Flutter or native: how we actually decide

One codebase for both stores is a real saving — roughly 40% less work to build and, more importantly, half as much to maintain for the next three years. That is why it is our starting point rather than a compromise.

It stops being the right call when the app leans hard on the device. Heavy background processing, tight integration with a specific piece of hardware, or a demanding camera pipeline are all easier and more reliable written natively.

Everything else people worry about — performance, look and feel, store approval — has not been a practical problem for years. The apps we have shipped in Flutter are indistinguishable to the people using them.

The honest test is whether you can name the specific native capability you need. If you can, we will build native for that part. If you cannot, cross-platform will get you live sooner and cost less to keep alive.