React Native vs Flutter: What We Actually Found After Shipping Both

We've shipped a few mobile apps now, and the React Native vs Flutter question comes up with almost every client. Here's what the reality looks like from the inside.

React Native made sense for Mali Marriage. The project needed heavy third-party integrations — Firebase, payment gateways, SMS APIs — and the JavaScript ecosystem just has better, more mature libraries for all of these. The team was also primarily web developers, so the learning curve was shorter. We shipped in 4 months.

Flutter's rendering engine is genuinely impressive. When we've needed pixel-perfect animations or complex custom UI components, Flutter wins clearly.

Performance: in our testing, Flutter edges ahead for animation-heavy interfaces. For data-driven apps (lists, forms, API calls), the difference is negligible for end users.

The honest recommendation: if your team knows JavaScript, start with React Native. If you're building something UI-heavy with complex animations, or if you're starting fresh with a team willing to learn Dart, Flutter is worth the investment.