-specific capabilities.
React Native
One JavaScript/TypeScript codebase that renders native components.
- Pros: shares skills with React web teams, large ecosystem
- Cons: UI can behave differently across platforms; more native bridging for complex features
A good fit when you already have a strong React team.
Flutter
One Dart codebase that draws its own UI on iOS, Android, web, desktop and even TV.
- Pros: pixel-perfect custom design, smooth animations, consistent behaviour on every device, fast development
- Cons: apps are slightly larger; very new native APIs may need a small plugin
Our recommendation
For most business and consumer apps (fitness, marketplaces, subscription apps, companion apps for web platforms), Flutter gives the best balance of speed, cost, quality and long-term maintenance. It's why we build mobile apps with it, including subscription apps designed for white-label resale.
Questions to ask any app developer
- Who owns the code and the developer accounts? (It should be you.)
- Do you handle App Store and Google Play submission and rejections?
- How will the app be maintained when new iOS and Android versions arrive?
Want help choosing? Read more about our mobile app development or tell us about your app.