One Flutter codebase that ships to iOS and Android at the same time, with near-native performance.
Building two native apps means two teams, two codebases and double the cost to keep features in sync. Flutter compiles a single Dart codebase to native machine code on both platforms, so you launch faster and pay closer to the price of one app. This is part of our wider mobile app development work, and you can see what a build costs in our custom software development cost guide.
What every Flutter build includes
Flutter app development builds iOS and Android apps from one Dart codebase that compiles to native machine code. It cuts the cost and timeline of shipping to both platforms because you build each screen once instead of twice. Timeline Digital builds Flutter apps end to end, from screen map to store launch in about 6 to 10 weeks, from $15,000 to $35,000 against a fixed scope, with the source code and signing keys in your hands.
Most cross-platform tools wrap each platform native widgets and pass instructions across a bridge at runtime. Flutter takes a different route: it ships its own rendering engine and draws every pixel itself. A button on iPhone and the same button on Android are not two platform widgets pretending to match, they are one widget your team controls. That removes the slow per-platform UI fixes that eat into both native and bridged projects.
Because Dart compiles ahead of time to native ARM code, there is no interpreted layer between your logic and the device. Scrolling and animation run at the screen refresh rate, and a backend change shows up as a compile error in the typed API layer rather than a crash a user finds. The practical result for a business app is one team shipping both stores from one commit, with a design that stays identical across phones, tablets and OS versions.
Four phases. A real device build at the end of every sprint, not a reveal at the end.
We list every screen, the API contract behind it, and the device features the app touches: camera, location, push, payments, offline storage. You sign off the screen map and the data model before any Dart is written, so the build runs against a fixed target.
A clickable prototype plus a Flutter design system: shared widgets, theming and navigation. Because Flutter renders its own pixels, the same components look identical on iPhone and Android, which removes the per-platform UI rework that drains native projects.
Two-week sprints, each ending with a TestFlight and an Android internal build you can hold in your hand. State management, the API layer, offline caching and the device integrations get built once and run on both platforms.
We harden performance, wire crash reporting, prepare the App Store and Play Store listings, and handle the review back-and-forth. You receive the full source code, signing keys and a handover so your team can ship the next release.
One codebase compiled ahead of time to native ARM machine code on both platforms, so there is no JavaScript bridge between your UI and the device.
Riverpod or Bloc, chosen by app size. Predictable state means complex flows like multi-step checkout or live order tracking stay testable as the app grows.
NestJS, ASP.NET Core or Laravel behind the app, with a typed API layer in Dart so a backend change surfaces as a compile error, not a runtime crash.
Drift or Hive for on-device storage and sync, so the app stays usable on a weak connection and reconciles when the network returns.
Camera, GPS, biometrics, Bluetooth, local notifications and payment SDKs wired through maintained plugins, with a thin native channel written only where a plugin does not exist.
Firebase Cloud Messaging for push and in-app messaging, with deep links that route a notification straight to the right screen.
Codemagic or GitHub Actions building both stores from one commit, with Sentry crash reporting and staged rollouts from day one.
Senior Flutter engineers, a mobile-focused designer, QA on real devices and a product owner who stays with you from first build through store launch.
An honest split. For most business apps Flutter wins on cost and speed, but not for every case.
| Your situation | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You need both iOS and Android on a tight budget | Flutter | One codebase and one team instead of two, so cost lands near a single native app |
| Commerce, booking, delivery, field service or internal tools | Flutter | Standard screens and device features that Flutter handles at near-native speed |
| You want to ship fast and iterate on real feedback | Flutter | Hot reload and a shared codebase shorten the cycle from idea to store build |
| Heavy real-time 3D, AR or graphics-intense games | Native | Direct access to Metal, ARKit and ARCore without an abstraction layer |
| You depend on a brand-new OS API the day it launches | Native | Native gets first-day access; Flutter plugins can lag a release behind |
| A single platform only, with deep OS-specific design | Native | No cross-platform benefit to spend, so build directly in Swift or Kotlin |
Still weighing the cross-platform options? Read our breakdown of Flutter vs React Native in 2026 before you decide.
Flutter app development means building a mobile app with Google Flutter framework and the Dart language, where one codebase compiles to native iOS and Android apps. Flutter draws its own UI rather than wrapping platform widgets, so the app looks and behaves the same on both platforms and avoids the JavaScript bridge that slows some cross-platform tools. Timeline Digital builds Flutter apps end to end, from screen map through App Store and Play Store launch, with the source code yours on delivery.
Choose Flutter when you want one team and one codebase to ship to both platforms at the same time. Native means two separate apps in Swift and Kotlin, two teams, and double the cost to keep features in sync. Flutter compiles ahead of time to native machine code, so for most business apps the performance gap with native is not visible to users. Native still wins for heavy 3D, AR or platform-specific frameworks, which is where we recommend going native instead.
Yes for the apps most businesses build. Flutter compiles Dart ahead of time to native ARM code and renders through its own engine, so there is no interpreted bridge between the UI and the device. Scrolling, animations and transitions run at the device refresh rate. The cases where native pulls ahead are sustained high-end 3D, augmented reality and apps that lean on a brand-new platform API the day it ships. For commerce, booking, delivery, field service and internal tools, Flutter performance is not the constraint.
A focused Flutter app with a clear screen map, a working backend and standard device features takes about 6 to 10 weeks with a senior team, covering both iOS and Android in that single window. The big saving over native is that you are not building and testing the same screens twice. Adding offline sync, complex payments, real-time tracking or many third-party integrations extends the timeline. We agree the screen map in writing before starting so the launch date is real.
A Flutter app built to a fixed scope typically runs from $15,000 to $35,000 for both platforms together, depending on the number of screens, the device features and the integrations. A larger app with offline sync, in-app payments and several integrations runs higher. Because one codebase serves iOS and Android, the cost is closer to a single native app than to two. We give a fixed quote against an agreed scope and you own the source code, including the signing keys, on delivery.
Yes. Flutter reaches the camera, GPS, biometrics, Bluetooth, local storage, push notifications and payment SDKs through maintained plugins, and where a specific capability has no plugin we write a thin native channel in Swift or Kotlin for just that piece. In practice this means a Flutter app can do everything a native app does for almost every business use case. We confirm which device features your app needs during the screen-map phase so nothing is discovered late.
Bring us the screens you need and the device features behind them. We will map the build, agree a fixed scope, and put a real iOS and Android build in your hands within the first few sprints. You own the code and the signing keys, start to finish.