# React Native vs Flutter: source lines of code compared

The React Native vs Flutter comparison on OctoCounts shows side-by-side source line counts for facebook/react-native and flutter/flutter, counted with the same engine and analysis options on the dates shown in the methodology line: files, total lines, code lines, comment lines, blank lines, and per-language totals, pinned to the exact commits listed below.

As of 2026-09-14, facebook/react-native contains 803,459 total lines (588,720 code) across 5,404 files, while flutter/flutter contains 2,295,064 total lines (1,612,600 code) across 9,802 files as of 2026-09-16. flutter/flutter is about 2.7x the size of facebook/react-native by code lines. Code size is not code quality: a larger count only means more source material, not a better or worse project.

| Metric | [facebook/react-native](https://octocounts.com/github/facebook/react-native) | [flutter/flutter](https://octocounts.com/github/flutter/flutter) |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Files | 5,404 | 9,802 |
| Total lines | 803,459 | 2,295,064 |
| Code lines | 588,720 | 1,612,600 |
| Comment lines | 126,873 | 411,482 |
| Blank lines | 87,866 | 270,982 |
| Languages counted | 12 | 12 |

Top languages in facebook/react-native: JavaScript (43.6% of code), Kotlin (11.8% of code), C++ (11.3% of code). Top languages in flutter/flutter: Dart (59.8% of code), C++ (22.2% of code), C Header (5.6% of code). C++, C Header, JSON appear in both top language lists; JavaScript, Kotlin appear only in facebook/react-native's top languages; Dart, Objective-C++ appear only in flutter/flutter's top languages.

Methodology: both counts come from cached OctoCounts reports generated with tokei. facebook/react-native was counted at ref 9038350cba5dc3759f5d2eec6298a73a2fbf0628 (commit 9038350cba5d) on 2026-09-14; flutter/flutter was counted at ref 60bae28e4b48bec6449455df7e6b294d5467a5a8 (commit 60bae28e4b48) on 2026-09-16. See the [counting methodology](https://octocounts.com/docs/methodology) for ignored directories and analysis options.
## About this comparison

facebook/react-native counts the React Native repository: the framework's JavaScript layer, native modules and components across several native languages, plus docs and test infrastructure. flutter/flutter counts the Flutter SDK repository — the framework and tools written in Dart — but not the Dart engine, which lives in the separate flutter/engine repository. The two counts therefore cover different layers of each stack, as the language tables above make visible.

The per-language tables show the architectural difference directly: React Native's counted code is spread across JavaScript/TypeScript and several native languages because the repository ships its native glue itself, while flutter/flutter is predominantly Dart, with the engine's C++ counted in a different repository.

Neither repository counts the engine its apps ultimately run on — React Native relies on an external JavaScript engine, and Flutter's engine sits outside the counted tree — so both totals understate what ships inside a finished app by the same kind of margin.

_Repository size is not app install size: a finished app includes an engine build, framework code, and assets that these repositories account for differently. Compare the counts as source-tree sizes, not as what ships to a device._

Sources: [facebook/react-native repository](https://github.com/facebook/react-native) · [flutter/flutter repository (SDK framework and tools)](https://github.com/flutter/flutter). Statements verified 2026-09-16.

Evidence and next steps:

- [facebook/react-native SLOC report](https://octocounts.com/github/facebook/react-native)
- [flutter/flutter SLOC report](https://octocounts.com/github/flutter/flutter)
- [Compare facebook/react-native and flutter/flutter interactively](https://octocounts.com/compare?left=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Ffacebook%2Freact-native&right=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fflutter%2Fflutter)

Note: code size is not code quality. OctoCounts only reports reproducible line counts and makes no claim that either project is better.

## Compare FAQ

### Which has more lines of code, facebook/react-native or flutter/flutter?

flutter/flutter has more code: 1,612,600 code lines versus 588,720 for facebook/react-native, about 2.7x as much, based on cached OctoCounts reports as of 2026-09-16.

### Does more source lines of code mean more complexity?

Not necessarily. SLOC measures size, not complexity, quality, or maintainability. A larger codebase can mean more features, more generated or vendored code, more verbose language idioms, or more tests — none of which imply the code is harder to work with. Use SLOC to gauge the scale of what you'd be reading or maintaining, not as a quality signal for facebook/react-native, flutter/flutter, or any repository.

### How is this comparison calculated?

Methodology: both counts come from cached OctoCounts reports generated with tokei. facebook/react-native was counted at ref 9038350cba5dc3759f5d2eec6298a73a2fbf0628 (commit 9038350cba5d) on 2026-09-14; flutter/flutter was counted at ref 60bae28e4b48bec6449455df7e6b294d5467a5a8 (commit 60bae28e4b48) on 2026-09-16. See the counting methodology for ignored directories and analysis options.

### Can I compare a different branch, tag, or commit?

Yes. This page shows the default branch for each repository. Use the interactive comparison tool to pick any public GitHub repository, branch, tag, or commit SHA for both sides and get a fresh side-by-side report.

## Related OctoCounts pages

- [Interactive repository comparison](https://octocounts.com/compare)
- [Recently analyzed repositories](https://octocounts.com/recent)
- [Popular SLOC reports](https://octocounts.com/popular)
- [Trending GitHub repositories](https://octocounts.com/trending)
- [Hall of Monoliths](https://octocounts.com/hall-of-monoliths)
- [Original research: how filtering changes SLOC counts](https://octocounts.com/research)
- [GitHub SLOC counter guide](https://octocounts.com/docs/github-sloc-counter)
- [Counting methodology](https://octocounts.com/docs/methodology)
- [SLOC and code metrics glossary](https://octocounts.com/docs/glossary)
- [OctoCounts API docs](https://octocounts.com/docs/api)