React Native is a platform for developers who are working on mobile app development. On one side of the scale, the need for business-sustaining mobile apps is rising. On the other side of the scale, confusion to pick the best mobile app development platform is growing.
The talk of this piece is React Native. React Native sliding towards helping the start-ups preferably, has made the Mobile App launch an effective and easy process.
Are you still deciding on the need and importance of owning a mobile app? You might have heard these before, but it’s time to re-emphasize on few:
- Mobile market is growing. Grow your business with the growing momentum.
- Of course, why would your business lose the potential chance of gaining a single potential lead?
- Are you profit-minded? Then you know the importance of being everywhere. Even on mobile apps.
But if you wish to ignore the need for an app, we would suggest you stick to the idea of working on your business website. But if you have a website of your own, start pondering over your business app.
Start from small today, 0 is always a good number to start with!
But how React Native comes into the scene?
You invest your time, cost, resources, and energy in two parallel work phases, thereby costing you more. A solution is working on a single platform, saving on your costs effectively and helpful in catering to both Android and iOS platforms. The outcome is the birth of cross-platform apps: that cater to both platforms in one go! These apps are in contrast to the native apps.
Planning to launch a business app? Native apps would require you to work on the double fold model. In a double fold model, you work and develop Android and iOS apps separately.
This is where Cross-platform development comes into the scene. A versatile Mobile app development platform taking care of both iOS and Android app needs.
In cross-platform apps, you bring the app on one platform that caters to the need of Android as well as iOS.
React native is one of the strong pillars of cross-platform app development. But what is the big deal about cross-platform app development?
Cross-platform app development or hybrid apps bring many entrepreneurs into the comfort zone with reasons like:
- To own a customised app of their own in easy costing.
- It provides a reusable code with easy access to plugins.
- The ease in getting the prototyping done saves time and helps with many aspects of Rapid Development.
React native is a strong contender for cross-platform app development. But it does not stand alone. Strong contenders like Ionic, Xamarin and PhoneGap, hold enough to be taken on the table for a discussion.
Here is a quick parallel is drawn between these and React Native.
| S No. | Specification | React Native | Ionic | Xamarin | PhoneGap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owner | Drifty | Microsoft | Adobe Systems | |
| 2 | Language Stack | React.js & JavaScript | HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AngularJs, TypeScript | C# | HTML, CSS, JavaScript |
| 3 | Purpose | Learn Once, Write Anywhere | Write Once, Run Anywhere | Write Once, Run Anywhere | Write Once, Run Anywhere |
| 4 | Performance | Native Experience | Slow in comparison to React Native | Stable | Slow in comparison to others |
| 5 | Testing | Real Mobile Devices or Emulator Required | By using any browser you can test the code | Testing can be done using Mobile Apps | Testing can be done using browsers, mobile devices or emulators |
| 6 | GitHub Stars | 75K | 37K | 3K | 4K |
| 7 | Reusability | The platform-specific code needs to be changed | Optimum Reusability of Code | It allows you to reuse 95% of the code | You can reuse existing native libraries |
| 8 | Hardware Compatibility | React Native itself is capable | Apache Cordova is used | SDK Kit is required | It doesn’t offer much control over hardware; therefore, apps might become slower with frequent render updates |
Well, the table data shows it well enough, you can surely depend on the React Native technology!
If these technical terms add to your confusion, then let us help you why did we need React Native, if things were all good?
Mark Zuckerberg realized in 2012 the consequences of investing too much in HTML were not a beneficial step. With the introduction of React Native in the scene in 2015, which initially supported the iOS platform, they worked ahead to make React Native support Android apps as well.
You see! The benefits were too good to keep android out of the loop!
React Native is an amazing platform. Its loads of features make it one of the most promising mobile app development frameworks.
Here are a few more scenes to help you know, why React Native is a helpful contender:
Apart from shrinking the Development time, making the Imperative coding with programming possible, and overcoming the differences in the codebase, find more reasons to rely on React Native below:
1. Development Cost
Entrepreneurs might have a tight budget while working on their ideas. If you are one, you know managing finances is important for any start-up.
Adding the cost of two developers hailing from the background of Android and iOS into one is an amazing way to save your cost while making the process of your progress effective.
2. Marketing Bandwidth
Planning to move your product to the marketing page at the right time? The best approach would be entering the market soon to create some sensation for your app.
Under the feature of Time to Market ( Time to Market is the total amount of time it takes for a product to move from conception to the market launch), it is the best and wise decision to move on a quick timescale.
This is possible with the cross-platform framework. Target your apps on both iOS and Android platforms, thus catering to a larger user base within a quick time span.
3. Post Launch Upgrades
Planning on providing more updates post the first launch of your app? If so, then sticking to the side of the Native approach will help you to get ahead and run longer in the process.
If you are not planning to provide enough updates then you need to plan and work on this side of the strategy as well. This is more about keeping your audience engaged and it also keeps the fun flowing.
Going native with app updates costs more. But it does make the work of providing timely updates with an easy and helpful thing in the long run. A little more investment, in the long run, helps make sure you get back better ROI!
Just in case, you are not planning for your updates post-launch, then you can shift your focus from using Native.
4. Instant Live Updates
Users surely like their app updates to be installed on their phone, automatically. JavaScript’s extensive use makes the possibility of pushing apps’ updates directly in the phone. This skips on the need of entering the app cycle.
Users like this process of enjoying the smooth installation of updates. It makes them free from any responsibility and they can simply keep enjoying their app updates.
And so you get a good hold on providing smooth services to your users.
5. Versatile Code
Write the code once and use it simply everywhere. Everywhere means, literally on all the platforms like iOS, Microsoft, Android, and many more. This one being the best feature helps in making the work span and strategy come a bit at ease.
The best feasibility is the need to use the once written code on many platforms as mentioned above. Native applications working on multiple platforms do not need the code rewritten on Swift for iOS and Java for Android or C# for Windows.
That is the reason why we named it as, write once and use multiple times!
6. Builds Quick to Use Apps
Building an app? We suggest you get a fast working app developed. That is the basic and main thing that people looking for app development services are interested in. An app that is quick, efficient, and well-loaded with features.
App performance is the only differentiating factor between popular and unpopular apps! Are you a mobile developer struggling to reduce your app load time?
React Native helps in scaling this process for you. The technology works on list-view scrolling performance, improving memory efficiency, controlling app start-up time, and UI responsiveness.
Working on the whole, to bring effective apps on the store available, for download. Who would like to make a slow app, as a part of their life? Not us, and we are sure not your clients’ customers as well.
7. Enhanced App Development Speed
Ever faced situations, in which, working on an app development seemed tricky due to time constraints? Want to help your clients launch their mini business portal as soon as possible and enjoy the benefits?
React Native’s development process is all about involving JavaScript-based declaration programming models. This helps with cleaner, simpler, and easy-to-understand code.
Why only JavaScript? This helps in building a highly responsive and fluid mobile UI. This helps further in owning asynchronous JavaScript interactions with the native environment.
Thereby helping with bringing ease in the process of making quick to load apps that are quickly baked and served!
8. Hot Reload 0.22 React Native feature
React Native can help you enhance the mobile app developer’s experiences. Time reduction on file saving and viewing the changes is one of the best options to stick to, in this fast and busy world.
The Hot reload feature helps in successfully achieving this goal. Working like magic, this feature is available for React Native 0.22.
Hailing from a non-technical background?
We got you and your need to understand React Native. This one line sums it up enough, ‘With amazing features and abilities; React Native was originally introduced for iOS. Due to its growing support and ease that makes working easy, Facebook created its support for Android as well.’
From a non-technical point of view, here are, more reasons to stick to React Native:
- Covers the cost of two platforms development in one.
- Helps a budding entrepreneur to save and launch an app idea within budget.
- Easy to load and versatile code helps with quick and efficient future changes.
- Looking for an excellent, personalized experience & real-time information app? React Native helps with all.
- Get your hopes up with this Performance Driven App Development technology.
With all things said and facts presented we hope you felt the matter of cost-saving with one app platform. This is not only about Cost-saving while serving apps of intermediate quality.
React Native has amazing command over futuristic features development within commendable speed!
This is where React Native: Mobile app development platform, baked and served by Facebook comes into the picture.
A good team with React Native expertise can help you in building a greater business strategy with quick to use and smart to develop apps.