# Top Flutter & Dart Packages in 2023 > A curated list of packages we find useful for Flutter and Dart projects - Source: https://verygood.ventures/blog/top-flutter-dart-packages/ - Published: 2023-03-20 - Author: VGV Team - Tags: Best Practices, Flutter, Open Source --- Open source packages play a huge role in software development, especially when it comes to building Flutter apps. [Pub.dev](http://pub.dev/) has a growing ecosystem of over 33,000 packages to help you add functionality to your Flutter application. This blog contains a curated list of Flutter and Dart packages that are useful to building apps at VGV, as well as those we use in our personal projects. **Table of Contents:** - [**How to decide which Flutter or Dart package to use in your project**](#id-how-to-decide-which-flutter-or-dart-package-to-use-in-your-project) - [**Top open source packages**](#id-top-open-source-packages) - [**Top VGV packages**](#id-top-vgv-packages) ✨ denotes a package added in this update ## How to decide which Flutter or Dart package to use in your project With thousands of packages to choose from in the Flutter ecosystem, how do you choose which package to use in your project? Here at VGV, we take a few characteristics into account when selecting a package to include in our projects.  Packages that have example code, are well-documented, and have a clear README will be much easier to implement in your own code than packages without. On the more technical side, we recommend looking for the package's test coverage, a well documented changelog, lint rules, and if the package is up to date with the latest version of Flutter. The Flutter Ecosystem Committee also takes much of this into account when they give a package the [Flutter Favorite badge](https://docs.flutter.dev/development/packages-and-plugins/favorites). Here is a list of questions we use to assess packages: **Basics** - Does the package have a clearly defined scope/focus? - Does it have an intuitive API? - Does it have a permissive license (MIT, etc.)? - Does it have an easy to read changelog? - Does it have contributing guidelines? - Is it widely used? We like to look at GitHub stars, dependents, and the popularity score on pub to approximate. Bonus points if it’s a Flutter Favorite! **Quality** - Does it have good test coverage? - Does it have a good pana score? - Does it have lint rules configured? - Does it have continuous integration configured? **Maintenance** - Is it kept up-to-date with the latest stable versions of Flutter/Dart? - Is it well-documented?  - Does it contain information on how to use the package (README, examples, docs site, etc.)? - Does it have API documentation (dart doc)? - Are the maintainers active? - Are the maintainers friendly and collaborative? ## Top Open Source Packages ### alchemist  [Alchemist](https://pub.dev/packages/alchemist) is a package designed to enhance golden testing. This package, developed by Betterment x VGV, contains a declarative API and addresses some pain points of golden test support within the Flutter framework — such as fixing continuous integration test flakes and simplifying injecting a custom theme. Here’s a [blog about how to use alchemist](https://verygood.ventures/blog/alchemist-golden-tests-tutorial/) with your golden tests. ### auto\_size\_text ✨ [Auto_size_text](https://pub.dev/packages/auto_size_text) is an enhanced text widget that automatically sizes the text within an area to fit the desired constraints. These constraints include max size, min size, max lines, or even a preset list of sizes. ### cached\_network\_image ✨ [Cached_network_image](https://pub.dev/packages/cached_network_image) is a great way to load any images that are coming from the network. This library will load an image, as well as show placeholders and loading animations. It will also cache this image so you are not loading the same image twice. ### collection  This package from the Dart team is a must-have if you’re using collections in your codebase. [Collection](https://pub.dev/packages/collection) contains functions to help with equality within elements of a collection, as well as between collections, list operations, priority queue implementation, and wrappers. ### coverage We believe in the [importance of 100% code coverage](https://verygood.ventures/blog/very-good-coverage/), which ensures that each line of code is tested and behaves as expected. [Coverage](https://pub.dev/packages/coverage) is a great Dart package that allows users to collect, manipulate, and format coverage data. With coverage, you can collect coverage from the Dart VM and format that coverage data into [LCOV](http://ltp.sourceforge.net/coverage/lcov.php) or pretty-printed format. ### cloud\_firestore [Cloud_firestore](https://pub.dev/packages/cloud_firestore#cloud-firestore-plugin-for-flutter) is a Flutter plugin that gives users access to the Firebase [Cloud Firestore](https://firebase.google.com/products/firestore) database, a NoSQL cloud database for mobile, web, and server development. This allows your application to read, write, and react to real-time changes in the Firestore database. Be sure to check out the documentation on how you can start [using the cloud_firestore package](https://firebase.flutter.dev/docs/firestore/usage/) in your own projects. ### equatable  [Equatable](https://pub.dev/packages/equatable) is a small but helpful package for comparing Dart objects. This package overloads the == operator and allows you to compare objects without code generation. ### firebase\_auth We can’t recommend cloud\_firestore without also mentioning [firebase_auth](https://pub.dev/packages/firebase_auth). firebase\_auth allows users to access the [Firebase Authentication](https://firebase.google.com/products/auth/) API, enabling authentication through passwords, telephone numbers, and service providers like Twitter, Facebook, and Google. Visit the [Authentication Usage documentation](https://firebase.flutter.dev/docs/auth/usage/) to learn more about integrating firebase\_auth into your projects. ### flame [Flame](https://pub.dev/packages/flame) is a must-have for game development in Flutter. It leverages the Flutter framework to provide everything you need to build performant games. With flame, your Flutter game is only a widget away. Get started with their detailed documentation. ### flame\_bloc If you’re using flame to build a game, you can also leverage the bloc library for managing game state. The [flame_bloc](https://pub.dev/packages/flame_bloc) package makes it easy to access and listen to blocs and cubits. For a tutorial on using flame\_bloc, [check out our blog](https://verygood.ventures/blog/flutter-games-with-bloc-and-flame/). ### flutter\_bloc We prefer to use the [flutter_bloc](https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_bloc) package for state management. A [Flutter Favorite](https://flutter.dev/docs/development/packages-and-plugins/favorites), flutter\_bloc is a simple, predictable, and easily testable solution to state management, which fits in perfectly with the development practices here at VGV. We even wrote an article that takes an in depth look at [why we use flutter_bloc](https://verygood.ventures/blog/why-we-use-flutter-bloc/). ### flow\_builder [Flow_builder](https://pub.dev/packages/flow_builder) is a Flutter package that simplifies the use of navigation stacks following the new Navigator 2.0 API. Simply create a flow state and flow\_builder will be able to generate a new navigation stack based on changes to the flow state. ### flutter\_gen In Flutter, using a string to specify a path to an asset isn’t safe. For example, an assertion error can be thrown if you accidentally mistype the asset path. [flutter_gen](https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_gen) is a code generator for assets, fonts, colors, and more, effectively getting rid of string-based APIs. With flutter\_gen, you can use code generation to generate compile-safe asset references instead of using strings for asset paths. For more information on how to install and use flutter\_gen, be sure to check out the [documentation](https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_gen). ### flutter\_secure\_storage ✨ If you are looking to store sensitive data on a device, [flutter_secure_storage](https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_secure_storage) may come in handy. This library provides a convenient way to access the platform specific encrypted storage: Keychain for iOS and AES encryption or EncryptedSharedPreferences for Android. ### freezed ✨ [Freezed](https://pub.dev/packages/freezed) allows you to define immutable classes in Dart in a clean and easy way. When annotated on a class, freezed will generate all of the required boilerplate to make the class into a data class with fromJson, toJson, and all other necessary methods. Freezed can be a useful tool, but it should be used intentionally, as it can cause long build times when used in larger projects. ### googleapis The [googleapis](https://pub.dev/packages/googleapis) Dart package provides auto-generated Dart libraries to access the APIs found in the [Google API Client Libraries](https://developers.google.com/api-client-library). Installing this one package gives you access to dozens of available Google APIs, including the Admin SDK, Calendar, Dialogflow, Drive, and more. Be sure to read up on how you can use [Google APIs with Flutter](https://flutter.dev/docs/development/data-and-backend/google-apis). ### hive [Hive](https://pub.dev/packages/hive) is a Dart package that provides developers with an easily accessible NoSQL Database. It is simple, powerful, and intuitive — we appreciate how you can easily store primitives and Dart objects inside hive’s map-like database.  ### in\_app\_review User feedback can be an integral part of the app development process, so we’re including the [in_app_review](https://pub.dev/packages/in_app_review) Flutter package on our list. Developers can prompt users for an app store review within the app. ### mason The [mason](https://pub.dev/packages/mason) Dart package is a key tool in increasing efficiency through automation. With mason, you can create and customize reusable code templates in the form of bricks. Here is an article with tutorials on how to use [mason](https://verygood.ventures/blog/code-generation-with-mason/). ### membrane [Membrane](https://github.com/jerel/membrane) is a helpful package for generating code from Rust to Dart. With an emphasis on performance and strict typing, it’s a reliable way to port code over into Dart. ### mocktail Automated testing is a key component of our development workflow to ensure that our applications perform as expected. One go-to package for writing automated tests is [mocktail](https://pub.dev/packages/mocktail). Mocktail, inspired by [mockito](https://pub.dev/packages/mockito), allows users to stub and verify method behavior by creating mocks without relying on code generation in null safe codebases.  Mocktail also works in tandem with our new [mockingjay](https://pub.dev/packages/mockingjay) package, which allows users to mock, test, and verify navigation behavior. Stay tuned for more about this new package! ### modal\_bottom\_sheet Maintained by our teammate Jaime Blasco, [modal_bottom_sheet](https://pub.dev/packages/modal_bottom_sheet) makes it simple to implement a modal bottom sheet that is both performant and looks at home on any native mobile device. It includes support for scrolling, dragging, and other customizations. ### pana [Pana](https://pub.dev/packages/pana) is a handy Dart package that lets you analyze the health and quality of other packages that you’re using in your application. It evaluates the packages across multiple categories: - Follows Dart conventions - Provides documentation - Supports multiple platforms - Passes static analysis - Supports up-to-date dependencies To get started, simply install pana from pub.dev and specify either a package or a local directory to analyze. ### Plus Plugins ✨ The [Plus Plugins](https://github.com/fluttercommunity/plus_plugins) are a collection of plugins that expose added functionality for things like accessing battery state, sensors, and more. Some of our favorite plugins from the bunch are [connectivity_plus](https://pub.dev/packages/connectivity_plus) which tells you when you have internet access and [share_plus](https://pub.dev/packages/share_plus) which lets you share content using the platform's share dialog. ### purchases\_flutter [Purchases_flutter](https://pub.dev/packages/purchases_flutter) is a helpful package by RevenueCat for implementing in-app purchases with StoreKit and Google Play Billing in your Flutter apps. Get purchase tracking, in-app subscriptions, and analytics all in one place. ### recase [Recase](https://pub.dev/packages/recase) is a small but mighty package to easily change the case of input text into snake\_case, dot.case, path/case, PascalCase, and more. ### url\_launcher True to its name, the [url_launcher](https://pub.dev/packages/url_launcher) Flutter package is a convenient way to launch external URLs from your application with many URL schemes supported. Use this package when you want to rely on the underlying platform to handle opening the URL for you. ## Top VGV packages ### cli\_completion ✨ This [package](https://pub.dev/packages/cli_completion) is a small, but mighty utility that comes in handy when building your own command-line interface. Easily add completion functionality to any Dart CLI. ### dart\_frog ✨ [Dart_frog](https://dart-frog.dev/) is a fast, minimalistic backend framework written entirely in Dart. If you love Dart for frontend development and want to use the same language for backend development, you can try dart\_frog. It only takes a few lines to get started, and it supports hot reload. Check out our [full stack tutorial](https://verygood.ventures/blog/dart-frog-full-stack-tutorial/). ### flame\_behaviors ✨ [Flame_behaviors](https://pub.dev/packages/flame_behaviors) allows you to create games using entities and behaviors. It can also make it easier to scale and test your games. Check out [our blog](https://verygood.ventures/blog/build-games-with-flame-behaviors/) to learn how to create a Pong game with flame\_behaviors. ### formz At VGV, we use the [formz](https://pub.dev/packages/formz) package, which heavily simplifies form representation and validation in an easily understandable format. Simply extend FormzInput and provide the input and error type. ### r13n ✨ [R13n](https://pub.dev/packages/r13n) makes it easy to implement regionalization in your app, allowing you to further personalize apps with a global audience. This package can and should be used in conjunction with l10n. ### very\_good\_analysis Linting tools are great for ensuring high-quality, consistent code by checking for stylistic errors. We created the [very_good_analysis](https://pub.dev/packages/very_good_analysis) package to combine the rules from the (now deprecated) [pedantic package](https://pub.dev/packages/pedantic), as well as some additional options that we use at VGV. Read more about [very_good_analysis](https://verygood.ventures/blog/introducing-very-good-analysis/). ### very\_good\_cli [very_good_cli](https://pub.dev/packages/very_good_cli) is a command line tool that can be used to generate a number of opinionated templates, including: Very Good Core, our opinionated Flutter starter application, Flutter package, Dart package, and federated plugin. We created Very Good CLI to make it easier to start new projects — whether a multi-platform application or Flutter package — and ensure our best practices are implemented out of the box. ### very\_good\_workflows GitHub workflows can help you standardize the steps that are run as part of your CI process — we typically use them on each PR before merging. We created [very_good_workflows](https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource/very_good_workflows) to open source the workflows we use to check for opinionated best practices at VGV. [Learn more about customizing workflows in this blog](https://verygood.ventures/blog/configuring-workflows-for-your-flutter-projects/). **While this list isn’t exhaustive, we wanted to showcase the top packages that we consistently use in both our VGV work and personal Flutter projects.** *Thanks to those who contributed to this article: Samantha O’Brien, Noel Jacob, Marcos Sevilla, and Daniel Duan.* ### [**See all of our open source packages here →**](https://github.com/VeryGoodOpenSource)