How to Handle Large Lists in Flutter with Smart Pagination Strategies

Scrolling through endless data in an app feels effortless — until you’re the one building it! This article provides a comprehensive guide to implementing pagination in Flutter, focusing on strategies to efficiently handle large lists and prevent performance issues. We'll cover manual implementation, utilizing packages, and advanced techniques like cursor-based pagination.

Why Should You Care About Pagination?

Fetching everything at once from an API is a disaster waiting to happen. The more data you pull upfront, the more memory you chew up, and the slower your app gets. Nobody enjoys a laggy app. Pagination fixes this by loading smaller sets of data over time, keeping your app fast and your users happy.

Manual Pagination: ListView and ScrollController

If you want full control, you can build pagination manually using ListView.builder and a ScrollController.

Set Up Scroll Detection

final ScrollController _scrollController = ScrollController();

@override
void initState() {
  super.initState();
  _scrollController.addListener(() {
    if (_scrollController.position.pixels >= _scrollController.position.maxScrollExtent) {
      loadMoreItems();
    }
  });
}

Fetch More Items

Future<void> loadMoreItems() async {
  setState(() => isLoading = true);
  final response = await http.get(Uri.parse('https://api.example.com/data?page=$currentPage'));
  if (response.statusCode == 200) {
    final newItems = jsonDecode(response.body);
    setState(() {
      items.addAll(newItems);
      currentPage++;
      isLoading = false;
    });
  }
}

Build List with Loader

ListView.builder(
  controller: _scrollController,
  itemCount: items.length + 1,
  itemBuilder: (context, index) {
    if (index == items.length) {
      return isLoading ? Center(child: CircularProgressIndicator()) : SizedBox();
    }
    return ListTile(title: Text(items[index].title));
  },
);

Pro Tip: Always add a loading spinner at the bottom when fetching more!

Easy Pagination with infinite_scroll_pagination

If manual management feels tedious, the infinite_scroll_pagination package can make your life much easier.

Quick Example:

final PagingController<int, Item> _pagingController = PagingController(firstPageKey: 1);

@override
void initState() {
  super.initState();
  _pagingController.addPageRequestListener((pageKey) {
    fetchItems(pageKey);
  });
}

Future<void> fetchItems(int page) async {
  final newItems = await fetchItemsFromApi(page);
  final isLastPage = newItems.length < pageSize;
  if (isLastPage) {
    _pagingController.appendLastPage(newItems);
  } else {
    _pagingController.appendPage(newItems, page + 1);
  }
}

It manages loading states, errors, and pagination logic under the hood — so you can focus on building a great UI.

Pagination with GetX: Reactive and Simple

Using GetX for pagination is incredibly powerful, especially when your app is already using it for state management.

class ProductController extends GetxController {
  var products = <Product>[].obs;
  int page = 1;
  var isLoading = false.obs;

  void loadProducts() async {
    if (isLoading.value) return;
    isLoading(true);
    final newProducts = await ApiService.fetchProducts(page);
    products.addAll(newProducts);
    page++;
    isLoading(false);
  }
}

Whenever new data arrives, your UI will reactively update — no manual setState needed.

Cursor vs Offset Pagination: Know the Difference

Feature

Offset-Based | Cursor-Based

Speed on Large Datasets

Slower | Faster, real-time friendly

Implementation Complexity

Easy | Slightly harder

Data Accuracy

Might load duplicates | Highly reliable

Cursor-based pagination is your best friend if your app’s data keeps changing (like social feeds or live updates).

Combine Infinite Scroll with Pull-to-Refresh

Want to supercharge UX?

Allow users to pull down to refresh the list in addition to infinite scrolling!

RefreshIndicator(
  onRefresh: () async {
    items.clear();
    currentPage = 1;
    await loadMoreItems();
  },
  child: ListView.builder(
    controller: _scrollController,
    itemCount: items.length,
    itemBuilder: (_, index) => ListTile(title: Text(items[index])),
  ),
);

Bonus: Add a shimmer effect while loading for that polished, professional feel.

Shimmer.fromColors(
  baseColor: Colors.grey.shade300,
  highlightColor: Colors.grey.shade100,
  child: Container(height: 80, width: double.infinity, color: Colors.white),
);

Performance Tips You Shouldn’t Ignore

Cache smartly: Store fetched pages to avoid hitting the API again.
Optimize rebuilds: Use const widgets where possible and keys in lists.
Choose the right list widget: ListView.separated can reduce layout computation.
Debounce API Calls: Don’t trigger multiple fetches accidentally with fast scrolling.

Wrapping Up

Pagination isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for apps dealing with growing data.

Whether you roll out your own logic or lean on packages like infinite_scroll_pagination, the goal stays the same: make scrolling buttery-smooth and reliable.

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