Mobile apps have become an essential part of our daily lives. From booking a cab to ordering food, we rely heavily on mobile apps for a seamless experience. However, creating and maintaining an app can be daunting, and selecting the right platform is crucial. In this blog, we will discuss the pros and cons of carrying a mobile app on iOS, Android, and Flutter, the popular platforms for mobile app development.

iOS

iOS is Apple’s operating system that powers iPhones, iPads, and iPods. iOS apps use Apple’s proprietary language, Swift, or the older Objective-C. Maintaining an iOS app has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

User engagement: iOS users are known for their high engagement levels. They are more likely to download and use apps than Android users, making it an excellent platform for businesses to reach their target audience.

Quality control: Apple has strict guidelines for apps on the App Store. This means that all apps undergo rigorous quality checks before approval, ensuring a better user experience.

Security: iOS has a reputation for being more secure than Android. It’s less susceptible to malware and other security threats, making it a popular choice for businesses dealing with sensitive data.

Cons:

Expensive: Developing and maintaining an iOS app is costly. Apple charges an annual fee of $99 for a developer account, and the cost of hiring an iOS developer is higher than an Android developer.

Limited flexibility: Apple has strict guidelines for app development, which can limit the creativity and flexibility of developers. The strict guidelines can make it difficult for businesses to implement unique features and ideas.

Limited market share: Although iOS has a loyal user base, its market share is limited compared to Android. Statista said iOS had a 27.5% market share in Q1 2021, compared to Android’s 72.5%.

Android

Android is Google’s open-source operating system used by most smartphone manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, and Huawei. Android apps are built using Java or Kotlin.

Pros:

Market share: Android has the largest market share, making it an attractive platform for businesses to reach a wider audience. Statista said Android had a 72.5% market share in Q1 2021.

Affordability: Android app development is more affordable than iOS app development. Google charges a one-time registration fee of $25 for a developer account, making it a more cost-effective option for businesses.

Flexibility: Android offers more flexibility in app development, with fewer restrictions on app development. This allows developers to implement unique features and ideas, making it an excellent platform for businesses to experiment with new ideas.

Cons:

Fragmentation: Android’s open-source nature has led to fragmentation in the ecosystem, with various Android versions being used by different devices. This can make it challenging for developers to ensure their app works seamlessly across all devices.

Security: Android has a reputation for needing to be more secure than iOS. The open-source nature of the operating system makes it more susceptible to malware and other security threats.

User engagement: Android users are less engaged than iOS users, making it more challenging for businesses to get their target audience to download and use their app.

Flutter

Flutter is an open-source mobile app development framework developed by Google. Flutter uses Dart programming language and is known for its ability to create high-performance, visually appealing apps.

Pros:

Cross-platform Development: Flutter is known for its ability to create mobile apps that work seamlessly across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and the web, which makes it a cost-effective option for businesses that want to reach a wider audience.

Fast Development: Flutter has a hot-reload feature that allows developers to see the changes they make to the code almost instantly. This makes development much faster and more efficient.

Rich and Customisable Widgets: Flutter has a vast array of widgets that can be customised to create visually appealing and interactive apps, making it an excellent platform for app designers.

Excellent Performance: Flutter apps are known for their fast and smooth performance due to Flutter’s unique architecture that enables it to compile to native machine code.

Cons:

Smaller Community: Flutter is a relatively new platform compared to iOS and Android, meaning it has a smaller community of developers and users. This can make it harder to find support and resources when facing technical issues.

Potential Stability Issues: Because Flutter is still a new platform, stability issues may arise as new updates are released. This can cause app developers problems, and staying up-to-date with the latest releases is essential to avoid these issues.

Limited Native Features: Flutter doesn’t offer access to all native features available on iOS and Android. This can limit the functionality of apps developed on Flutter and make it harder to integrate certain features that are only available natively.

This blog discusses the pros and cons of maintaining a mobile app on three popular platforms: iOS, Android, and Flutter. For iOS, the pros include user engagement, quality control, and security, while the cons include expense, limited flexibility, and limited market share. For Android, the pros include market share, affordability, and flexibility, while the cons include fragmentation, security, and less user engagement. For Flutter, the pros include cross-platform and fast development, while the cons include a smaller community and potential stability issues. The blog provides valuable insight for businesses and customers looking to develop or maintain a mobile app.