If you are looking to build a mobile app quickly, you have two good options. Either you can use a complete Flutter mobile app or a Figma UI kit to build your app. A ready-made Flutter app gives you everything you need to build your app quickly and easily. On the other hand, a Figma UI kit gives you beautiful screen designs, but you need to perform app development on your own using that mobile app UI design. In this article, we’ll compare both options. We’ll look at time, money, design, and other important points and help you choose the best option for your mobile app.
Table of Contents
1. Setup
Ready-Made App
- Instant Setup: A ready-made Flutter mobile application gives you functional code with the package, so you can modify, test, and run the app quickly.
- No Design Needed: Since all screens are already designed, you don’t need to design the app UI from scratch. Just update your content and launch it.
- Easy Edits: You don’t need to be a professional app developer; basic Flutter knowledge is enough to change colors, images, or text and match the app theme with your brand identity.
- Time Saver: You can skip the design and code planning stage, so this is a fast solution for MVPs or small business apps.
UI Kit in Figma
- Design-Only Files: A mobile app UI design kit in Figma gives you pre-designed screens but no code. It can just help you give an attractive look and feel to your app.
- Plan Before Build: Figma helps you visualize your full app UI and adjust layouts before starting the app development process.
- No Functional App: After buying a Figma app UI kit, you will still need a developer to turn these designs into a functional Flutter application.
- Ideal for Teams: App UI kits are great for product teams that want to get clear feedback on app flow before coding begins.
2. Customization Level
Ready-Made App
- Fixed Layouts: Most ready-made apps come with a basic app UI design. Changing app layouts deeply may require extensive app development skills.
- Some Freedom: You can easily change basic styling, icons, and fonts, but not the full structure without touching the source code of the complete Flutter mobile app.
- Pre-Defined Features: With Flutter apps, you can get common features like login, profile, or cart, but adding new ones may take time and effort.
- Codebase Dependence: Customization abilities depend on how well the app was built. Flutter apps from Bitrix Theme come with a clean codebase, resulting in simple customizations.
UI Kit in Figma
- Design Everything: From small buttons to full-screen flows, you can fully customize your mobile app UI design in Figma.
- Brand Integration: You can integrate your brand’s colors, fonts, and graphics on every screen, allowing you to maintain brand identity quite easily.
- Flexible Layouts: Figma app UI kits allow you to change the screen order, create new sections, or remove features easily before developing the app.
- Visual Freedom: With Figma UI kits, you’re not tied to any pre-made layout; you can start fresh and bring any idea to life.
3. Skill Requirements
Ready-Made App
- Beginner-Friendly: Flutter apps are good for beginners with some Flutter knowledge. You can follow the documentation and make basic updates without having a skilled developer team.
- Basic Development: If the app doesn’t come with backend integration, you will need to connect APIs and adjust logic. Also, you may need to fix errors if they appear in the code.
- Faster Learning: These solutions are great for learning Flutter. You get to work on real code when modifying an app for your brand.
- Limited by Build: The code that is messy or unmatched with current Flutter best practices can make you struggle.
UI Kit in Figma
- Design Skills First: You must be comfortable using Figma tools to work with the UI layouts, layers, and components.
- Need Flutter Dev: After modifying the app UI design, someone with Flutter skills is required to turn it into a Flutter mobile application.
- Ideal for Designers: App UI design can be the best choice if you’re a UI/UX designer or working with one who can polish every screen.
- Longer Learning Curve: If you’re not familiar with Figma, you’ll need time to learn its tools before using and modifying the design kit.
4. Time to Market
Ready-Made App
- Fastest Option: A complete Flutter mobile app can go live quickly. You just need to change the basic content.
- Pre-Tested Code: Most Flutter apps are already tested across different devices, so quality assurance isn’t much required.
- Skip Planning: No need for planning UI or writing code from zero. Just get the Flutter app template, install, modify, and publish.
- Good for Launches: These solutions are perfect for quickly releasing an app for a product launch or short-term project.
UI Kit in Figma
- Time Consumption: First, you need to modify the app design in Figma. Then, you can build the Flutter app based on the UI. This takes more time.
- Step-by-Step Process: Design, review, code, and test; all steps take time. Larger apps can consume more time.
- Time vs Control: The process may be slower, but it gives you full control over how the app looks and feels at each stage.
- Best for Custom Apps: App UI kits are worth the time investment if you want an app with custom features or a unique user experience.
5. Budget Planning
Ready-Made App
- Lower Upfront Cost: One-time cost for the app code is often lower than hiring both a designer and developer.
- Less Dev Time: Since coding is mostly done, you need to make only small changes or add other required features.
- Affordable Start: Flutter apps are ideal for startups and small businesses that want to test ideas without spending too much.
- Risk of Rework: If the app has bugs or poor code, fixing them may add unexpected costs later. So, only buy a complete Flutter mobile app from a provider like Bitrix Theme.
UI Kit in Figma
- Additional Cost: You need to pay for both the design (Figma UI kit or custom designer) and then for the Flutter development.
- Higher Quality: Total cost is higher, but you may get a cleaner, more original, and more flexible app solution in return.
- Scalable Budget: With app UI kits, you can build just part of the app first, and add more screens later as budget allows.
- Investment App: Figma app UI kits are the best if you’re building an app meant to grow over time.
6. Scalability Option
Ready-Made App
- Quick Growth: You can add features fast if the code is clean and modular, especially for common app types.
- Difficult Rebuilds: For large changes or big future plans, you might outgrow the base app and need a redesign.
- Extend with Plugins: You can easily add maps, chats, or payments using Flutter plugins to grow functionality easily.
- Not Ideal Long-Term: You may not scale well if you need heavy data, user roles, or advanced app flows later on.
UI Kit in Figma
- Built to Grow: With a mobile app UI design, you can plan for growth from the start, add user roles, new screens, or features as needed.
- Flexible Coding: Since your team builds from the beginning, you can use clean code architecture to support future needs.
- Ideal for Platforms: Figma UI kits are best for apps with dashboards, admin panels, or multi-user features.
- No Rebuild Required: Well-designed UI kits make scaling smoother because they are structured from the beginning.
7. Final Look and Feel
Ready-Made App
- Common Templates: Other people may use the same app, so yours might look similar unless you make customizations to give it a unique look.
- Quick Branding: You can swap colors, logos, and icons to give your app a fresh look that matches your brand.
- Basic Visuals: The app UI might look good, but not always unique or trendy. Updates may depend on how the original developer built it.
- Good Enough Look: However, Flutter app templates are great for business apps that don’t need fancy visuals but focus more on function.
UI Kit in Figma
- Unique Design: Every detail of your app UI design is made just for your app; there are no shared screens or layouts.
- On-Trend Visuals: Modern app UI kits follow design trends and can help you attract users through clean, eye-catching design.
- Full Creative Power: You can shape user experience, animations, and navigation flow exactly as you want with app design kits
- Professional Polish: A good designer can give your app a professional, high-end feel that stands out in app stores.
Conclusion
Choosing between a complete Flutter mobile app and a mobile app UI design kit Figma depends on your project goals.
Choose a Ready-Made Flutter App if:
- You want to launch quickly with working code
- You have a limited budget or timeline
- You don’t need a unique design
- You’re okay with standard features and layouts
Choose a Figma UI Kit if:
- You want full control over your mobile app UI design
- You have a developer to code the app
- You need a custom and scalable Flutter mobile application
- You want a high-quality, on-brand user experience
