What is Flutter?

Flutter is Google’s portable, free and open-source Software Development Kit (SDK) and includes widgets and tools.

Flutter enables cross-platform app development. It gives developers an easy way to build and deploy visually appealing, mobile, web, and desktop applications using the same codebase.

According to a survey by Statista, in 2020, 30% of developers chose Flutter for App development. Whereas in 2021, this number grew to 39% and is expected to grow further over the coming years.

Why is Flutter becoming increasingly popular?

Using one codebase across Android, iOS, Web, and Desktop save you cost and time. Moreover, Hot reloading’ (faster development) means that developers can make changes to the code on the go and it will take only milliseconds for the changes to display.

Flutter also boasts a user-friendly design due to its own set of custom widgets. This makes it easier for the user to customize and create their own widgets. Since you can deploy the same code across multiple platforms, you do not need to write these tests separately thus saving you around 50% testing time.

Popular Apps built using Flutter

Google Ads

Google Ads is a mobile application that allows you to manage Google ad campaigns directly from your smartphone. It’s a condensed version of a desktop platform for you to track ad output from any location – you’re not restricted to your workplace.

The app features include campaign statistics, the ability to update bids and budgets in real-time, live alerts, keyword editing, and the ability to contact a Google expert.

eBay

In 2019, eBay Motors launched a Flutter application for iOS and Android devices. eBay Motors is a platform that lets you find new and used vehicles as well as parts for fixing, updating, or maintaining your existing vehicle.

eBay Motors has multiple filter options such as vehicle type, category of items, sales, brand and type of car, motorcycle, pickup, or SUV which make vehicle search easier

BMW

My BMW App is built on the Flutter framework and was launched in July 2020. It’s use has expanded into 47 countries all over the globe and it serves as a universal interface giving the user a seamless experience between mobile phone, vehicle, and the digital world. The My BMW App provides both a direct interface between the driver and their vehicle and a communication channel with BMW dealers and the BMW brand.

Xianyu by Ali baba

Alibaba, one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world, used Flutter to create a visual app experience for iOS and Android on their Xianyu app, which boasts 50M+ downloads. Xianyu (Idle Fish), is a used goods platform that is based on the e-commerce system of Alibaba Group. As the secondhand market is complex, this platform provides unique features to meet unique user demands.

Hamilton Musical

Hamilton Musical, with over 500k downloads on Play Store, is the official application for Hamilton, one of the most well-known and award-winning Broadway musicals built with the Flutter framework.

It was created especially for the band’s massive group of fans to keep them informed of all music news. Due to the Flutter framework, developers were able to launch the app in 3 months only. Some of the app’s features include Lottery, Merchandise, Karaoke, Trivia, and Treasury.

Baidu

Baidu is an official app that's very similar to the Google app but designed for China and other areas where Chinese is spoken. With Baidu, you can not only search for, words, images, videos, sounds, and more, but also read headline news stories and find interesting things to read. The app has 5 million+ downloads on Play Store.

Reflectly

Reflectly - Journal/Diary is a journal app for writing, uploading photos, and answering questions about your day. It includes ways to rate each day, listen to inspirational audio messages, and get reminders.

The app is increasingly popular among teenagers and young adults, with over 1 million downloads. Reflectly was built using the Flutter framework, which enabled their team to launch it across Android and iOS devices in 2.5 months.

Google Stadia

Stadia is Google's gaming platform that lets you instantly play your favorite video games. Cloud gaming service developed and operated by Google. It is accessible through Chromecast Ultra and Android TV devices, on personal computers via the Google Chrome web browser and other Chromium-based browsers, the Stadia mobile app on supported Android smartphones and Chromebooks, and tablets running Chrome OS. Stadia has over 1 million downloads and 130 games.