Flutter successfully wins the hearts of developers around the world. And although it has a strong contender in the React Native, it has become the hottest mobile app development trend at a dizzying pace. With the perspective of creating applications for multiple platforms using just a single codebase, and not only mobile or web apps but even desktop or embedded ones, Flutter is going to lead the market. The best proof of that? A lot of great apps made with the framework.
Here is our list of 10 most interesting apps built with Flutter.
But what about a brief reminder of how the framework works and its most essential features first?
What is Flutter?
Flutter is a UI software development toolkit released by Google. The framework contains two sets of fully-customizable widgets, enough to build a good looking interface. Flutter is based on the object-oriented programming language Dart, which highly resembles other languages, such as Java or C++. Many developers say that thanks to its nature, Dart is very pleasant to learn.
Since December 2018, it’s a solution that tempts many companies with a promise to build affordable cross-platform applications in a very short time. Despite its relatively short presence, it is currently one of the most popular frameworks.
Pros & cons of Flutter app development
Some of the main advantages of this framework:
- Fast development – Flutter has a built-in function Hot Reload, which immediately displays the changes in the code made by developers;
- Open-source and free – the framework is easily accessible, simple to learn, and you don’t need to spend money on it;
- Access to native features – a rich library of widgets that perfectly imitate native ones let teams create visually attractive applications.
And now, Flutter’s drawbacks:
- A relatively new framework – its user community is still small, and so the sources of knowledge are limited;
- Too little libraries available – there are not as numerous libraries which result in more code that needs to be written;
Apps files are quite big – unfortunately, Flutter apps leave a bigger footprint for on-device storage.
Alibaba
The world’s biggest online commerce company based in China, Alibaba, used Flutter to create its marketplace, Xianyu app. They boast amazing numbers – over 50 million downloads, 10 + million users every day, and more than 200 million registered users.
The creators were intrigued by Flutter possibilities to build amazing user experience in a very short time. They were also encouraged by the option of using a single codebase for each platform. They started gradually implementing Flutter’s features by incorporating them into their applications.
The application connects sellers and buyers in one place. It’s fast, approachable and available for Android and IOS.
Reflectly
Your own, personal… mental health companion. Jacob Kristensen, Founder & CPO at Reflectly, drew attention to the global problem of not coping with stress, negative thoughts and poor mental condition, which is why he created this app.
Having a UI cross-platform compatibility issue between iOS and Android, in January 2018 the developers of Reflectly started looking far and wide and stumbled upon Flutter. They marvelled at the enormous power and productivity that can be obtained from Hot Reload.
In this way, the entire application was created at a very fast pace of 2.5 months. Reflectly is a personal diary and journal created using artificial intelligence to help deal with negative thoughts, reinforce positive ones, and teach the art of well-being.
Google Assistant/Ads
Probably no one will be surprised that Google obviously uses its framework to create products.
One of their flagship products, Google Ads, in the mobile version is an application written in Flutter. The app helps monitor if ad campaigns run smoothly. It lets users get notifications, view campaign statistics, update budgets and bids, edit current campaigns or even contact Google experts through it.
Flutter is also an integral part of the ever-growing number of Google Assistant apps. More and more advanced systems from Google seem to appear very soon. In the coming months, the Assistant team intends to expand the portfolio of features created with Flutter for the Smart Display. The goal this year is to use Flutter to control the entire system user interface.
CryptoGraph
CryptoGraph provides a clean overview of the latest data and figures for more than 1,600 cryptocurrencies.
Created by and for the crypto community, the app offers features to help users stay on top of the market and make the best trades. Beautifully designed and packed with tools and facilities. Using Flutter has let developers adjust the app for mobile viewing and assure easy access to data charts, current and historic exchange rate charts and more.
The framework ensured designing a great UX, which was especially important. And as the app is community-driven and users decide what features to add, Flutter was an ideal solution to make it possible in a very short time.
SpaceX Go!
Elon Musk fans probably went crazy with joy when SpaceX Go! came out. It’s a SpaceX launch tracker, it contains all the information about SpaceX. There is a detailed list of all previous and upcoming rocket launches, catalogue of all vehicles and details about the rockets, capsules and ships created by SpaceX over the years.
SpaceX Go! has a ship locator that allows the user to check the position, speed and condition of active spacecraft used by SpaceX. And there is even a Tesla locator that displays Elon Musk’s Tesla orbit, speed and distance.
The New York Times
Flutter helped to bring the Ken Ken puzzle to life on various platforms. The challenge was to update the KENKEN application from The New York Times website. The first working prototype that would prove its feasibility was built in 48 hours. The popular Ken Ken game, which the New York Times developed for its millions of readers, is now an app powered by Flutter, available on Android, iOS, Mac and Windows.
HuYu
As we build a ton of marketplaces, this app is particularly interesting for us. HuYu is the app that rewards users for sharing their shopping data. What they need to do is scan grocery receipts, complete the surveys and then turn their points into gift cards for popular stores, online retailers and top brands.
Seeing major players like Alibaba using Flutter was a sign to the HuYu team to go for it. The framework has everything they needed – lots of plugins and widgets and allows fast development, no matter the platform or the version of the system the app is run on.
Philips Hue
A complex, intelligent lighting system that allows you to perfectly fit into space, experiment with lighting and even sync it with the media. The system is controlled quickly and conveniently with the Philips Hue app.
Flutter became the perfect solution for a company that needed an application with intuitive controls that would synchronize smart lights with multimedia in real-time. Philips Hue app has great ratings on the Google Play store and is considered to be easy to use, with a clear UI.
Coach Yourself Meditation App
The app uses guided meditations, created by Ramin Raygan, which was exclusively designed for this app. They are to strengthen the heart, body and soul of listeners. After selecting a theme (or key), users start a meditation session with several customization options with different background sounds. The app tracks progress with simple statistics and helps users integrate meditation into their daily lives.
Working on the first project with Flutter and Dart was, as the development team itself says, quite a challenge. With the help of community support, however, it was achievable and now, Coach Yourself is available on Android and iOS platforms.
Square
It all started with a mission – Square team is fighting with people’s exclusion of the economy because the cost is too great or the technology too complex. They build easy tools for everyone who wants to realize their idea and help sellers of all sizes start, run, and grow their business.
They started with a little white card reader and now, a new Square Reader SDK plugin allows sellers accepting chip cards and NFC payments. The plugin is widely available for developers to build apps that take in-person payments with Square hardware. All of this, thanks to Flutter’s possibilities.
Summary
The market of mobile and web applications is full of those based on Flutter, which speaks for itself – Flutter will stay with us for a long time. Google constantly supports the framework and provides its new, improved versions. The promises of great performance, rapid development and profitability, that don’t remain without cover, will surely give Flutter a bright future.
December 2, 2020
