19:29
I Built the Same App with 6 Different Frameworks
Tastemaker Design
Overview
This video explores six different mobile app development frameworks by building the same simplified Reddit client with each. The author evaluates SwiftUI, Jetpack Compose Multiplatform, .NET MAUI, React Native, Capacitor, and Flutter based on installation, debugging, state management, and overall development experience. The goal is to provide a practical comparison to help viewers choose the best framework for their projects, moving beyond generic online advice to offer a developer's firsthand experience and a concluding tier list.
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Chapters
- The mobile app development landscape is vast and can be overwhelming for new projects.
- Online advice and AI overviews often provide conflicting or vague performance claims.
- Developer opinions on forums like Reddit show significant debate and dissatisfaction with various frameworks.
- This video aims to provide a practical comparison by building the same app with six frameworks.
Understanding the diverse landscape and the limitations of generic advice is crucial before committing to a specific technology.
The author mentions searching for 'Is Flutter slowly dying?' or 'Is React Native really that bad?' on Reddit to illustrate the common developer sentiment.
- SwiftUI is Apple's modern, native framework for iOS development, replacing UIKit.
- It offers a sophisticated preview system for live UI rendering and state simulation.
- State management is built-in and highly efficient, using property wrappers like `@Observable` to track changes.
- A significant drawback is its exclusivity to Apple platforms; it cannot be used for Android development.
- The Xcode development environment has usability issues, particularly with its AI integration.
SwiftUI provides a powerful, integrated experience for iOS development with excellent state management, but its platform limitation requires consideration for cross-platform needs.
The `@Observable` property wrapper is highlighted as an example of SwiftUI's simple and effective state management, where only the specific data fields used by a view trigger re-renders.
- Jetpack Compose is Google's modern UI toolkit for Android, with Compose Multiplatform extending it to iOS.
- It offers preview features similar to SwiftUI and has built-in state management, though it's less intuitive.
- While native to Android, its iOS implementation is not truly native, impacting performance and integration.
- The framework has a complex folder structure and naming conventions, and its ecosystem is still developing.
- It's a strong choice for Android but less ideal for primary iOS development compared to SwiftUI.
Compose Multiplatform offers a unified Kotlin-based approach for Android and iOS, but understanding its trade-offs, especially on iOS, is key to making informed decisions.
The state management pattern `remember { derivedStateOf { mutableStateListOf(...) } }` is mentioned as an example of its powerful but less intuitive state handling.
- .NET MAUI is Microsoft's evolution of Xamarin.Forms, aiming for cross-platform development.
- Development was surprisingly fast, but the setup and build process presented significant issues.
- It uses XML for UI definition, which can lead to synchronization problems with C# code.
- The framework experienced installation errors, dependency conflicts (like Xcode versioning), and file naming issues.
- Despite its flaws, the author found state management straightforward, though the overall experience was negative.
.NET MAUI aims for broad platform reach but suffers from a complex setup and potential instability, making it a less appealing option for many developers.
The author encountered an error requiring Xcode downgrading, highlighting potential conflicts with system updates and native development tools.
- React Native, developed by Facebook, allows building cross-platform apps using React and JavaScript/TypeScript.
- Expo provides a 'batteries-included' meta-framework that simplifies development, including deployment without a MacBook.
- Development speed is very high, especially for web developers familiar with React.
- A large ecosystem of packages is available, but the starter project includes many dependencies, increasing complexity.
- State management can be challenging for beginners, potentially leading to performance issues; debugging native code negates many benefits.
React Native, especially with Expo, offers rapid development for web developers but requires careful state management and has limitations when deep native integration is needed.
The Expo Go app is mentioned as a key feature allowing developers to run their JavaScript apps on an iPhone without needing a Mac, facilitating easier testing and iteration.
- Capacitor packages existing web applications into mobile apps, succeeding PhoneGap.
- It utilizes a WebView, making app size comparable to native apps and potentially impacting startup performance.
- Web development tools are generally more pleasant to use than native mobile tools.
- Challenges include integrating server-side rendered web apps and ensuring a native look and feel, often requiring UI libraries like Ionic.
- While functional, it offers little advantage over React Native for many use cases, especially if not specifically embedding a WebView.
Capacitor is a viable option for web developers wanting to leverage their existing skills for mobile, but it relies on a WebView, which has performance and UI/UX implications.
The core mechanism of Capacitor is described as spawning a 'little mini web browser inside your app called a WebView', which explains its performance characteristics.
- Flutter uses the Dart language to create cross-platform apps with its own rendering engine.
- It boasts seamless hot reload and strong AI code generation capabilities.
- Flutter generally has fewer quirks due to its independent architecture, allowing Google to make changes unilaterally.
- Debugging wirelessly can be slow, and state management, while powerful, can easily degrade performance if not handled carefully.
- A major limitation is the lack of a Dart ecosystem for backend development, requiring another language.
Flutter provides a fast, consistent cross-platform development experience with excellent tooling, but its reliance on Dart for both frontend and backend can be a constraint.
The author notes that Flutter's hot reload is 'totally seamless,' allowing code changes to update the app on the phone instantly via a simple command in VS Code.
- SwiftUI is placed in A tier due to its excellent state management, despite Xcode's flaws.
- Jetpack Compose Multiplatform and Flutter are both in B tier, offering solid cross-platform capabilities but with different trade-offs.
- .NET MAUI is placed in D tier due to significant setup and stability issues encountered.
- Capacitor is in C tier, a functional choice for web developers but not particularly outstanding.
- React Native is in B tier for most use cases, especially when leveraging Expo for web-centric apps.
A comparative tier list provides a structured way to understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of each framework based on the author's practical experience.
SwiftUI's state management is cited as a key reason for its A-tier placement, overcoming the author's initial reservations about the Xcode editor.
Key takeaways
- No single mobile app framework is universally 'best'; the optimal choice depends on project requirements, team expertise, and target platforms.
- Native frameworks like SwiftUI (iOS) offer deep platform integration and performance but lack cross-platform capabilities.
- Cross-platform frameworks like React Native and Flutter enable code sharing across iOS and Android, speeding up development but potentially introducing complexities.
- Frameworks relying on WebViews (like Capacitor) leverage web technologies but may compromise native look, feel, and performance.
- Developer experience, including tooling, debugging, and state management simplicity, significantly impacts productivity and satisfaction.
- Be wary of generic online advice; firsthand experience and practical comparisons are more valuable for framework selection.
- Consider the entire ecosystem, including backend language support and community resources, when choosing a framework.
Key terms
SwiftUIJetpack Compose Multiplatform.NET MAUIReact NativeExpoCapacitorFlutterDartState ManagementWebViewHot ReloadCross-Platform DevelopmentNative CodeBinary SizeStartup Time
Test your understanding
- How does SwiftUI's approach to state management differ from Jetpack Compose Multiplatform, and what are the implications for developers?
- What are the primary advantages and disadvantages of using React Native with Expo for mobile app development?
- Explain the role of a WebView in frameworks like Capacitor and how it affects app performance and user experience.
- Why might a developer choose Flutter over .NET MAUI, considering their respective strengths and weaknesses?
- What factors should a developer consider when deciding between a native framework like SwiftUI and a cross-platform framework like Flutter?