React Native sits at the helm of mobile app development in this day and age. Some of the largest companies on the planet like Facebook, Pinterest, Skype, Uber, and Brex have endorsed React Native for app development. Before we get into comparing React Native to Native for mobile app development services, it is vital to understand what they are.
What Is React Native?
In a nutshell, React Native is a framework that allows web developers to forge powerful mobile applications using their existing JavaScript knowledge. React Native is known for swift mobile development, efficiently sharing codes across iOS, Android, and the web without compromising the end user’s experience.
Two threads run in every React Native application – the main thread and the thread specific to React Native.
The main thread displays the elements of the User Interface (UI) that handles user gestures. The second thread is tasked with executing the JavaScript code in a JavaScript engine. The business logic of the application, and the UI’s structure and functionalities are defined here.
Keep in mind that these two threads never block each other. There exists a bridge between these threads that exhibit the following characteristics:
- Asynchronous
- Batched
- Serializable
What Is Native?
Native mobile app development refers to creating an app exclusively for a particular platform. In other words, mobile app developers use programming languages and tools specific to that platform to forge the app.
Native mobile apps are known for excellent app quality and end-user experience. However, the major drawback of native app development is the exorbitant app development costs.
React Native Vs Native: What Factors To Consider
Before looking at the pros and cons of each mobile app development framework, it is vital to know which factors to look for. Here are the main ones:
- Development Time
For Native app development, the code is written individually for Android and iOS due to technical variations. In other words, you need two teams to make your app functional on both platforms.
However, with React Native, you have a single code for both platforms from the same developers, meaning, you can hire react native developers to use the same code to build React Native apps for both platforms.
If you want to get your app out on the market as quickly as possible, React Native is the way to go.
- User Interface (UI) / UserExperience (UX)
Creating a sophisticated user interface with animations, seamless transitions, customer views, etc is difficult with React Native. However, doing this is not all that challenging while building a native app.
Also, matching UI/UX standards of Android and iOS is relatively easier with native compared to React Native. In other words, native wins this one.
Pros Of React Native
Now that you have an idea about what to look for, here are the main advantages of React Native:
- Cross-platform & Time efficiency
One of the primary advantages of React Native is its cross-platform technology. With this framework, the source code is processed and rendered into the Android and iOS components. It enables the same source code to build apps for both Android and iOS. In other words, this framework is perfect if cost and time are a major priority.
- Cost Efficiency
Native app development comes with exorbitant costs. You need to have two development teams to create the app for Android and iOS, which comes at a cost. If you choose to hire React Native developers from a reputable company, you can reduce your app development costs by 25-30%. Additionally, you can expect no difference in the speed of work, with the same rate for both platforms.
Cons Of React Native
Here are the primary cons of React Native:
- Lower Quality And Performance
Considering cross-platform development is the primary feature of React Native, it is not surprising that the quality and performance would take a hit. While native apps can fully utilize the capabilities of dedicated systems, React Native is comparatively slower and less efficient with high-performance requirements. If you are running a game or an app with heavy animations, React Native is not for you.
- You Need A Native Developer
While the source code is processed and rendered into Android and iOS components, you may need to include a separate component at times, for which you need a react native app developer. You can incorporate native blocks into React Native code, but you still need an iOS or Android developer to create them. Getting native mobile app developers can complicate the process at times. This is especially true if you have to manage three sets of codes, which nullifies the point of using a cross-platform framework in the first place.
Pros Of Native
Here are the main pros of native app development:
- Support & Security
This framework is evolved, mature, and is ahead of its cross-platform competitors, enjoying support from the primary platform providers – Google and Apple. Native also has tremendous security and has a lot of hardware power to handle critical tasks and protect vital data.
- Specialized
The fact that dedicated platforms facilitate writing lower-level codes allows enhanced control. The code you write is much easier to evaluate, troubleshoot, and debug because native app development is specific to the platform you choose. If you are using Android, you do not have to worry about other platforms.
Furthermore, considering you have only one system in question, dedicated mobile app developers should have no problem identifying and rectifying issues that arise. Finally, native apps offer incredible application quality and UX and UI.
Cons Of Native
- High Development Cost
The major problem with native app development is the costs that come with it. If you want to develop separate native apps on both platforms, you will need to invest in two specialized teams.
- Time Consuming
If you are developing a separate app for each platform, you will have two entirely different source codes, which translates to more complex app development, difficult maintenance, updates, and so forth. In other words, it will take a lot of time to develop and test two apps.
Summing Up
Now that you know the difference between React Native and Native, it will now be easier for you to choose the right platform for your mobile app development. In case, you are still confused, below are some quick facts you must know about –
- Native app development requires you to write different codes for Android and iOS platforms, which is not the case with React Native. It works on both platforms with a single code.
- According to a study of the market, the cost of React Native app development is 30-35% less than that of Native app development.
- Creating advanced user experiences like animations, navigation patterns, etc. is challenging with React Native. On the contrary, Native app development makes it easier.
Some other factors that can help you make a better decision include app maintenance, security, API, third-party support, interactivity, scalability, and more.
Facebook, Walmart, Wix, Bloomberg, among many other brands are already working with React Native. Thus, you can also make a choice based on your requirements.
Alternatively, you can always seek help from top mobile app development companies like Quytech to take your ideas to the next level.
