Why we think Flutter will help us scale mobile development at Nubank (Detailed PDF Report
Article Summary
Nubank evaluated Flutter, React Native, and Kotlin Native across 11 criteria to solve a critical scaling problem. Here's how they decided.
In 2019, Nubank's Mobile Architecture Task Force ran a rigorous R&D project to pick one cross-platform framework. They tested production features, ran usability studies with engineers, and analyzed everything from developer experience to long-term viability.
Key Takeaways
- Flutter won on developer experience: built-in hot reload, testing tools, and stable APIs
- React Native had the largest community but 32 dependencies vs Flutter's 3
- Kotlin Native required building all UI abstractions from scratch (10x cost estimate)
- User tests showed novice developers were more productive in Flutter after first contact
- Team prioritized people impact over technical specs to reduce engineer anxiety
Critical Insight
Nubank chose Flutter as their main mobile platform based on superior testing infrastructure, lower maintenance risk, and better scalability for autonomous product teams.
