As a developer who loves experimenting with new tools, I decided to build the same web app twice — once using Flutter Web and once using React. The app was simple: a task manager with login, task creation, and real-time updates.

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I wanted to understand how Flutter Web stacks up against React, not just in performance but in developer experience, maintainability, and scalability.

This article is a breakdown of what I learned from building the same app using these two very different front-end frameworks in 2025.

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The App: Simple, but Real

The app wasn't just a to-do list. It included:

  • User authentication (Firebase)
  • Task creation and update
  • Drag-and-drop functionality
  • Responsive design (mobile + desktop)
  • Real-time sync using Firebase Firestore

This gave me a chance to test routing, component state, animations, and integration with third-party services.

Development Time

🔹 React:

I had the app running in less than 2 hours. Thanks to CRA (Create React App), integrating Firebase was straightforward. The ecosystem for React is mature, and you'll find a package or StackOverflow answer for almost anything.

🔹 Flutter Web:

Flutter Web setup required more thought. Integrating Firebase Auth and Firestore took longer, and some packages weren't web-optimized. It took me about 6–7 hours to reach the same level of functionality I had in React.

Winner: React (in terms of initial setup speed)

UI and Styling

🔹 React:

I used TailwindCSS for rapid styling. It was flexible, fast, and had full control over responsiveness. However, building custom components from scratch takes time unless you use a UI kit (like Material UI).

🔹 Flutter Web:

Once widgets are laid out, they behave consistently across platforms. The look-and-feel is clean, and you don't fight with CSS. With LayoutBuilder, MediaQuery, and responsive design packages, I could control layout tightly.

Winner: Flutter (cleaner and more consistent for custom UI)

Performance

🔹 React:

React is fast, lightweight, and benefits from years of optimization. Page load was quick, and DOM rendering felt instant. Lighthouse performance scores were solid.

🔹 Flutter Web:

Initial load time was noticeably longer. The entire app gets compiled to JavaScript + Canvas, leading to large bundle sizes. Hot reload was also slower on web. Smooth animations worked well but were resource-heavy on older machines.

Winner: React (especially for performance-critical apps)

Developer Experience

🔹 React:

Hot reload is instant. You can work with multiple files, third-party libraries, and even extend with Next.js or Remix. The dev tools are battle-tested and integrated with Chrome DevTools.

🔹 Flutter Web:

Hot reload works but is slower than mobile. DevTools are good but not as intuitive as Chrome's native React dev tools. Debugging layout issues can be trickier on web.

However, once the architecture is in place (especially if using Provider, Bloc, or Riverpod), the code feels well-organized.

Winner: Tie — React is smoother for quick changes, Flutter offers better UI tooling

Routing

🔹 React:

Routing is one of React's strongest suits. With react-router or next/router, you get dynamic URLs, nested routes, guards, and redirects.

🔹 Flutter Web:

Routing is much better in 2025 than it used to be. With packages like go_router, Flutter now supports deep linking and named routes quite well. However, you still need to manually configure some things that React handles out of the box.

Winner: React (still more intuitive and powerful)

Community and Ecosystem

🔹 React:

Millions of devs, endless blog posts, UI kits, NPM packages for every possible need. If you're stuck, help is seconds away.

🔹 Flutter Web:

The Flutter Web community is growing fast, and Google is heavily investing in it. That said, some packages aren't optimized for web or behave slightly differently across platforms.

Winner: React (for now — but Flutter is catching up)

Build and Deployment

🔹 React:

Using Vite or Next.js makes building and deploying blazing fast. Vercel or Netlify handles React apps out of the box with zero config.

🔹 Flutter Web:

The build output is heavier (20–30 MB bundle size). You'll need Firebase Hosting or GitHub Pages to serve it, and caching strategies matter a lot to avoid slow reloads.

Winner: React

What Surprised Me

  • Flutter Web's UI quality is unmatched. What you see in the IDE is what you get on screen.
  • React's mental model is still easier to onboard new developers with, especially designers-turned-devs.
  • Flutter Web has matured — it's now a viable option for building admin panels, dashboards, and internal tools.
  • SEO is a pain with Flutter Web. React (especially with Next.js) wins here, hands down.

When to Use Flutter Web

Choose Flutter Web if:

  • You're already building a Flutter mobile app and want a web version with minimal extra work.
  • You need a pixel-perfect design across mobile and desktop.
  • You don't care about SEO (e.g., admin tools, internal platforms).

When to Use React

Choose React if:

  • You're building a public-facing marketing site or SEO-critical app.
  • You want high performance on low-end devices.
  • You need to integrate with a wide variety of JavaScript libraries.

Final Verdict

Both Flutter Web and React have strengths — it depends on your use case.

  • For performance, community, and SEO: React wins.
  • For UI consistency, multi-platform code reuse, and design control: Flutter Web is a strong contender.

As of 2025, Flutter Web is no longer "experimental." It's ready for real production use cases, especially when you value design and speed of cross-platform development over SEO and bundle size.

If you're already in the Flutter ecosystem, go for it. But if you want to build a public-first, content-heavy app with minimal overhead, React still leads.

Would I Use Flutter Web Again?

Yes — but not for everything. I'd use it for:

  • Admin dashboards
  • Internal tools
  • Web versions of mobile-first apps

I'd avoid it for:

  • Blogs
  • SEO-driven e-commerce sites
  • Heavy public web portals

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