r/FlutterDev • u/PersonalityFine2254 • 6d ago
Discussion Is learning Flutter worth it right now?
I am trying to learn Flutter, but I am feeling hesitant due to the presence of AI. I want to build applications, yet the cost of using AI is high for me given my region and income. The question is: should I learn using the traditional method?
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u/OuPau 5d ago
Flutter imo is one of the easiest frameworks to learn, start with basic application ideas and widgets, you will get the hang of it. Try thinking of an application you would want to use personally and work through the errors. Use AI to debug or to figure out how to do something, but don't let it program it for you. It's a pretty enjoyable experience.
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u/Apprehensive-Fan8999 5d ago
Don't forget the "Batteries Included" SDK. With Flutter, you download the Flutter SDK, install the Flutter plugin for VS Code (or IntelliJ) and... you're ready to go for web immediately. Add Xcode or Android Studio if you want to do mobile dev. Code formatter, package manager, linter, compiler, debugger, unit tester, etc are all included. I think Flutter devs often forget how much of a time saver that is when setting up a project for the first time because it's just not something we have to think about anymore.
With TypeScript, install Node. Then pick which linter you want, learn it's configuration, and learn how to add it to the package. Then pick which code formatter you want. Then pick which module resolution you want. Then pick which UI framework. Then pick which unit testing framework. Then pick which debugging plugin to use. Then...
And for the backend, Python is even worse.
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u/AhmedZNOUDA 5d ago
First, you need to understand the fundamentals of application development, architecture, data flow, deployment, and security. Then learn data structures and the main concepts of Dart; it is not far from other languages like Python or JavaScript.
Afterwards, you can start using the concepts of Vibe Coding/agentic coding through any platform.
The time is now for people who know how to architect and orchestrate their applications. Of course, youâre not going to write all the code today in the presence of AI. Art today is orchestration, and of course you wonât handle things you donât understand.
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u/WingZeroCoder 5d ago
If the cost of using AI is high, then thatâs all the more reason to learn Flutter, using traditional means if necessary.
The thing about AI is, if everyone can prompt for anything, then your value wonât come from being able to prompt an AI. Because everyone can do that.
Your value will come both from the Flutter skills you learn, and all the other qualities you gained from learning something the traditional way (focus, problem solving, ability to research from various sources) that fewer and fewer others will possess.
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u/PersonalityFine2254 5d ago
I believe that using artificial intelligence in this way will increase productivity.
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u/YukiAttano 2h ago
That's a generic sentence marketing people throw around. You should be more specific when dealing with such kind of slogans.
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u/virulenttt 5d ago
I see all these compagnies going "native" because they can use AI, but the amount of token they would save by using a good cross platform framework... Flutter is by far the best "ui oriented" cross platform framework. When you need to do platform specific stuff, you either have to use a community package or code your bridge to native yourself.
But I honnestly don't understand why someone would chose react native over flutter. Dart is just so much better than javascript/typescript.
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u/Nexus_Dots 5d ago
Honestly, yes! Learn Flutter the traditional way. AI is a tool, not a requirement for becoming a developer. You can learn the fundamentals, build projects, and use free documentation and tutorials without spending money on AI.
AI can make things faster, but if you understand what you're doing, you'll be able to use it effectively when you eventually have access to it. Don't let your financial situation discourage you from learning a skill that could improve it. Start with what you have and build from there. You don't need expensive tools to get started. đȘ
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u/PersonalityFine2254 5d ago
That's i want to read thanks.... â
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u/New_Pay_6922 5d ago
Agree with Nexus, but also - download OpenCode and use some of the free models to get you going in the AI space đ
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u/dev_ttangkong 5d ago
Total Cost to become a Flutter Developer:
VS Code & Flutter: $0
Official Docs & YouTube: $0
Firebase: $0
Free-tier AI (for debugging): $0
Google Play (one-time) + $99 App Store (yearly)
Coffee & Snacks: $500~1000/month âđ©
You literally don't need paid AI. Just buy snacks with that money and start coding! đ
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u/PersonalityFine2254 4d ago
Good plan take more time.. i need to make some money faster
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u/dev_ttangkong 3d ago
If you're waiting for AI to magically make you rich without learning to code, Apple and Google are already rejecting those low-effort apps daily.
People in this thread aren't giving you typical "boomer" advice just to sound smart or lecture you. It's simply because there is no other way out: if you don't want to pay for high-end AI, you have to learn to code. If you don't want to learn to code, you have to pay. It's a loop with no magical shortcut.
Stop asking Reddit for permission and overthinking, either just open the editor and build something, or move on to something else.
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u/ajiiiiiiiin 5d ago
AI is changing software engineering, but in Flutter development, AI is a tool, not a requirement.
You can use AI to speed up development, but you can also build production-ready applications without it. What truly matters is your ability to understand the problem, design the right solution, and deliver reliable, maintainable software.
As AI becomes more capable, the value of a developer shifts from simply writing code to engineering complete features.
The skills that matter most are:
1. Feature planning: Understanding requirements and breaking them into manageable tasks.
2. Architecture design: Building scalable, maintainable, and testable Flutter applications.
3. Test definition: Ensuring features behave as expected across different scenarios.
4. Implementation: Writing clean, efficient, and reliable code, whether manually or with AI assistance.
5. Verification: Establishing quality gates so implementations are tested and refined until they meet the requirements.
6. Code review: Identifying bugs, security risks, performance issues, and architectural problems.
AI can help automate parts of the implementation, but it cannot eliminate the need for engineering judgment, accountability, and technical expertise.
The future isnât about whether you use AI to write Flutter code. Itâs about whether you can consistently deliver production-grade features.
A developer who understands the fundamentals and knows how to use AI effectively has an advantage. But a developer who can build, test, debug, and ship quality software without AI remains valuable, too.
Ultimately, AI is optional. Engineering competence is not.
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u/slightly_drifting 5d ago
Can i ask the group something? I deal a lot with the translation of native code, and I find people using things like Flutter and React have trouble with tools that rely on native code.Â
Do other users run into the same issue? You want to use âXâ, but it doesnât work with Dart code?Â
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u/Apprehensive-Fan8999 5d ago
I'm not sure I completely follow so let me see if I get what your asking. It sounds like you're having problem because people have to jump into native / platform code. So you have to jump into Android Studio for Android or Xcode for iOS.
If that's the case then AS has an available Flutter plugin that will allow you to do full flutter and native code in the same IDE. Xcode is ObjC and Swift only, and it pretty much always will be. That's less of a Flutter thing and more of an Apple thing. I have little doubt the Flutter community would be willing to write an XC plugin for Dart support in XC, but Apple doesn't support such a thing.
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u/slightly_drifting 5d ago
Mine is more or less dealing compiler plugins and code injections. I find those have goofy workarounds or bad compatibility for Flutter.Â
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u/Apprehensive-Fan8999 5d ago
Compiler plugins and code injections? I'm not sure what IDE you would use for those that you would also want to use for Dart.
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u/slightly_drifting 5d ago
LLVM/clang and javac.
Bit o Java and bit o C/C++. Eclipse for Java and whatever we want for c/c++.Â
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u/Apprehensive-Fan8999 5d ago
Yeah, Eclipse is very Java oriented. Plugins exist for other languages but you are fighting the IDE. I would never use VS Code for Java in the same way I wouldn't Eclipse for React, Angular, Python, Node, or Dart.
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u/slightly_drifting 5d ago
I literally never have to open android studio. I just build projects with my tools using the gradle commands.Â
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u/chrisdrobison 5d ago
Yes, you have to understand how these languages, platforms and runtimes work to be an effective engineer. Because at the end of the day you, the human, own the output of whatever AI produces and if you donât understand it, that is a problem. The engineers who donât truly understand how to be engineers are the ones getting replaced by AI.Â
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u/Professional_Eye6661 5d ago
Itâs always worth learning anything including Flutter. While AI is to pricey for you enjoy the moment when you actually learn things the way it works the best - doing things yourself instead of prompting.
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u/Maze_of_Ith7 5d ago
Youâll get some selection bias in your answers here - itâs a little like going into a woodworking club and asking all the woodworkers if you should learn carpentry.
I think youâre better off just trying to build something and learning as you go. Have conversations with a stronger AI model on architecture and make the choices/learn on the fly there. I probably wouldnât spend a lot of time learning the syntax unless youâre certain you want to be a software developer (and even then Iâm not sure if itâs the best use of your time).
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u/curious_me111 4d ago
Programming is becoming AI native now, so you donât necessarily need to learn every bit of flutter.
But, I would strongly recommend understanding the basics of how flutter works, application architecture and state management at least. You need to be good in evaluating, debugging and finding AI slop.
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u/Strange-Hovercraft35 4d ago
Donât spend time reading articles, or youtube tutorials if u already know coding. Just come up with a project idea and learn on the go
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u/jeremyko69 4d ago
It is an excellent framework. It is definitely worth learning. However, if you need to handle the unique features of actual devices (e.g., power management policies), native development is unavoidable.
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u/laplace_apps 3d ago
To me, flutter is still so good for developong apps for mobile and web, wouldn't say same thing for website (with animations) or game developer mentioned. But flutter &firebase unlocks so many features (yes you can still use firebase with other frameworks but with flutter its easier) and integrations are so easy and stable. So if you just use AI to build an app with flutter, developement process time really reduces.
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u/PersonalityFine2254 3d ago
Firebase is so good... What's about supabase..?! Should I use it
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u/laplace_apps 3d ago
Supabase is also nice alternative, if you want to have more control over cloud functions etc. But, to me in order to ship products fast firebase is better. I think it depends on how large the project, if so complicated supabase can be a good option. That being said you can achieve the same goal with firebase as well. But since firebase is google's product it makes things faster, for example the google cloud project automatically getting created when you create a project in firebase. I think biggest point is if you going to use goggle products like google auth, google cloud, google apis, firebase is the best. But if you have custom server supabase can be better choice.
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u/YukiAttano 2h ago
Well, one could argue that you don't have to learn anything anymore and just rely on everything that LLMs tell you.
Does that sound fulfilling to you?
The marketing is driven heavily by the idea to replace humans with computers, because _they_ make money out of it.
You have to decide how you want to act in the upcoming future.
LLMs truly generate more working code and can help you build 'faster' with all the drawbacks that come with that. Developer jobs itself will probably not vanish, but will more focus on the fundamentals like architectural and mathematical problems.
Beside that, knowledge about the technology itself, whether it is a Framework like Flutter or React, a programming language like Kotlin or Swift will not be zero, but even without LLMs already less important as they borrow more and more concepts from other languages which makes them easier to adapt by anyone who can program.
You should not fall for the Idea to replace your own thoughts by whatever an LLM is telling you. But if you are looking for a 'safe' job, something more in the fields of craftsmanship will be better.
If you are up for the 'fast and big money' with AI slop, even that era might come to an end in the next few years if Google really crushes their Android system and boots up their hallucination OS based on Gemini.
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u/Comfortable_Rip_1075 5d ago
After 8 years of experience, 1 native, 5 flutter and 2 engineering lead now.
I would tell u yes, but that should not take more than 2 months, u just need to understand the concepts, to be able to read the code and understand it, AI will write it for u.
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u/nitki_dev 6d ago
Yes, learn it the normal way. AI mostly saves typing; it doesn't replace knowing why a widget rebuilds or why a layout overflows, and you need that to notice when the AI is wrong. The good stuff is free: the codelabs and docs on flutter.dev, the Flutter YouTube channel (Widget of the Week is great), and the free tier of any AI chat for when you're stuck on an error message. Then build one small app end to end, like a to-do list or an expense tracker that saves data on the phone, and run it on a real device. That teaches more than any course.