Let’s be honest for a sec…

“Should I use setState, or Provider, or Riverpod?
I heard Bloc is better for large apps, but isn’t it too much for small ones?
Oh wait, now everyone’s talking about Signals...”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
State management in Flutter is one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in the community.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t need to learn all the state management libraries.
You just need to understand when and why to use each based on your app’s complexity*.*

In this post, we’ll walk through:

• What state management actually means in Flutter

• Real-world examples (small to large app scenarios)

• A friendly comparison of setState, Provider, Bloc, Riverpod

• The cost of choosing the wrong tool

• My personal journey and what I recommend today

Let’s make state management make sense.

What Is State Management, Really?

Before we dive into tools, let’s clear this up.

“State” = any piece of data that affects your UI.*
This can be:*

• A counter value (int count)

• User login status (bool isLoggedIn)

• A fetched list of posts (List<Post>)

• A form input (String email)

Whenever that data changes, the UI needs to update to reflect the new state.

So:

State management = keeping track of changes + rebuilding the right parts of the UI.

Sounds simple… until your app has 15 screens, 3 types of state, and 2 developers fighting over where the logic should live.

Real-World Analogy: Managing State = Managing Conversations

Imagine you’re at a party with a few friends. One person says something, and a few others react.

If only 2 people are talking, it’s easy to manage.

But if everyone’s shouting across the room things get chaotic.
That’s what happens when your app grows without proper state separation.

State management helps you:

• Decide who owns the state

• Control who should rebuild when it changes

• Keep everything organized and predictable

Scenario 1: The Simple App (Counter, Toggle, Form)

Let’s say you’re building a simple counter or toggle switch. One widget, one screen.

Here’s what works beautifully:

class MyCounter extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  State<MyCounter> createState() => _MyCounterState();
}

class _MyCounterState extends State<MyCounter> {
  int count = 0;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Column(
      children: [
        Text('Count: $count'),
        ElevatedButton(
          onPressed: () => setState(() => count++),
          child: Text('Increment'),
        ),
      ],
    );
  }
}

Use setState when:

• Your state is local to one widget

• Your app is simple

• No business logic, no shared state

setState is not evil it's fast and perfect for UI-local state.

Scenario 2: Medium App (Login Flow, Theme Toggle, Auth State)

Now your app has 3–5 screens. You need to:

• Keep track of whether the user is logged in

• Show a different home screen if not

• Share data across screens (e.g., user info, theme mode)

This is where setState breaks down it doesn’t persist across screens, and passing state through constructors becomes messy.

Use Provider when:

• You need to share state across multiple widgets or screens

• You want separation of concerns (UI ≠ business logic)

• You still want things to feel Flutter-native

Example:

class AuthProvider with ChangeNotifier {
  bool isLoggedIn = false;

  void login() {
    isLoggedIn = true;
    notifyListeners();
  }
}

Then in UI:

final auth = Provider.of<AuthProvider>(context);
auth.login();

• Works well with small to medium apps

• Easy learning curve

• Plays nicely with Consumer, Selector, and performance tools

Scenario 3: Large App (Chat App, eCommerce, Real-Time Data)

Let’s say:

• You have 10+ screens

• Multiple async calls

• Business logic needs to be testable

• You need to separate UI, UseCase, Repository, Data Source

Here’s where Bloc or Cubit shines.

With Bloc, you structure your app like a real system, with clear layers.

// Event
class LoadUserEvent extends UserEvent {}

// State
class UserLoaded extends UserState {
  final User user;
  UserLoaded(this.user);
}

// Bloc
class UserBloc extends Bloc<UserEvent, UserState> {
  final UserRepo repo;

  UserBloc(this.repo) : super(UserInitial()) {
    on<LoadUserEvent>((event, emit) async {
      final user = await repo.getUser();
      emit(UserLoaded(user));
    });
  }
}

Use Bloc or Cubit when:

• You want strict structure + testability

• You’re working in a team

• You need predictable, event-driven logic

• You’re building apps with real business logic

Yes, it’s more boilerplate but in large apps, that structure is gold.

Scenario 4: Clean & Modern State (with Less Boilerplate)

Now say you love Provider’s simplicity but wish it had:

• Better modularity

• More control

• Support for scoped overrides

• Built-in testing features

Enter: Riverpod

Riverpod is like a modern evolution of Provider. It’s fully DI-friendly, testable, and stateless at its core.

final counterProvider = StateProvider<int>((ref) => 0);

ref.read(counterProvider.notifier).state++;

It works with hooks, async providers, FutureProvider, and integrates beautifully with Clean Architecture.

Use Riverpod when:

• You want fine-grained control without the Bloc boilerplate

• You prefer composition over inheritance

• You like working declaratively and test-first

Comparison Table: Flutter State Management at a Glance

What Happens If You Pick the Wrong One?

Let’s be real:

• Picking Bloc for a 2-screen app = frustration

• Using setState in a real-time shopping app = chaos

• Using Provider for deeply nested reactive logic = rebuild madness

That’s why choosing the right tool for the job is key. Don’t just follow trends understand your app’s needs.

My Journey (And What I Recommend)

When I started:

• I used setState for everything.

• Then I discovered Provider — and it changed my life.

• On a large team project, we used Bloc, and it made the architecture scale.

• Now, for personal and clean projects, I use Riverpod it’s declarative, scalable, and clean.

So, here’s my general recommendation:

• Very Small (1–2 screens) - setState

• Small to Medium - Provider or Riverpod

• Large / Team Projects - Bloc or Riverpod

• Apps with Clean Architecture - Riverpod + DI or Bloc + get_it

Final Thoughts

State management in Flutter isn’t about picking the “best” tool it’s about picking the right tool for your app’s complexity.

Start simple. Learn why things break. Then scale your tools as your app grows.

And remember:

Clean architecture isn’t about more code it’s about code that makes sense later.

I’d Love to Hear From You

• What’s your go-to state management solution?

• Have you had pain points switching from one to another?

• Want me to break down Riverpod or Bloc in the next post?

Let’s keep learning and keep Flutter clean.