Flutter Provider vs Riverpod: What's the Difference?

Flutter is an amazing mobile app development framework with lots of amazing features and capabilities. When it comes to state management, Flutter offers developers several options to choose from, including Provider and Riverpod.

Provider and Riverpod are both state management packages for Flutter. They are both developed by the same developer, Remi Rousselet. However, they have some differences that make them unique. In this tutorial, we'll explore the differences between these two packages, and when to use one over the other.

What is Provider?

Provider is a Flutter package that provides an easy way to manage app state. Provider uses the InheritedWidget technology to propagate state down the widget tree. With Provider, you can easily define your state and use it across your app. Provider supports multiple types of state, including mutable state, immutable state, and streams.

Code Snippet: Basic Use of Provider

class MyHomePage extends StatelessWidget {
  final counter = Provider.of<Counter>(context);
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text('Provider Example'),
      ),
      body: Center(
        child: Text(
          'Counter: \${counter.value}',
          style: Theme.of(context).textTheme.headline4,
        ),
      ),
      floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
        onPressed: counter.increment,
        tooltip: 'Increment',
        child: Icon(Icons.add),
      ),
    );
  }
}

What is Riverpod?

Riverpod is a Flutter package that offers a lightweight solution for state management. Like Provider, Riverpod uses the InheritedWidget technology to propagate state down the widget tree. However, Riverpod has some unique features that set it apart.

Riverpod's design is more flexible than Provider's. With Riverpod, you can define your app's state in a more granular way. This makes it easier to define and access your app's state, especially if you have complex state management needs. Riverpod also supports asynchronous programming, making it easy to incorporate streams and other asynchronous operations into your state management.

Code Snippet: Basic Use of Riverpod

final myStateProvider = StateProvider((ref) => 0);

class MyHomePage extends ConsumerWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, ScopedReader watch) {
    final myState = watch(myStateProvider).state;
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text('Riverpod Example'),
      ),
      body: Center(
        child: Text(
          'Counter: \${myState}',
          style: Theme.of(context).textTheme.headline4,
        ),
      ),
      floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
        onPressed: () => context.read(myStateProvider).state++,
        tooltip: 'Increment',
        child: Icon(Icons.add),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Provider vs Riverpod: Which Should I Use?

Both Provider and Riverpod are excellent options for state management in Flutter. The decision of which to use depends on your specific needs. Provider is a great option for simple state management needs, while Riverpod is a better option for more complex state management. If you're already familiar with Provider, but have complex state management needs, it may be worth learning Riverpod as well.

Conclusion

Provider and Riverpod are both great state management packages for Flutter. Provider is a simple and easy-to-use option for simple app state management, while Riverpod is a more flexible and powerful option for complex app state management. Whichever you choose, you can be confident that you're using an excellent state management solution.