Should you develop a cross-platform mobile application using React Native? While much has been discussed choosing the right approach to developing mobile apps, the native approach to mobile app development is not as popular as it used to be.
Developing a mobile app that performs equally well on iOS and Android can be a tedious and expensive process. For your business, it’s critical to create a mobile app that is accessible on all major platforms on time and within budget. If you’re deciding to design and build your next mobile app, here’s why you should use React Native.
Let’s say you’re developing natively for iOS and Android in swift and java. It will cost you twice as much to build separate apps for each platform. While there are cross-platform options available such as Cordova and Xamarin, neither offers a great experience for users and developers alike.
Mobile applications created with React Native are substantially cheaper to develop than two native apps for iOS and Android. Building apps for both platforms in React Native are typically less than 60% of the cost of building them separately.
Maintenance costs remain one of the most significant concerns when it comes to developing mobile applications. This is especially true when you have to build two separate apps for both iOS and Android. Once you release your app to the market, you are going to go through the process of updating and maintaining these two applications. This can be costly; however, React Native solves this problem.
With React Native, you can use a tool called Code Push to update your code, features remotely, and fix bugs instantly without waiting on the App and Google Play stores to accept your changes. A process that generally takes about 3 to 7 business days. While this is not possible for native apps, it’s still possible with other hybrid mobile apps.
So, back to the initial question. Your objective is to develop a mobile app for iOS and Android. Considering the cost-saving benefits of React Native, would you still develop two separate native apps or would you try something new that would reduce development costs and improve maintainability of a code base? If you’re considering using react native for your next mobile project, feel free to reach out to us, and we can help you build your mobile app.