The Pros and Cons of Using React Native for Mobile App Development

In the last few years, mobile app development is in huge demand because of the new tools and emerging technologies that really helpful for developers to create apps faster and more efficiently.

According to Statista, React Native is the second most popular cross-platform framework after Flutter, used by developers in 2021.

React Native is the most popular framework, allowing developers to create mobile apps efficiently for both Android as well as iOS platforms.
So you can imagine how many developers are reliable on React Native at the time of development!

With its popularity, there are pros and cons to using React Native for development purposes. It offers faster development, better performance, and even easy maintenance but with the features, it also comes with a lot of challenges.

In this blog, we will see what React Native is and what are the pros and cons of using it. Later we will discuss what are the reasons for choosing React Native app development.

Let’s get started.

What do you mean by React Native?

React Native is a powerful cross-platform framework that is mainly used for mobile app development. React Native is first used on Facebook on a summer hackathon project in 2013. After two years, on March 15 Facebook officially launched React Native at the F8 conference.

Basically, it uses JavaScript and React to create a native app that can be used for both iOS and Android platforms. The main advantage of using React Native is developers have to write a single codebase and can be used for various platforms, that’s the power of React Native.

Also, according to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021, RN takes the 6th spot in the ranking with 14.51% of all respondents’ votes. Talking about only professional ones, here React Native places 5th with 16.48%.

What are the Important Facts About React Native App Development?

As we already know that React Native is built by Facebook and is mainly used for creating mobile apps. Here we will see some important facts about React Native you should know as a developer.

React Native is totally based on one of the popular React JavaScript libraries which are also created by Facebook.
It has one of the largest and biggest active communities in the world, which is contributing to the open-source codebase and support documentation.
React Native has one feature i.e hot reloading. Due to this developers can easily see all the changes immediately without refreshing every time.
Another fascinating detail worth highlighting is that Virtual DOM is a term that React Native developers would be familiar with. The virtual DOM is an interface that facilitates the connecting of web pages to scripts or programming languages because React Native is a cross-platform framework. This also assists web developers in the modification of websites through the use of JavaScript, the most useful scripting language available.
React Native has been used widely to create some popular apps such as Facebook, Walmart, Skype, Airbnb, Instagram, and many more.
React Native can cut app development costs by 40-50%.
Most apps share 96% of their code base between Android and iOS.

Advantages of React Native App Development (pros)

React Native has a wide range of advantages for developers to create mobile apps. Using these advantages developers can easily create high-quality apps that can seamlessly run on various platforms.

The following are the pros of using React Native:

Cross-Platform Compatibility

One of the most significant benefits of adopting React Native for mobile app development is that it enables developers to create apps that are compatible with both the iOS and Android platforms. This is accomplished by employing a single codebase, which reduces development time and expenses.

Faster Development Time

React Native is noted for its rapid development times since developers may reuse code across different platforms. This minimizes development time and accelerates app time to market.

High Performance

Because the platform uses native components that are compiled into native code, React Native provides a high level of performance equivalent to native app development. This leads to a faster and more fluid app experience for consumers.

Hot Reloading

Hot reloading is a feature of React Native that allows developers to see changes to their code without having to explicitly refresh the app. This speeds up and improves the development process.

Huge and Active Developer Community

Because React Native offers a huge and active developer community, developers may readily find answers to problems and receive support from other developers.

Cost-Effective

Because developers can create apps for both the iOS and Android platforms using a single codebase, React Native app development is cost-effective. This lowers development costs and accelerates app time-to-market.

Ready-made solutions and a vast library

The availability of predetermined solutions and a developing library saves developers time and effort that would otherwise be spent creating components from scratch.

Furthermore, because React Native is built on React, a famous JavaScript framework, developers can tap into a wide ecosystem of React packages that can be easily incorporated into React Native apps.

Overall, this benefit makes React Native an excellent choice for developing mobile apps on a tight timeline or with a restricted budget.
Disadvantages of React Native App Development (cons)
Along with the pros React Native has its own cons also. The following are the disadvantages:

Limited Native Functionality

Because React Native is not a pure native app development platform, it may not have access to all of the mobile device’s native capabilities and functionalities. This may limit the app’s performance and usability and may necessitate additional coding to access some native functions.

Debugging difficulties

Debugging difficulties in React Native can be difficult, particularly for developers unfamiliar with the platform. Debugging bugs in React Native can take more effort and time than in traditional native app development because it uses a combination of JavaScript and native code.+

Large App Size

React Native apps tend to have a larger file size than traditional native apps, as the platform requires the inclusion of a JavaScript engine and runtime environment. This could result in slower download and installation times and may impact user experience.

Limited Third-Party Library Support

While React Native has a large and active developer community, it may not have access to all the third-party libraries that are available for traditional native app development platforms. This could limit the flexibility and functionality of the app.

Learning Curve

React Native has a challenging learning curve, particularly for programmers who are unfamiliar with the technology. To create high-quality apps, developers must have a firm grasp of JavaScript, and React, as well as the native capabilities and functioning of mobile devices.

Before deciding on the platform, developers should weigh the drawbacks of React Native app development. However, with careful planning, development, and testing, these difficulties can be handled and shouldn’t deter developers from adopting React Native to create mobile applications.

When Should You Opt for React Native App Development?

You have planned to create a mobile app development and chosen React Native as the best framework for your project. The following are some circumstances in which you could wish to choose React Native app development:

MVP Development

React Native is a fantastic choice if you need to create a prototype or minimum viable product (MVP) rapidly for your app. React Native enables developers to create and test apps quickly, which might hasten the release of your project.

Limited Budget

React Native can be a cost-effective solution if your budget for developing apps is constrained. React Native can help you cut development expenses because it enables developers to create apps for several platforms using a single codebase.

Developer Availability

React Native can be a great option if your company has a team of developers who are proficient in both JavaScript and React. Because it is based on React and employs JavaScript, React Native is simple for developers to understand and implement.

Dynamic User Interfaces

React Native is the best option if you want to create a mobile application with a dynamic user interface. Developers can create intricate and dynamic user interfaces fast and efficiently because to React Native’s extensive library of pre-made components and tools.

Why React Native is the first priority of Web Developers?

Till now we have seen React Native which is mostly used in mobile app development but it’s also popular in Web Development. The following are the reasons why React Native is also one of the best options for Web Development:

One of the primary benefits of adopting React Native for web development is that it allows developers to create cross-platform web apps. React Native allows you to create web apps that run on many platforms, including iOS, Android, and the web.
If you’re already familiar with React, mastering React Native for web development should be a breeze. React Native shares a lot of the same syntax and concepts as React, making it simple to understand and use.
Another advantage of adopting React Native for web development is the ability to reuse a large portion of the code from your mobile app development.
Because React Native is based on React, the code you build for your mobile app is easily adaptable to your web project.
As we know React Native is an open-source project which can be used for absolutely free. Because of that, it reduces costs while developing an app.

So we have seen so many options for why developers are choosing React Native for Web Development. From cross-platform to cost-efficient React Native offers lots of benefits to the developers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, React Native is one of the best cross-platform frameworks for developing mobile apps. It offers a lot of advantages faster development time, high performance, hot reading, and many more.

However, it also has lots of challenges or we can say disadvantages such as limited native functionality and a learning curve.

Now it all depends on your project requirements and then takes a decision on whether you want to go with React Native or not.

If you’re considering React Native for your mobile app development project and need expert guidance, look no further than Essence Software Solutions – A top mobile application development company in India. Our experienced team can help you navigate the advantages and challenges of React Native and provide you with the best solution for your project. Contact us today to learn more.

Thanks for reading!

Learn more: 10 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2023

Shivam Attri