React Native and Expo: what they are and how they are related

React Native is a popular open source JavaScript framework for developing native mobile applications for Android and iOS platforms using React . Like React, it is created by Meta, the social media giant. It allows custom software development company to create mobile apps using the same code base in React and TypeScript/JavaScript , making the development process faster and more cost-effective.

In addition, these are native mobile applications , that is, they are not a wrapper for a Web page created with React, but rather they translate the supported controls and tags into native controls for each platform, so they provide great performance and all the advantages of a real application, not a hybrid one.

React Native has many advantages over native Android and iOS environments and tools, the main one being that you can take advantage of your React knowledge to go beyond the Web and create mobile applications using the same code. This results, of course, in the speed of development and code reuse, but without losing native performance . It also has a large community , which is important when seeking help.

However, there are also some drawbacks, the main one being quite limited access to the native APIs of mobile operating systems.

is a framework for universal React applications. It is a set of tools and software development services built around React Native and mobile platforms that help develop, build and deploy applications for iOS, Android, but also Web applications, using in all cases the same JavaScript code base. TypeScript with React.

So far, everything is very similar to React Native... In fact, when you write code in Expo, you are actually writing React Native code. However, one of the most important features of Expo is that it has a multitude of native functionality exposed to JavaScript , from the use of cameras or notifications to voice synthesis, including all types of device sensors, face detection, management video... and almost anything you need. This makes work much easier and greatly increases the capabilities of your mobile apps with React.

But Expo also provides a ton of tools that allow you from creating projects to publishing them, including the ability to run your projects on your mobile.Through Expo you can collaborate with other people : testing the app, viewing the status or history of the project or even contributing to the code. With Expo, your app can be easily shared via a link or QR code, you don't have to send the entire file .apkor .ipa, and there's no need to compile to run the app. This makes it much easier to collaborate with other developers or even clients.

Expo has a very generous free tier that allows you to develop and even deploy your applications in stores without getting overwhelmed. If in the future your application grows a lot then you would have to pay, but they are reasonable prices for most if you get to that point.

What well-known apps use React Native/Expo?

Many companies, from SMEs and startups to large companies of all types, have adopted React Native and Expo for their mobile application development projects. Furthermore, according to data provided by Expo itself, more than 50% of applications developed with React Native use Expo.

Some of the best-known apps developed with these technologies are: Facebook, Instagram, Skype, Microsoft Office mobile, Microsoft Teams, Pinterest, the mobile app for Tesla cars, Discord, Uber Eats, SoundCloud, the PlayStation mobile app, Wix, Shopify...