In the last 10 years, the mobile application market has grown more rapidly than it has in the last 50 years. With the increasing demand for mobile applications, development frameworks were also becoming popular. React Native has become the most preferred mobile app development framework in recent times. According to a survey, 42% of developers use React Native, making it the most popular framework used by global developers. Many business owners, especially the non-technical founders, struggle with the right framework for their applications. Though most of them end up choosing React Native. This blog is going to help people in gaining better insights about React Native and understanding why it’s the best choice for mobile app development.

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source JavaScript framework. It enables web developers to create robust mobile applications using their existing JavaScript knowledge. React Native was created by Facebook and is based on Facebook’s JavaScript library. Applications for both Android and iOS can be created using React Native app development services. Instead of building a whole app from scratch, React Native uses the already present building blocks in iOS and Android. Developers use JavaScript and React to put those building blocks together and create a new app. 

Features of React Native

Now that we know what React Native is, let us discuss the features that set it apart from other frameworks. 

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1. Write Once Use Anywhere

React Native allows developers to write a code once and use it on any other platform, be it Android, iOS, or Windows. This is the most likeable feature of React Native because even though different operating systems like Android and iOS are built using different languages, developers don’t need to write separate codes. 

2. User Interface Focused

The User Interface (UI) is an important part of any app. Developers always put a lot of effort into building the perfect User Interface. React Native gives a lot of attention to an app’s UI. It is UI-focused and makes the app load easily and provides a smoother feel. 

3. Support for 3rd Party Libraries

React Native provides easy access to third-party libraries. While developing apps using React Native developers can use these libraries to create a better app. 

4. Node Package Manager

Many developers find the installation process tedious and boring. React Native has solved this problem with help of Node Package Managed. The use of NPM makes the installation of an app faster. 

5. Open-Source

The open-source feature of React Native app development is splendid. It supports a great number of open-source libraries, like Xamarin, Flutter, and Ionic. These libraries make the development process easier and provide solutions. The developer community of React Native keeps these libraries updated. This makes it the most preferred framework by clients and developers. 

6. Native Modules

A native nodule is a set of JavaScript functions which are executed natively in each platform. React Native framework uses the native modules feature to create a cross-platform application. Developers can create an app and using this feature, run it on both iOS and Android. 

Difference Between React Native and React JS

Many people, especially those of non-technical background, get confused between React Native and React JS. Though they both were developed by Facebook and use JavaScript for development, they are not the same. 

React JS is a JavaScript library used to create user interfaces for web applications. It supports both the front-end and server-side. Whereas React Native is an open-source framework used to create mobile applications across various platforms. It uses React JS for building apps. 

While there are many similarities between React Native and React JS, there are also some notable differences. Let’s take a look at some of them-

1. Platform

a. React JS – It can be executed on all platforms.
b. React Native – It is platform-specific. Developers need to make a bit more effort to make it platform-independent.

2. Security

a. React JS – It is more secure and provides a high level of security to users.
b. React Native – The security standards are low in React Native.

3. Application Types

a. React JS – It is used to build web applications or single page applications.
b. React Native – It is used to build mobile applications over various platforms.

4. Animations

a. React JS – React JS uses CSS to create high-level animations. 
b. React Native – It uses API to create animations 

5. User interface

a. React JS – It allows the developers to create a high-performing and engaging UI layer as it is a Javascript library.
b. React Native – It allows developers to create native apps according to the platforms.

Benefits of React Native

React Native is so popular because of the benefits or advantages it has over other frameworks. Here are some reasons why companies prefer React Native.

1. Usable on Different Platforms

Every company wants its app to be available on all platforms. But developing an app for iOS, Android and Windows is an exhausting task. You need to hire Java developers for Android apps and Swift developers for iOS. At the same time, businesses don’t want to cost performance or functionality by building non-native apps. This is where React Native comes in. It allows companies to use the same code to create native applications for different platforms. 

2. Faster Development

React Native creates reusable code, this makes the development process faster. It takes less time to write the majority of code for one app on React Native than it takes on any other platform. Most of the code is reusable, saves time during the development process, and allows businesses to release the apps sooner rather than later. 

3. Better Performance

Many companies worry about sacrificing performance while developing an app for multiple platforms. React Native curtails React native uses native modules to write codes. This allows the developers to create native apps which improves the performance of the apps.

4. Hot Reload

Hot reload allows the developer to inject new code directly into a running app. This lets the developer see changes instantly, without rebuilding. Hot reload also avoids the risk of losing the application during a full reload. Hot reload also speeds up the development process. 

Top Companies using React Native

Many companies use React Native to build their applications. Mentioned below are some well-known companies that have profited from using React Native. 

1. Bloomberg

Bloomberg is a well-known finance company providing tools for equity trading and analytics. Its website and app deliver news to inform the public about market and business trends. Bloomberg used React native to implement automated code refreshes in its application. This feature notifies users about all the latest business trends.

2. Facebook

Facebook developed React Native, so they obviously would build their app using it. Facebook Ads Manager, built entirely on React Native, is a convenient space for individuals and businesses alike to manage advertisements for their products. Even though it’s cross-platform, it handles UI differences and transitions flawlessly

3. Uber Eats

Uber eats is a famous delivery service that delivers food to a person’s doorstep. Like many other companies, Uber Eats has built its app using React Native. The developers used React Native to create an elegant UI for the app along with a smooth user experience. 

4. Instagram

Instagram is a social networking site, owned by Facebook. In 2016, Instagram decided to integrate React Native into its apps. The change allowed the networking site to maintain both iOS and Android apps with ease and develop new features faster.

5. Skype

Microsoft’s Skype is a VoIP software, mostly used for video chatting. It also allows users to send and receive voice calls and instant messages. After using React Native for several years, Microsoft decided to change its mobile app development framework to Electron. This change disappointed many users as it took away a lot of useful features. 

Role of React Native in Scaling Business

Choosing the right technology for your business can be a scary task, especially if you are a non-technical founder. The decision becomes even harder if you want to build a mobile application. React Native app development services have been used to build applications by many startups. React Native is advantageous from both a business and development point of view. It has also helped a lot of startups in scaling their businesses. 

Businesses want a robust and cost-efficient framework to build their applications. A good application helps businesses in acquiring a large customer base. React Native can easily do that for you because this is the best framework for creating cross-platform applications. 

Let’s take a look at how React Native helps in scaling a business –

* Effective Cross-platform Development

If a business wants to grow big and successful, then it needs to reach every platform it can. The best way to do that is by creating an app that will work in Android, iOS, and Windows. React Native app developers do just that by building cross-platform applications. Its reusable code allows users to build apps while keeping the native components of the platforms. 

* Cost-effective

Building apps with React Native helps in reducing costs as businesses don’t need to hire different developers for different platforms. A single development team or developer can complete the task at a lesser price because most of the code is reusable. It requires much less effort for developers to build apps. 

* Faster Development

The React Native framework allows a developer to make applications faster and highly efficient because of the technical advantages offered by the framework. Being a framework that has reusable codes, it allows the developers to make applications at a fast pace. 

* Top-quality Applications

React Native uses the native components of any platform to create apps. This improves the quality and performance of the apps. An elegant UI and smooth UX make the application user-friendly. This helps in growing the customer base of businesses. 

* Large Community of Developers

React Native has a large community of developers. A business can easily hire React Native app developers for their project.

All of the above-mentioned factors help a business to grow. They show why React Native is the best option for application development and how it helps in scaling the business. 

Type of Apps We Can Build with React Native

a. Mobile Application

React Native is the best mobile app development framework. It can create applications for both iOS and Android. React Native makes creating applications much easier and faster. It creates beautiful user interfaces, which attract customers. Bunch, Bitesnap, and discord are some apps that work on both Android and iOS. 

b. Desktop Applications 

React Native is known for creating cross-platform applications. It is preferred by many businesses because it can create an app for both mobile and desktop applications. React Native can support applications for macOS and Windows while keeping their native components intact. Discord app works on Android, iOS, and macOS

Future Prospect of React Native Technology

In recent years, React Native has been the most used framework for mobile app development. Many market leaders have built their apps using React Native. But is it going to last? With the collapse of many other JavaScript frameworks, it is important to know the future prospect of React Native. 

React Native has a lot of advantages in comparison to other frameworks. It is becoming increasingly popular because of these advantages. React Native has a huge developer community and is constantly improving to adapt to the changes in technology. Many unique aspects make React Native a future-proof framework. 

Reading Recommandation- How to Develop an MVP Mobile App?

React Native is also working on a large-scale project called Fabric. This project aims to re-architecture the JavaScript framework to make React Native more flexible. Fabric is going to help the React Native framework to integrate with hybrid JavaScript-based infrastructure. React Native is only going to grow further with this project.

Conclusion

In the last five years, React Native mobile app development has become the most favored mobile application development framework. With so many benefits, unique features, and even more things, like Fabric, to come, the future for React Native only looks promising. Do you want to know more about React Native development services? Discuss with an expert at Consulting Whiz. Our developers are experts and trained professionals who are proficient in using React Native Framework. Consulting whiz is the best Mobile App development Company in the USA. Hire our developers to create the application for your company.