30 of the Best Tools for Flutter Developers in 2024

2024 is the year to refine our skills, optimize workflows, and work smarter. With the right tools, you can propel your Flutter development process and crush your productivity goals. 

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The good news is, modern tools are more robust than ever. Just think of the transformation in UI design tools, now featuring real-time collaboration and intuitive interfaces. 

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We’ve pinned down top tools Flutter developers should have on their radar across different stages of the dev process. Dive in!

5 Best UI Tools for Flutter Developers 

When it comes to UI, mastering code gives you unmatched speed and control for a public-ready app. So while the thought of using no-code, drag-and-drop UI builders might be tempting, they don’t quite cut it for high-demand production environments. That’s why the UI tools we recommend are based on the premise of strong coding skills. 

1. Flutter UI Library 

These collections of pre-built widgets and UI frameworks can be directly used in a Flutter app. Access reusable components, styles, and other assets, customizable to fit your project's needs.

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Popular collections:

• GetWidget (detailed below)
• Platform Widgets
• Desktop

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Great for: Developers and UI designers seeking to leverage Flutter’s capabilities for high-quality app development.

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2. GetWidget

An open-source Flutter UI library with 1000+ pre-built UI widgets, including buttons, cards, avatars, and more. 

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Great for: Flutter developers seeking to rapidly prototype and build apps with a rich set of UI elements.

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3. Flutter Inspector

A diagnostic tool designed to help developers understand and debug the UI layer of their apps. It gives you insights into the widget hierarchy and identifies layout issues, making it easier to perfect the user interface. 

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Great for: Developers who need to troubleshoot and refine their app’s UI.

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4. FlutterFlow

A visual design tool that lets you mock up UI without diving into code. While it’s great for visualizing designs, developing a functional app for public use will require manual coding. 

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Great for: Early-stage developers or anyone looking to quickly visualize app designs without deep coding.

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5. Figma

Boasting over a million users, Figma revolutionized design with its collaborative, drag-and-drop interface that’s a breeze to use. It’s a go-to for creating stunning designs efficiently. 

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Great for: Designers and developers looking for a versatile tool that enhances teamwork and creativity. 

5 Top Flutter State Management Tools 

State management ensures your app responds appropriately, whether it's a user tapping on the screen or data fetching in the background. Flutter gives you different methods for managing widget states, from simple setState to more complex InheritedWidget. We’ve rounded up some of the most-loved state management tools and who they may benefit. 

Looking to level up your Flutter dev skills? Check out our Complete Guide to Widget Composition.

1. BLoC

BLoC separates an app’s business logic from its presentation layer, offering a clean division between how data is displayed and managed. Key features include the ability to manage complex states and facilitate communication between the UI and backend with stream-based logic. 

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Great for: Developers working on complex Flutter apps and need a robust solution to handle diverse data streams and interactions.

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2. Riverpod

Riverpod simplifies state management in Flutter apps, enhancing predictability and scalability. Its standout features include providers for easy value access and management, and scoped providers for focused applications within the widget tree.

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Great for: Developers seeking a straightforward yet powerful state management solution with strong testability for their Flutter applications.

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3. Provider

Provider streamlines state and data management across applications. It stands out for its efficiency in granting access to state structures and its ability to scale applications while maintaining a consistent pattern.

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Great for: Developers looking for an efficient and scalable way to handle state management in their Flutter apps.

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4. Flutter Redux

Flutter Redux brings the Redux architecture pattern to Flutter for predictable data flow and efficient state management across the app. It excels in maintaining the app state in a single immutable store and enabling unidirectional data flow for consistent app behavior.

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Great for: Developers familiar with Redux looking for a structured and predictable state management pattern in their Flutter projects.

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5. Cubit

Cubit is a lightweight combo of BLoC and Provider, offering a streamlined state management solution for Flutter apps. It excels in managing state changes dynamically throughout the app, making coding simpler and more intuitive. Cubit reduces complexity compared to BLoC, making it an accessible entry point into more advanced state management.

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Great for: Developers seeking an easy-to-learn yet dynamic state management tool for their Flutter applications.

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5 Top Backend Tools for Flutter Developers 

Flutter's flexibility with backends is a major win for developers; you can integrate Flutter with your favorite option. Your choice depends on essential features for your app and preferred programming language.

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Whether you lean towards traditional backends or a serverless solution like Firebase, here’s a rundown of popular backend tools and their potential users: 

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1. Firebase

Google's Firebase offers a comprehensive suite of backend services for Flutter apps, including real-time databases and authentication. Key highlights include effortless integration with Flutter and a robust set of plugins, enabling smooth connectivity for analytics, authentication, and more.

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Great for: Developers in search of a holistic backend solution that combines easy setup with efficient, real-time data management.

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2. AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify offers a comprehensive toolkit for creating scalable and secure mobile and web applications powered by AWS. Key features include user authentication, quick backend updates, and data storage solutions. 

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Great for: Developers who want to focus on their app’s goals without the burden of building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure—particularly great for projects with well-defined goals.

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3. Django

Django is a high-level Python framework ideal for backend Flutter app development, offering a clean syntax and robust security features. Its ability to build scalable APIs and seamless REST API integration makes it a top choice. 

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Great for: Developers who want to build web applications quickly and efficiently, with a focus on clean, pragmatic design and rapid development.

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4. Node.js with Express.js

Express.js is a popular and flexible web application framework for Node.js. Key features include streamlined routing for handling and mapping HTTP requests, and middleware functions that make it easy to add features like authentication, error handling, and more. 

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Great for: Developers working on real-time apps or single-page applications (SPAs) who want a streamlined development process with a minimal learning curve.

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5. Supabase

Supabase is a versatile backend solution with services like Postgres databases, authentication, and real-time updates. Its Flutter SDK allows for smooth integration, facilitating the development of scalable apps.

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Great for: Developers crafting production-grade applications who value a full suite of backend services and seamless data management within Flutter environments.

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Struggling to build apps fast? Check out our open-source framework Djangoflow with ready-to-use modules, from user authentication to rule-based omnichannel notifications.

5 Popular Flutter Testing Tools 

Thorough testing is key to building a reliable and functional Flutter app. Testing tools let you write and run tests at various levels, including unit tests (testing individual functions or classes), widget tests (testing individual UI components in isolation), and integration tests (testing complete app workflows). These tools will help you catch bugs and ensure the app works exactly as it should before reaching users. 

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Flutter offers several automated testing tools: 

1. Flutter Driver

Flutter Driver is a testing framework that automates testing for Flutter apps. You can write test scripts that interact with your app on real devices or emulators, just like a real user would. This lets check that your app works as expected from start to finish, including appearance, performance, and how different parts work together.

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Why people love it: Cross-platform automated testing, ease of use, and CI compatibility, ensuring robust and performant apps.

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2. WidgetTester

WidgetTester gives you direct access to individual widgets, letting you poke and prod their UI and functionality in detail. You can interact with widgets in intricate ways and verify if their appearance and behavior match your vision.

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Why people love it: Focused approach makes pinpointing and fixing UI issues a breeze. 

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3. Flutter Testing Library

Built on top of the package:test, the Flutter Testing Library provides a simple API for interacting with apps during testing. This library caters to both big and small testing needs. Widget tests help check individual building blocks of an app, while unit tests focus on testing specific functions or code snippets. 

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Why people love it: Simplicity in writing comprehensive widgets and unit tests.

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Other great tools:

4. Firebase Test Lab

Firebase Test Lab offers a cloud-based testing service, letting developers test Flutter apps across different devices and configurations. You can access physical and virtual devices for comprehensive testing scenarios and get detailed test results integrated into the Firebase console. 

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Why people love it: Test real-world conditions across different devices and get robust test result analyses.  

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5. Testsigma

Testsigma automates manual UI testing tasks for Flutter apps and integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing. It supports over 3000 real devices/tablets and 1000 browser/OS combos.

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Why people love it: User-friendly interface, automation capabilities, and integration with CI/CD pipelines.

5 Best Performance Tools for Flutter Developers 

Flutter Performance Tools analyze and optimize the runtime behavior of a Flutter app. They offer real-time insights so you can keep tabs on items from frame rates to how much memory your app is using. Developers can use them to smooth out rough edges and make sure their app runs like a dream on any device.

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1. Flutter DevTools

Flutter DevTools is an open-source kit provided by the Flutter team. It includes performance and debugging tools that provide insights into CPU and memory usage, so you can spot bottlenecks faster. It also offers a graphical user interface (GUI) to visualize the performance and behavior of your Flutter apps. 

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Great for: Flutter developers seeking to optimize their app's performance and efficiency. Gain deeper insights into CPU and memory usage, and visualize app behaviors.

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2. Firebase Crashlytics

Firebase Crashlytics is a lightweight, real-time crash reporter that helps you track, prioritize, and fix stability issues that erode your app quality. Crashlytics saves you troubleshooting time by grouping crashes and highlighting their root cause.

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Great for: Developers prioritizing app stability and quality, and teams that need real-time crash reporting quickly. 

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3. Sentry

Sentry lets you keep tabs on your app’s health with a comprehensive suite of tools for tracking errors, reporting crashes, and monitoring performance across mobile and web apps, including Flutter creations. 

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Great for: Developers and teams who need comprehensive error tracking and performance monitoring. 

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4. Flutter Performance Plugin for IntelliJ/Android Studio

The Flutter Performance Plugin for IntelliJ/Android Studio is part of the integrated development environment (IDE) for Flutter. It offers a suite of performance and debugging tools with insights into CPU and memory usage, so you can spot bottlenecks more easily. 

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Great for: Flutter developers who want to monitor and optimize their app’s performance. Since it’s integrated into the IDE, it’s a popular tool.

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5. UXCam

UXCam is a cloud-based mobile app analytics platform that helps you monitor your app’s performance post-launch. It provides insights, heatmaps, and session recordings, giving you and your team insight into how users interact with your product. 

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Great for: Teams or developers that want deeper insights into user behavior and app performance post-launch. 

5 Top Flutter Tools for Deployment

When you’re ready to launch your Flutter app, several handy tools can make the deployment process easier. These picks for Flutter app deployment are designed to handle items from automating your workflow to keeping an eye on performance:

1. AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify lets you deploy static web apps in a few clicks. The AWS framework includes a set of tools and services that help front-end web and mobile developers build scalable full-stack apps, powered by AWS services. 

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Great for: Developers who want to build, connect, and host full-stack applications on AWS. 

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2. Fastlane 

Fastlane is an open-source tool that automates mundane tasks, like generating screenshots, beta deployments, App Store deployments, and code signing. It provides a convenient and efficient way to manage the deployment process for Flutter applications.

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Great for: Developers looking to cut down on deployment time.

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3. GitLab CI/CD

GitLab CI/CD streamlines Flutter app deployment, offering a robust platform for automated building, testing, and deploying. Its zero-configuration workflow is perfect for Flutter, supporting iOS and Android with ease.

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Great for: Organizations and development teams seeking a unified platform for the entire DevSecOps lifecycle. 

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4. AppCenter 

From Microsoft, AppCenter offers a suite of cloud services for CI/CD, testing, and analytics. It’s used for automating the deploy of Flutter apps, from testing to distribution. 

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Great for: Developers who need a robust platform for deploying, and monitoring app performance and usage.

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5. Firebase App Distribution 

Firebase App Distribution allows you to distribute pre-release versions of your app to testers, streamlining the testing process before the final deployment. 

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Great for: Developers who want to get feedback on their apps before making them available on the app stores.

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Set Your Dev Journey In Motion

The right set of tools can transform the way we design, test, deploy, and optimize our Flutter applications. From Figma’s design capabilities to AWS Amplify’s deployment prowess, each brings something unique to the table.

While these tools offer incredible support, the magic happens when they're in the hands of creative and skilled developers. 

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At Apexive, we're not just about using the best tools; we're about delivering high-quality code, period. Ready to redefine what's possible in app development? See our current openings and set your dev journey in motion.

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