React Native or native? An honest take

The question behind the question

"React Native or native?" is rarely a pure technology question. It's about budget, time, team and what your app actually needs to do. Here's our practical take — without taking sides.

When React Native (with Expo) is the right call

For roughly 90% of apps, React Native is the pragmatic answer:

• One codebase, two platforms. iOS and Android from one code — saving time and money.
• Faster development. One team, one stack, faster iterations.
• Over-the-air updates. Roll out smaller changes without another app-store review.
• Large ecosystem. Proven libraries for the vast majority of needs.

Typical fits: business apps, self-service portals, booking and field-sales apps, content apps.

When native is worth it

Native development with Swift or Kotlin shines when:

• you need maximum performance (heavy graphics, AR, real-time processing),
• you need deep hardware access (specialised sensors, background processing),
• the app is the core product and every millisecond counts.

The pragmatic middle ground

In practice it's rarely either/or. We build the bulk with React Native and solve individual performance-critical spots with native modules (Swift/Kotlin bridges). You get the cross-platform advantage and native performance where it counts.

Our advice

Start cross-platform unless you have a clear reason for native. You save time and money and can sharpen specific areas later. Not sure what fits your app? Talk to us — we'll tell you honestly what makes sense.