Introduction
Flutter is an open-source Software Development Kit (SDK) for mobile devices. It can be used to develop a native-looking Android and iOS application using the same codebase. Flutter makes use of widgets. An entire User Interface (UI) can be built combining the different widgets. Flutter offers a reactive-style view; developers do not need to restart the app to check the changes. It does that without the need for a javascript bridge. That makes it the only mobile SDK to offer this feature. Flutter uses the Dart language which compiles into native code. There a lot of additional benefits of Dart too, but let’s skip ahead to check out the best IDE for Flutter. For a comprehensive comparison between Flutter and Android Studio check out this article titled ‘Flutter vs Android Studio: Which is Better’.
Top 5 Best IDE for Flutter
The Best IDE for Flutter – No. 5: Atom
Atom is an open-source text and source editor. It is 100% free to use and comes with support for plugins developed in JavaScript. GitHub has developed Atom and it comes with embedded Git Control. It has been named as the “Hackable Text Editor of the 21st Century” because of its massive library of tweaks and customizations and is up for whatever you want to do with it.
Highlights of Atom
Massive library of plugins with seamless integration.100% free to use.Lot of customisation options.Good syntax highlighting.
The Best IDE for Flutter – No. 4: Emacs
Emacs is one of the recommended IDE by the Flutter team. It is a lightweight text editor and supports Dart and Flutter. It is easy on the system resources and is free to use. Another reason is that it uses keyboard bindings. Almost all the actions in Emacs is a Lisp function that can be assigned to a keyboard combination.
Highlights of Emacs
It is quite extensible.Has a mass number of extensions.It is a lightweight program which can run smoothly on a low-end system.
The Best IDE for Flutter – No. 3: Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a very popular and lightweight editor. It comes with support for Flutter App execution along with debugging. The Flutter extension can be installed from the Extension section which also installs the Dart plugin. It is loved by plenty of code writers because it comes with a lot of customizations and is also one of the recommended IDE for Flutter, by the Flutter team.
Highlights of Visual Studio Code
Cross-Platform support.Lightweight software.Intelligent code sensing.Great tool(s) support.
The Best IDE for Flutter – No. 2: IntelliJ IDEA
Maintained and Developed by JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA is a feature-rich IDE that was created for creating software. It boasts features such as code refactoring and advanced code navigation. Error checking becomes faster and easier with its advanced error checking features.
Highlights of IntelliJ IDEA
Smart code completion.Auto imports.User-friendly.
The Best IDE for Flutter – No. 1: Android Studio
Built on IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio is a complete IDE experience for Android App Development. Built by the Official Google team, it is a unified environment where development can be done for all android devices. It is a good tool for beginners and comes with features such as code auto-completion and Git integration. It works well with a good system and can provide a laggy experience on low-config devices as it consumes more memory. It is recommended by a lot of experienced developers as well as the Flutter team themselves.
Highlights of Android Studio
Excellent debugging mode.Easy to use and understand.Huge Community of Developers.Features customised for Flutter.
Conclusion
It is really a matter of personal preference when it comes to a text editor. Every individual has a unique preference when it comes to the kind of features they expect, so there can be no winner as such. Although, personal preference aside, if someone new is starting to work with Flutter and is seeking advice, we have a final verdict for you. If you have a high-end working system, it is recommended that you use Android Studio for your projects. It is a recommended IDE for Flutter, by the Flutter Team! If you run a low-end system, it is recommended that you start with Emacs or Visual Studio Code. Both of them are lightweight editors and can reduce the load on your system.
