What FlutterFlow means for the future of cross-platform app development

At ArcTouch, we're huge fans of using Flutter for cross-platform app development. It helps us build iOS and Android apps more efficiently by leveraging much of the same code-base — saving us and our clients time and money. Even after almost six years in the market, there's still a ton of excitement about Flutter. At the recent Fluttercon USA I attended, many well-known brands and businesses shared how they use Flutter for their apps. 

Since Google introduced Flutter in 2017, it's become the most used cross-platform technology. Quietly, Flutter has even become the framework for powering other frameworks, like Rive, without many realizing it.

An emerging Flutter-powered platform we're excited about is FlutterFlow, a low-code, no-code (LCNC) app development tool. In this blog post, we'll introduce you to LCNC app development, explain the challenges and opportunities,  and highlight how ArcTouch is leveraging FlutterFlow. We'll also share what we learned at the recent FlutterFlow Developers Conference (FFDC 24).

The world of low-code, no-code platforms

As digital builders, we are always on the lookout for tools that can streamline our development process and enable us to do more lovable work with our clients' available budgets. Low-code and no-code platforms have emerged as powerful allies in this quest, but not without tradeoffs.

In general, LCNC platforms enable you to build faster by using drag-and-drop interfaces with pre-made UI components — and theoretically, you can simply assemble these building blocks into a software project. Many LCNC products have out-of-the-box integration with other external services like databases, push notifications, and others, allowing you to build more advanced user experiences. 

These features can accelerate your product development and maximize your available budget to add even more end-user features. Another excellent use case for LCNC is doing functional prototypes to validate ideas. So, instead of mocked-up prototypes, you can build a working one and get even more product insights early on — especially via user testing.

While several LCNC platforms exist, and the market projections for these products are booming, they have many pros and cons. FlutterFlow stands out largely because it leverages the power of Flutter. But it’s also loaded with unique features, has a large and growing community, and an ambitious product roadmap. 

4 reasons we 🧡 FlutterFlow for cross-platform app development

We won't spend a lot of time explaining every FlutterFlow feature here, as its website offers a comprehensive guide. Instead, we’ll highlight the top reasons why FlutterFlow truly excites us.

1. Cohesive design system

First and foremost, we love its design system. As a digital agency, maintaining design consistency is paramount, especially when we have multiple projects from the same client. The FlutterFlow design system feature ensures brand consistency and streamlines our UI workflow.

2. Firebase integration

We're long-time users of Firebase, and FlutterFlow's seamless integration with this powerful backend-as-a-service platform fits like a glove. With a simple toggle, we can enable Firebase features like authentication, analytics, push notifications, and more. This integration significantly speeds up our development process and allows us to deliver more lovable experiences.

3. Built-in test automation 

At ArcTouch, we also love test automation to extend our QA process and give us more coverage, especially as mobile tech and the IoT continue to become more complex. FlutterFlow's built-in automation feature is a recent and welcome addition. This feature is still fairly immature — we’ve experienced some bugs and errors that you’d expect with an early release. However, with the FlutterFlow team's commitment to continuous improvement, we know it's just a matter of time before this feature becomes a trusted, reliable staple of FlutterFlow.

4. Strong developer community

Finally, a strong community is vital when working with any development platform, and FlutterFlow doesn't disappoint. The FlutterFlow forum helps developers exchange knowledge, seek assistance, and share their experiences. If you are uncertain about how to do something, you will either come across some posts in the forum, find what you're looking for in the comprehensive docs, or be redirected to the FlutterFlow YouTube channel. 

While we are incredibly enthusiastic about FlutterFlow's potential, it's important to understand that LCNC platforms have inherent challenges that need careful consideration before being used for a project.

4 challenges using LCNCs for app development

The biggest strength of LCNC platforms is the promise of faster development by leveraging pre-made plug-and-play code blocks. However, this strength comes with limits. Here are a few shortcomings to be aware of: 

1. App customization can be a struggle

Because many of the LCNC blocks are predefined, they lack flexibility — and app developers may struggle to use them to create highly customized applications. This is where the "low-code" aspect comes into play, as many require developers to write custom code or develop workarounds to bridge the functionality gap. If developers find they need extensive custom coding, it’s a sign that the project's complexity exceeds the LCNC platform's capabilities. Before committing to using any platform, it’s a good idea to build proofs-of-concept and test the platform to understand if it fits your project's specific needs.

2. Lack of app accessibility

At ArcTouch, making apps more accessible is part of our DNA. Unfortunately, accessibility remains a common shortcoming across all LCNC platforms. However, we are excited to share that we’re working with the FlutterFlow team to expand their accessibility features. We plan to share more details in a future blog post.

3. Multi-step OS updates take longer

Another challenge LCNC platforms struggle with is keeping up with new OSes and their features. With every Android and iOS feature update, cross-platform technologies experience a lag in implementation, as they need to build the interface on their framework with the native feature. LCNC is another degree of delay, as app developers need to wait for their framework engine to support the new feature so they can also build their support.

4. Limited code export

Only a handful of LCNC platforms, including FlutterFlow, offer an export feature. These platforms rely heavily on code generation, and the generated code often lacks the quality, architecture, and readability of a hand-coded project by software engineers. So, even if you were able to export the code, your team would likely have to do significant refactoring to get to a point where they can start thinking about adding new features. This challenge may be multiplied over the lifespan of an app — each time it needs updating, you may need to re-export the code and refactor it again. Last, keep in mind that the different LCNC platforms are not compatible with one another. Consequently, starting a project on an LCNC platform typically locks you into that platform for the life of a software product. 

While there are clear plusses and minuses to using LCNC platforms, one of the reasons we are excited about FlutterFlow is that it finds creative ways to work through some of those challenges. This was clear in some of the announcements the team made at FFDC. 

What we learned at FFDC 

FFDC 24 took place at The Times Center on September 17, 2024. We loved the orange palette!

That strong FlutterFlow community was evident at the recent FFDC 24 in New York City. 

The event's main focus was the FlutterFlow 5.0 release, which unveiled a list of long-awaited features that provide cross-platform app developers with more control, creative liberty, and testing capabilities. 

However, the most intriguing news at FFDC was the AI tooling, which the FlutterFlow team released a couple of weeks after the show. The generative AI capabilities include Sketch to Component, in which you can hand-draw a UI element, and the AI generates the component for you. 

With the new Magic Cursor, you select a component and prompt AI to make any modifications — such as connecting the component to Firebase Firestore — and display information directly from your external database. 

Generative AI has the ability to take LCNC efficiency to new levels, and we are excited to experiment with these features as they become broadly available.

Aside from AI, another important announcement was an extension for VScode, which allows you to extend the export feature from FlutterFlow. In the past, you could only connect your project to GitHub or download a zip file. Although these methods are still available, the process now is more straightforward with the VScode extension. You can also import your code back to FlutterFlow, which wasn't possible before. There are still limitations, but this improved code portability is an important step in tackling one of the biggest LCNC challenges for app developers like ArcTouch.

The FlutterFlow team invited us to a reception after the event, and we had the opportunity to chat with the staff and other company stakeholders. It was exciting to hear FlutterFlow leaders’ vision and share experiences using FlutterFlow with other developers.

With the announcements at FFDC 24, the recent 5.0 release, and regular updates that add new features and address bug fixes and performance issues, we’re more excited than ever about FlutterFlow. We look forward to seeing the evolution of this low-code/no-code tool and building lovable cross-platform Flutter apps with it.

Need help with your Flutter app development project?

ArcTouch has been building apps using different cross-platform technologies like Flutter, React, and .NET/MAUI since the dawn of the App Store. Contact us to learn more about how cross-platform development can help accelerate your product roadmap and maximize your project budget.