Both frameworks can ship a production app to both stores from one codebase. The interesting differences are in team fit, ecosystem, and what happens in year two of maintenance.
Developer Experience
React Native wins if your team already knows React — the mental model transfers directly, and web code sharing is realistic. Flutter's Dart is easy to learn but is one more language in your stack, with less overlap with your web team.
Performance
Flutter renders everything itself via Skia, which makes heavy animations and custom UI buttery and consistent across platforms. React Native's new architecture closed most of the gap for typical product UI; for standard forms-and-lists apps, users can't tell the difference.
Native Look and Feel
React Native uses real platform widgets, so your app follows OS conventions for free. Flutter simulates them — excellent, but occasionally a half-step behind a new OS release.
The Verdict
- Web team that knows React, shared design system → React Native
- Design-heavy custom UI, animation-rich product → Flutter
- Either way: budget for real devices, store review cycles, and native modules eventually
