After choosing a JavaScript solution for your project, it’s time to decide: ReactJS or React Native?
At first glance, they might seem like two sides of the same coin. They both are built on React’s foundation, both are designed for building user interfaces. However, they serve entirely different purposes and cater to distinct development needs.
Are you aiming to build a fast, scalable web application with ReactJS? Or do you need a high-performance mobile app with React Native that feels truly native on iOS and Android? Choosing the right technology depends on the target platform, user experience, performance requirements, available resources, and other factors.
In this guide, we'll break down the main differences and help you decide when to prefer one over the other. Keep reading to learn more!
Introduction to React and React Native
What is React?
React is a powerful open-source JavaScript library designed for building dynamic, high-performance user interfaces (UIs), particularly for web applications. Its flexibility, scalability, and efficiency have made it one of the most popular front-end technologies among developers worldwide.
Since its release, React has consistently ranked as the most widely used web development library, dominating developer surveys for years. According to Stack Overflow’s 2024 developer survey, 41.6% of developers actively use React in their projects.
Originally created by Facebook (now Meta) in 2013, React was developed to address the limitations of traditional front-end development (particularly in managing sophisticated user interfaces with frequent updates). At the time, AngularJS dominated the market, but React introduced a more efficient, declarative approach to UI development, allowing for faster rendering and improved maintainability.
Unlike full-fledged frameworks like Angular or VueJS, React focuses solely on UI rendering, making it a lightweight yet powerful tool for developing modern web applications. Instead of enforcing a strict application structure, React provides the core building blocks for developers to structure their projects as needed. This flexibility has contributed to its widespread adoption across industries.
Over the years, React has evolved with new features and optimizations, becoming the foundation for many large-scale applications and enterprise solutions. Today, it powers some of the most well-known platforms, including:
- Facebook & Instagram – Where React was first developed and continues to be an integral part of the tech stack.
- Netflix – Uses React to optimize performance and improve UI responsiveness.
- Airbnb – Relies on React for its highly interactive and scalable web application.
- Tesla, Apple, PayPal, Coursera, and more – Use React to deliver fast, scalable, and interactive user experiences.
What features does React have?
- Component-based architecture – You can build reusable UI components, which reduces redundancy and simplifies maintenance. This modular approach makes it easier to scale and update your app efficiently.
- Virtual DOM for performance – You get high-performance rendering with React’s Virtual DOM. It optimizes updates and ensures smooth interactions, even when your app has complex UI changes or large datasets.
- JSX (JavaScript XML) – You can write HTML directly within JavaScript using JSX, making your code more intuitive and easier to manage. This blend of markup and logic helps you build user interfaces quickly and efficiently.
- Declarative UI – You describe the end result of the UI, and React automatically handles the updates and rendering. This approach simplifies state management and helps keep your code clean and predictable.
- Extensive community – You can speed up development by leveraging React’s vast ecosystem of open-source libraries and third-party integrations. With constant community support, you'll have access to the latest tools and resources.
- Flexibility and scalability – You can easily integrate React with technologies like Redux, Next.js, and GraphQL. Whether you’re building a small project or an enterprise-grade app, React adapts to your needs and scales as your project grows.
For a deeper dive into the technical side of React, check out this article.
What is React Native?
React Native (also known as RN) is a powerful open-source framework designed to build native mobile apps for iOS and Android using JavaScript and React. Developed by Meta (formerly Facebook) in 2015, it allows developers to create React Native apps.
Unlike traditional native development, where separate codebases are needed for iOS and Android, React Native bridges the gap using React components that interact with platform-specific APIs. This ensures native mobile apps deliver smooth performance and a seamless user experience while leveraging familiar web development tools.
Thanks to its flexibility and efficiency, React Native powers apps for industry giants like Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, Bloomberg, and Tesla. At Akveo, we've also leveraged React Native to build high-performance applications for finance, healthcare, automotive fields, and more. Explore our React Native case studies to see how we've helped businesses succeed.
What features does React Native have?
- Cross-platform development – You write your app once and deploy it across iOS and Android.
- Native performance – You get near-native speed and responsiveness by using React components that render directly to native mobile apps.
- Hot reloading – You can instantly see changes in your app without restarting it, boosting efficiency in development and debugging.
- Reusable code and components – You can share code across platforms and even integrate it with existing website development tools for hybrid applications.
- Rich ecosystem and libraries – You have access to extensive UI frameworks like Ignite CLI, NativeBase, and UI Kitten, streamlining app design and functionality.
- Seamless integration with native code – You can use native modules written in Objective-C, Swift, Java, or Kotlin when required.
- Growing community and support – You benefit from a large, active community and Meta’s continuous improvements to the React Native framework.
How React and React Native Work
How React works
React is a JavaScript library designed for building web applications with complex user interfaces by breaking them down into reusable components. Each component represents a specific part of the UI and updates dynamically based on its state and properties.
During the development process, React uses a virtual DOM to efficiently track changes. Instead of updating the entire UI every time data changes, React compares the new virtual DOM with the previous one and updates only the necessary parts of the actual DOM. This approach significantly improves performance and enhances the user experience.
At its core, React follows a "tree-like" structure, organizing components hierarchically. This makes web development more scalable, allowing developers to build interactive applications with greater flexibility and maintainability. Thanks to its efficient rendering and component-based architecture, React remains one of the most powerful JS libraries for modern web applications.
How React Native works
While React is a JavaScript library primarily used for web development and creating complex user interfaces, React Native extends this concept to mobile development. It enables developers to create mobile apps that run on both iOS and Android platforms using a single codebase, making cross-platform mobile development more efficient.
Unlike React, which relies on the Virtual DOM to render UI elements for web applications, React Native uses React Native components, which map directly to native UI elements on each platform. Instead of generating HTML and CSS like React does for web development, React Native translates its components into platform-specific UI elements, ensuring a truly native mobile app experience.
Another major difference is how the frameworks handle interactions. In React, UI updates occur via the Virtual DOM. In React Native, JavaScript runs on a separate thread for logic, while the native thread handles rendering and user gestures. This separation improves performance and responsiveness, making React Native a solid choice for mobile app development.
Developers can build applications with React Native using only JavaScript, leveraging their web development expertise to create mobile apps. Additionally, React Native provides seamless access to native device capabilities such as GPS, camera, and contacts, allowing developers to bridge the gap between cross-platform mobile solutions and fully native mobile apps. Besides, by utilizing RN components, you can achieve high performance and a consistent look and feel across different mobile devices.
ReactJS vs. React Native: key differences
ReactJS and React Native share the same core principles but serve different purposes in website development and mobile app development. While ReactJS is a JavaScript library designed for creating web apps with intricate user interfaces, React Native extends React’s capabilities to build native apps for mobile platforms like iOS and Android.
Key differences between React and React Native:
Simply put, ReactJS focuses on web applications and does not natively support mobile development. At the same time, React Native bridges the gap between hybrid apps and fully native mobile applications, allowing for near-native performance while maintaining cross-platform compatibility.
Choosing between React and React Native
Deciding between ReactJS and React Native depends on your project’s goals, platform requirements, and development resources. While both technologies stem from React’s component-based architecture, they serve different purposes — one for web development and the other for mobile app development.
Key factors to consider when choosing between React and React Native
Before making a choice, evaluate these crucial aspects:
1) Target platform
Are you developing for the web, mobile, or both? ReactJS is ideal for web applications, whereas React Native is designed for native mobile applications on iOS and Android platforms.
2) User experience requirements
If you need a sophisticated user interface with high responsiveness and interactivity, ReactJS is well-suited for web-based projects, while React Native ensures a smooth, native-like experience for mobile users.
3) Resource and budget
ReactJS development may be more cost-effective for web projects since it doesn't require mobile-specific expertise. React Native, however, allows cross-platform mobile app development, saving costs compared to separate iOS and Android development.
4) Performance needs
If your application demands high-speed rendering and complex UI interactions, ReactJS optimizes web performance with its virtual DOM. React Native, on the other hand, provides near-native performance but might need native code for computationally intensive tasks.
5) Access to native device features
React Native excels when your mobile app needs access to native APIs like the camera, GPS, contacts, or push notifications. ReactJS, being a JS library for web development, doesn't have direct access to these mobile-specific features.
When to choose ReactJS
ReactJS is the preferred choice for web development and applications that rely on dynamic user interfaces. It offers high scalability and is widely used for modern, interactive, and data-driven web applications.
Use ReactJS for:
- Web applications
If your primary focus is web development, ReactJS provides all the tools needed to create fast, scalable, and engaging web applications. It is widely adopted for single-page applications (SPAs) and complex user interfaces, making it an industry standard for web UI development.
E-commerce platforms (Amazon, Shopify), social media apps (Facebook, Instagram), online dashboards and SaaS applications (Google Analytics, Notion) are some of the popular ReactJS use cases.
- Developing complex web UIs
ReactJS is built around a component-based architecture, which helps developers manage complex UIs with ease. If your web app includes interactive elements, animations, or real-time data updates, ReactJS ensures seamless rendering and performance.
- High customization and scalability
For projects requiring extensive customization, ReactJS integrates with numerous UI frameworks and backend technologies (Node.js, GraphQL). It scales well for both small businesses and enterprise applications.
For example, ReactJS is a perfect choice for creating corporate websites and portfolios, custom content management systems (CMS), news and blog platforms.
When to choose React Native
React Native is ideal for mobile app development, especially when targeting iOS and Android platforms with a single codebase. It provides near-native performance while maintaining the efficiency of JavaScript.
Use React Native for:
- Creating cross-platform mobile apps
React Native allows developers to write once and run anywhere, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses aiming to launch an app on both iOS and Android without separate development teams.
E-commerce apps (Walmart, Shopify), streaming and media apps (Netflix, SoundCloud), healthcare and fitness apps (MyFitnessPal, Headspace) are some of the most popular React Native use cases.
- Access to native device features
Unlike ReactJS, React Native directly interacts with native APIs and device functionalities, such as:
- Camera and gallery access (for social media & photo apps)
- GPS and geolocation services (for travel & navigation apps)
- Push notifications (for real-time user engagement).
- Developing fast and interactive mobile applications
React Native uses RN components that directly translate into native UI elements. This ensures a smooth and responsive user experience, similar to fully native apps.
Conclusion
Both React and React Native are maintained by Meta (formerly Facebook) and enjoy a large community for support. They are powerful technologies for building user interfaces, but choosing between them depends on the specific needs of your project.
If your focus is on web development, where performance, scalability, and interactive user interfaces are key, then ReactJS is the ideal choice. It allows you to create dynamic, component-based applications that work seamlessly across different web platforms.
On the other hand, if your goal is mobile development, React Native provides a robust framework for building React Native apps that run smoothly on mobile devices. By leveraging native UI components, React Native ensures a near-native user experience while enabling cross-platform development for both iOS and Android. It’s a great choice for businesses looking to build efficient mobile applications without maintaining separate codebases for different platforms.
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Still unsure which one fits your needs best? Or maybe you already have a clear vision and just need a reliable partner to bring it to life? Our Akveo team specializes in ReactJS and React Native development, among other things. We can help you build high-performance web and/or mobile applications tailored to your needs while considering your current situation, budget, and resources. From concept to deployment, we ensure a seamless development process, so you'll get a robust and secure solution.
Just drop us a message to start discussing your needs!
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