Flutter vs React Native: Which One Did We Choose for our IoT apps, and Why?
"Should we build our app in Flutter or React Native?" It's one of the first questions every client asks us when they're planning a mobile app, especially one that needs to talk to hardware: sensors, BLE devices, RFID tags, or LoRaWAN gateways.
There's no universal right answer. Both are solid, both are free and open-source, and both let you build one app that runs on iPhone and Android. The real difference comes down to what you're building and what your priorities are:
- Flutter (Google, Dart language) is best when you want pixel-perfect, identical design across every device, and your app leans on animations or live data visualisation.
- React Native (Meta, JavaScript) is best when you want a native platform feel, deep hardware/SDK integrations, and faster access to JavaScript developers.
What We've Actually Built
We don't pick a framework because it's trendy; we pick based on the project. Here's where we've used each one:
Flutter Apps We've Built
On the RFID cattle management app, for example, the priority was a dashboard that updates in real time as tags are scanned in the field: animal location, health alerts, herd status, all refreshing live. Flutter's rendering control made it smoother to build and easier to keep consistent across different Android devices used on farms, which often range from budget phones to mid-range tablets.
React Native Apps We've Built
The equipment monitoring app needed to talk to industrial sensors over BLE and integrate with existing backend services our client's web team had already built in JavaScript. React Native let us share logic with that team and lean on existing libraries for the Bluetooth integration, instead of building it from scratch.
Flutter vs React Native: Our Take
If your app leans on live data visualisation, custom dashboards, or needs to look identical across every device, we'd lean towards Flutter. It gives more control over rendering, which matters for IoT apps showing sensor data or charts.
If your app needs deep hardware SDK integrations or you already have a JavaScript-based web team, React Native is usually the more practical choice, as there's a wider pool of ready-made libraries and developers.
We've used both, depending on what the project called for. Happy to talk through your specific requirements before you commit to either.
Build Your App With WeMakeIoT
We build mobile apps in Flutter, React Native, or fully native, with a particular strength in apps that connect to hardware. If your app needs to talk to sensors, gateways, or industrial equipment, that's exactly where we live.
Explore our services:
- IoT Mobile App Development
- ThingsBoard Dashboard Development
- SensorVision – White-Label IoT Platform
- All Success Stories
Have an app idea? Talk to our team — we'll help you figure out the right framework and get started.