Posted on Jul 8

🛠️ Why I Prefer Writing My Own Widgets Over Using Random Packages

#flutter #ui #fluttertips #customwidgets

In the Flutter ecosystem, packages are everywhere. We live in an ecosystem blessed with over 30,000 packages on pub.dev. Open pub.dev and you’ll find a package for just about anything - from carousels and dropdowns to animations and state management.

But after building multiple apps, maintaining them long-term, and working with teams of varying sizes, I’ve developed a habit:

💡 When it comes to UI components, I often prefer to write my own.

Not because I like doing extra work.
Not because I want to "reinvent the wheel."
But because in most cases - it actually saves time and avoids pain later.

Here’s why.

🔍 1. Full Control Over Behavior and Look

Packages often come with their own defaults, animations, behaviors, or assumptions. Sometimes you spend more time overriding or hacking around them than if you’d just built the component yourself.

When I write my own widget:

I choose the structure, state, and styling
I integrate it directly with the app’s design system
I don’t worry about undocumented behavior changes

I build it for the app, not despite the app.

📦 2. Fewer Dependencies = Less Fragility

We’ve all seen it:

You update your Flutter version or migrate to a new SDK… and a random widget package throws errors.

Suddenly:

You’re digging through package code you didn’t write
You’re locked out of new features because of a stale dependency
You’re stuck waiting for a maintainer to push a fix

By writing your own widgets, you:

Own the code
Reduce dependency risk
Make upgrades smoother

🚀 3. Better Performance (and Less Bloat)

Many third-party widget packages come with extra features you don’t need:

Unnecessary animations
Internal rebuilds
Deep widget trees

When I build my own:

I optimize exactly what’s needed
I avoid overengineering
I keep the widget tree lean

Result: faster UI and less guessing during performance profiling.

💡 4. You Actually Learn More

Here’s the underrated truth:

Building your own widgets makes you a better Flutter developer.

You learn:

How layout, constraints, and painting work
When to use StatefulWidget vs StatelessWidget
How to manage internal state or expose callback APIs
When to use InheritedWidget, Builder, or composition

Every custom widget you write adds to your toolkit - and gives you more confidence to build complex UI from scratch.

🧠 5. Long-Term Maintenance Becomes Easier

In client projects or team settings, I’ve seen custom widgets win repeatedly because:

They’re tailored to the project
You can document and test them directly
You don’t need to rely on package maintainers

Custom components are also easier to scale into full design systems, where:

You define spacing, color, elevation, typography, and interaction
You reuse them across multiple screens or even apps
You maintain consistency without extra packages

🙌 But Wait - I Do Use Packages Too

Let me be clear: I’m not anti-package.

Some packages are essential and amazing:

flutter_bloc / hydrated_bloc for state management
go_router for routing
lottie, flutter_svg, cached_network_image for media
url_launcher, package_info_plus, etc. for platform integration

But for visual components - especially things that are central to your app’s user experience - I recommend writing your own more often than not.

It leads to better UX, more control, and cleaner architecture.

✍️ Final Thoughts

Packages are helpful - but they’re not always the best solution.

When I write my own widgets:

I avoid dependency hell
I ship UIs that feel right
I stay closer to the design goals of the project
I build a system that grows with the app

So next time you search for a widget package…

Ask yourself:

"Could I just build this in 20 lines of clean Dart instead?"

Chances are, you’ll end up with something more reliable - and you’ll grow as a developer along the way.

If you’re building something interesting or just want to talk Flutter, feel free to connect or drop a message!

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