Summary: Explore the differences between React and React Native in our comprehensive blog by Clarion Technologies. Gain insights into key features, differences, and advantages to make informed decisions for your project. Whether you're considering web or mobile app development, this comparison will guide you through the intricacies of these popular frameworks.
Interested in building cross-platform mobile applications? You might know two popular technologies: ReactJS and React Native. Everywhere you go, you will notice React Native and ReactJS in the development arena. So what’s all this hype about?
Is the hype worth it?
In this blog, we will share everything about React Native and ReactJS, as well as their features differences and advantages, so that you can make an informed choice that is best suited for your next project.
React, often known as ReactJS, stands out as an open-source JavaScript library that plays a pivotal role in single-page application development services. Unleashing its power in 2011, React was crafted and nurtured by the tech giants at Facebook, quickly earning its stripes and establishing a formidable presence in the development landscape.
As per Statista, ReactJS is the world’s second-most-used JS library, while another research by BuiltWith states that there are currently 11,908,579 websites built on ReactJS.
Backed by Facebook, it's a JavaScript library designed to build highly flexible and scalable websites and apps. It allows developers to create reusable UI components that can be used across different parts of a web application. As a result, ReactJS's developers can quickly build complex web applications and improve performance by rendering pages on the server side.
React Native is a full-fledged framework for building mobile applications for iOS and Android platforms using JavaScript. Similar to ReactJS, React Native is the second most used mobile app framework. React Native developers build mobile applications that look and feel like native apps. The advantage is a single codebase. Popular apps built with React Native are Facebook, Instagram, Walmart, and Bloomberg.
1. Syntax
React.js is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces on the web, while React Native uses a similar syntax but is designed for building cross-platform mobile applications using native components.
2. Cost of Development: ReactJS vs React Native
Project Size |
Duration |
Cost for React Native |
Cost for React JS |
Small Sized Project |
3-6 months |
$15,000 to $35,000 |
$30,000-$90,000 |
Medium Sized Project |
6- 9 months |
$35,000 to $80,000 |
$60,000-$180,000 |
Large Scale |
9 -12 months |
$80,000 to $300,000 |
$120,000-$360,000 |
3. Features
React JS offers a wide range of features for web development, including server-side rendering, component-based architecture, and the ability to work with a wide range of libraries and APIs. In addition, React Native provides features specific to mobile application development, such as platform-specific components, touch handling, and native modules.
Let's consider the Features of ReactJS and React Native 18:
React boasts several compelling features that contribute to its widespread adoption and appeal among developers and businesses.
An inherent advantage of React is its open-source nature, which fosters a vibrant developer community and offers extensive flexibility. This characteristic empowers developers to modify and enhance React freely, ensuring continuous development and reducing the risk of abandonment.
React employs a one-way data binding model, facilitating controlled data flow from parent to child components via props (short for properties). This approach enhances data control and mitigates inadvertent data mutations within components.
Central to React's efficiency is its utilization of a Virtual Document Object Model (Virtual DOM), a lightweight representation of the actual DOM stored in memory. This Virtual DOM is synchronized with the real DOM using libraries like ReactDOM, a process known as reconciliation, optimizing component rendering.
React embraces a declarative programming paradigm, wherein developers specify the desired UI state, and React manages DOM manipulation and updates accordingly. This abstraction streamlines development by obviating the need for manual DOM manipulation and event handling.
Fundamental to React is its component-based architecture, enabling the creation of modular, reusable UI elements. Components, whether functions or classes, can be composed to form intricate user interfaces, facilitating code organization and scalability.
Other important features of ReactJS:
As one of the foremost mobile frameworks in use today, let's delve into the defining characteristics of React Native that underpin its popularity and distinguish it from its counterparts.
React Native empowers developers to build apps for iOS, Android, and desktop platforms using a singular codebase, thus optimizing efficiency and resource utilization. This cross-platform compatibility facilitates code sharing, reducing development overheads and expediting time-to-market.
Mirroring React's ethos, React Native operates as an open-source initiative under the auspices of Meta. Its vibrant developer community fosters innovation and collaboration, enhancing the framework's robustness and accessibility. Furthermore, its open-source nature facilitates easier troubleshooting and resource acquisition, bolstering its appeal among developers.
React Native applications are compiled into native code, ensuring comparable performance to apps developed using platform-specific tools like Java or Swift. Moreover, React Native provides seamless access to device-specific features such as the camera or GPS, augmenting performance and enabling a diverse range of application functionalities.
React Native incorporates hot reloading, allowing developers to observe real-time code changes without necessitating manual app rebuilds or refreshes. This feature enhances developer productivity and expedites iterative development processes.
Creating projects in React Native is straightforward, particularly for developers proficient in React and JavaScript. Additionally, React Native facilitates the creation of reusable components, promoting code modularity and scalability across applications.
Now that you have a brief insight into both technologies, let's delve into a comparative analysis encompassing their respective strengths and weaknesses where one outweighs the other. This comprehensive examination aims to equip you with the knowledge needed to make well-informed decisions regarding the selection of the appropriate technology for your project endeavors.
Other important features of React Native:
#1. New Concurrent Rendering Engine: React Native 18's new concurrent rendering engine improves app performance by efficiently managing and prioritizing UI updates, resulting in a smoother user experience.
#2. <Suspense> Component Optimization: Optimized for server-side rendering, allowing partial rendering and hydration for faster page reloads.
#3. Opt-in Upgrade Process: Allows developers to adopt new features while selectively ensuring compatibility with existing code.
#4. Automatic Batching and Transitions: Improves performance, with automatic batching for component state management and transitions for prioritizing UI updates.
#5. New Hooks (useTransition, useId, useDeferredValue): Introduces new hooks for improved application robustness.
Table illustrating the Difference Between ReactJs vs. React Native 18
Factors |
React.js |
React Native |
Installation |
ReactJS is installed via npm package manager. |
React Native requires Node.js and the React Native CLI for installation. |
Effectiveness |
ReactJs prioritizes development time and code reusability. |
React Native emphasizes performance and memory efficiency. |
Technology Base |
ReactJS is a JavaScript library focusing on UI development with Virtual DOM. |
React Native is a cross-platform mobile framework utilizing native components for a more native feel. |
Feasibility |
ReactJS is suited for web application development. |
React Native is ideal for mobile app development. |
Elements |
ReactJS components are written in HTML and imported into the app. |
React Native components are written in JSX, compiled directly into native code. |
Compatibility |
Compatible with a wide range of browsers, including Internet Explorer. |
Compatible with iOS and Android platforms for mobile development. |
Navigation |
Utilizes traditional browser-based navigation. |
Employs native platform navigation components for mobile applications. |
Repository |
Suitable for projects requiring high-performance storage, such as dynamic web apps. |
Better suited for scalable projects. |
Optimization for search engines
|
More search engine friendly compared to React Native. |
Less conducive to achieving good SEO due to its nature. |
Platform |
Framework for JavaScript-based applications. |
Platform for building native and cross-platform mobile apps. |
Syntax |
Relies on HTML and its syntax. |
Adheres to React Native syntax. |
CSS support
|
Compatible with CSS for styling and animations. |
Uses Animated API for component animation in React Native. |
Advantages of React Native
React Native utilizes JavaScript, akin to React.js, as its foundational language. This familiarity fosters a seamless transition for developers, enabling them to leverage their existing skills while exploring the iterative and flexible nature of React Native development. This framework serves as a platform for honing developers' proficiency in crafting React Native applications.
A notable advantage of React Native lies in its capability to facilitate cross-platform app development. By harnessing code reusability, developers can employ a single codebase to deploy applications across both Android and iOS platforms, streamlining the development process and bolstering efficiency.
Deploying a React Native application across multiple platforms entails fewer debugging and optimization requirements. The inherent compatibility of React Native across various platforms translates to reduced testing and refinement needs, minimizing the occurrence of errors during the development lifecycle.
Other advantages of React native:
Provides developers with additional tools for building more resilient applications.
Improved rendering performance, leading to a better overall user experience.
Faster page reloads enable users to have a great application experience.
Smooth transition to newer versions, avoiding disruption to ongoing projects.
Enhanced application performance and smoother UI transitions.
Advantages of ReactJS
Learning ReactJS is facilitated by an abundance of online tutorials, guides, articles, and documentation. These resources contribute to a swift grasp of React JS concepts, particularly for developers with foundational JavaScript knowledge.
ReactJS facilitates the reuse of components throughout application development, with each component encapsulating its unique logic and rendering capabilities. This modularity significantly expedites the development process by enabling the reuse of predefined functionalities.
The incorporation of Virtual DOM in ReactJS delivers heightened performance by efficiently updating a lightweight replica of the actual DOM. This optimization enhances overall efficiency and usability, resulting in a smoother user experience.
Other advantages of ReactJS:
Disadvantages of ReactJS
React employs JSX (JavaScript XML), an extension enabling developers to incorporate HTML code directly within React. While JSX streamlines development, some developers find its documentation challenging, particularly for novices.
React's frequent library updates have been a concern for developers, impacting app development speed. Nevertheless, recent updates prioritize enhancing libraries and overall code robustness.
Despite offering various third-party modules and plugins, React has limited native modules. Integrating third-party solutions allows developers to merge HTML and CSS code seamlessly into JSX, albeit with added complexity.
Other important disadvantages of Reactjs
Disadvantages of React Native
Applications with extensive features may encounter development slowdowns due to the scarcity of native modules, necessitating reliance on third-party libraries. Additionally, creating custom modules leads to separate codebases for React Native, iOS, and Android platforms.
React Native undergoes continuous enhancement, introducing new ported native components and performance enhancements. While updates are beneficial, developers should carefully evaluate their impact, particularly when compared to more mature cross-platform frameworks.
React Native developers often grapple with prolonged application load times, primarily attributed to JavaScript thread execution delays during deployment. This issue remains critical and warrants attention to optimize app performance.
Other disadvantages of React Native:
Why Consider ReactJS: |
Why Consider React Native: |
Dynamic Web Apps: Build web applications with dynamic updates, providing a seamless and responsive user experience. |
Cross-Platform Requirements: Develop apps with single codebase for iOS and Android platforms, reduce development time and costs needed for separate codebases. |
Complex User Interfaces: ReactJS streamlines the development of user interfaces and improves code manageability with complex UI. |
Budget Constraints: React Native's code reusability proves to be a cost-efficient solution, enabling faster development cycles. |
Large-scale Web Apps: For large-scale web applications w ReactJS has been proven effective by significant companies, ensuring scalability and reliability. |
Time-to-Market Priority: React Native's efficiency in development accelerates the entire process, allowing businesses to launch their products and services swiftly. |
Responsive Design Needs: For responsive design that is adaptable to various devices, businesses should consider ReactJS for its flexibility in achieving responsive user interfaces. |
Iterative Development Approach: Ideal for businesses that prefer a process that allows quick testing, iterations, and improvements. |
Community Support: With a robust community and a comprehensive set of tools, ReactJS ensures reliable support for businesses throughout the web development lifecycle, offering solutions and insights. |
Native-Like Apps: React Native significantly benefits businesses seeking to build mobile applications that emulate the native appearance and experience on iOS and Android. With a unified codebase, businesses can develop top-tier, cross-platform apps efficiently, saving time and resources. |
Websites Built with React -
Websites Built with React Native -
React Native or ReactJS: Which to Choose?
Depends. React is a JavaScript library. At the same time, React Native is a full-fledged framework for developing mobile and web apps.
If you want to build a high-performance web interface, then React JS is a good choice. Whereas, if you want to focus on mobile platforms, then React Native wins.
Contact Clarion Technologies to hire React Native developers and time-consuming React JS developers to help you build your apps. With a commitment to quality, we have a team of top 5% React and React Native talent that can help you gain an edge over the competition. Start today.
FAQs
What is the primary difference between React and React Native?
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces (UIs) primarily for web applications, while React Native is a framework for building mobile applications, including both iOS and Android platforms. React focuses on web development, whereas React Native is specifically designed for mobile app development.
Is React Native the same as React?
No, React Native is not the same as React. They share similar syntax and principles, but React is for web development, while React Native is specifically for mobile app development.
Can I reuse code between React and React Native?
While React and React Native share similar syntax and principles, they are designed for different platforms. However, you can reuse some code logic and components between them, particularly business logic and utility functions. Yet, the UI components need to be adapted to fit the specific platform's requirements.
Which one should I choose for my project: React or React Native?
The choice between React and React Native depends on your project requirements and target platforms. If you're developing a web application, React is the ideal choice. For mobile app development targeting iOS and Android platforms, React Native offers a more efficient solution. Consider factors such as development resources, platform-specific features, and project timelines when making your decision.