Why We Chose React Native for Cross-Platform Development

The Challenge of Native Development

When we first started building mobile apps, the standard approach was clear: build separately for iOS (Swift/Objective-C) and Android (Kotlin/Java). This meant maintaining two codebases, two teams, and dealing with twice the bugs.

For our clients—mostly startups and growing businesses—this approach had serious drawbacks:

Double the development cost — Two teams means twice the expense

Longer time to market — Features had to be built and tested twice

Inconsistent experiences — Subtle differences between platforms

Maintenance overhead — Every update required coordination

Why React Native Won Us Over

After evaluating Flutter, Xamarin, and native development, we settled on React Native. Here's what convinced us:

1. True Native Performance

React Native compiles to actual native components, not web views. The apps we build are indistinguishable from native apps in terms of feel and performance. Our users can't tell the difference—and that's the point.

2. One Codebase, Two Platforms

We typically share 85-95% of code between iOS and Android. The remaining platform-specific code handles things like push notifications, deep linking, or platform-specific UI patterns.

// Same code runs on both platforms
const ProductCard = ({ product }) => (
  
    
    {product.name}
    ${product.price}
  
);

3. Faster Development Cycles

Hot reloading means we see changes instantly during development. No more waiting for full recompiles. This speeds up our development time significantly.

4. JavaScript/TypeScript Ecosystem

The npm ecosystem gives us access to thousands of packages. Need authentication? There's a package. Analytics? Package. Push notifications? Package. This accelerates development tremendously.

5. Strong Community & Corporate Backing

Meta (Facebook) uses React Native in their own apps. Companies like Microsoft, Shopify, and Discord have adopted it. This isn't a framework that's going to disappear.

When We Still Choose Native

React Native isn't always the answer. We recommend native development when:

Graphics-intensive apps — Games or complex animations

Hardware-heavy features — AR/VR, complex camera processing

Brownfield projects — Adding to existing native apps

The Bottom Line

For most business applications, React Native offers the best balance of development speed, cost efficiency, and user experience. It's why we've made it our primary mobile development framework.

If you're planning a mobile app and weighing your options, let's talk. We can help you determine the right approach for your specific needs.