Top 5 reasons for startups to choose React Native for app development

5 reasons to choose React Native for app development

Have you ever thought that only large enterprises can afford to develop a mobile app? Well, the good news is that it’s not like that anymore. With new technical solutions on the market, even startups at the very beginning of their path can build mobile apps at affordable prices. One of these tech solutions is React Native, the framework that allows building iOS and Android mobile apps from one codebase.

With this article, we explain why choosing React Native for app development is a compelling option for startups, deliver a price comparison of apps developed with React Native and native coding languages as well as give a few tips on how to find a suitable outsourcing IT company.

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source framework that enables IT developers to create mobile apps for iOS and Android operating systems simultaneously. Facebook invented the framework and presented it at the hackathon in 2015.

The aim of Facebook was to create a technology that could ease up the work of their engineers. They were fed up with using different coding languages and tools for building apps with similar functionality for iOS and Android. Hence Facebook released React Native, the technology for creating native-like apps with the help of a single coding language — JavaScript.

The Facebook team has continuously improved the framework, and many large companies used it to build their mobile apps. Let’s find out how startuppers who only plan to gain a mobile presence can benefit from choosing React Native for app development.

The list of world-known companies that choose React Native for app development
The mobile versions of the following services are all built with React Native

Reason 1: Access iOS and Android users at once

Android dominates the global market, and it is responsible for 70% of all smartphone usage. On the other hand, iOS users spend 2.5 more time on their smartphones than Android users. In case you decide to develop a native app and have budget constraints, you might face a complicated question: Whether iOS or Android operating system better fits your business idea.

By opting for React Native for app development, entrepreneurs can free themselves from making such a difficult choice, as React Native makes it possible to access the audience of iOS and Android at once. With this framework, developers create a single codebase that can be used for creating apps for several operating systems. As a result, an entrepreneur can test the business idea with the help of a wider audience.

Reason 2: Suitable for many ideas

Another reason to choose React Native for app development is plenty of ready-made solutions and tools that are compatible with the framework. The fact that React Native apps can be connected to third-party integrations and native plugins makes it possible for developers to implement rich app functionality.

More than that, the code written for mobile apps can also be reused for building web applications and apps for Android TV, Apple tvOS, and macOS, which makes it possible to make almost any software idea into reality. Let’s have a look at a few ideas on how React Native can be used.

Artsy is the marketplace for sharing and selling pieces of art created with the help of React Native. The app allows discovering art from famous galleries, following the artists, and buying paintings from them.

5 reasons to choose React Native for app development: Artsy screens
At first, the Artsy app was only available on iOS; to reach a wider audience, the Artsy team decided to switch to React Native

Although many developers think it’s better not to create mobile games with React Native, some teams still choose the framework for this purpose. For instance, Words with Friends adopted React Native to ease up the development of their game.

5 reasons to choose React Native for app development: Words with friends screens
The ability to integrate into existing apps, live reloading, and strong community support were the features that attracted Words with Friends developers

Our Ronas IT team enjoys using React Native for app development as well. We have recently created two mobile applications with the help of this Facebook-invented technology. The first one is Lainappi, the service taking and giving items for rent. With this app, users can find the items they want to rent, receive the rented item in metal cells placed at subway stations in Finland, and pay for rent via the app.

When working with Lainappi renting app, we chose React Native for app development
We used react-native-maps and expo-location libraries to implement maps and user location features

Moreover, we used React Native to engineer Oddscrowd, an app for the community of bettors. The app provides features for finding other bettors, checking their stats, and tracking stats on betting picks.

When working with Oddscrowd betting app, we chose React Native for app development
We implemented third-party integrations to display up-to-date data about odds, games, and game results
If you have a mobile app idea — feel free to get in touch.

Reason 3: Cost-effective development

When startuppers decide to gain a mobile presence, they have two options: develop either a React Native app or a native app. In case they choose React Native for app development, a single team of developers is enough, while for native development, they need separate teams that are capable of using two completely different coding languages and tools.

Also, according to statistics, software agencies charge less for React Native development compared to native development for iOS and Android.

ServiceHourly rate
React Native
development
$25-70
Native iOS
development
$45-75
Native Android
development
$25-85+
Here’s the table of hourly rates according to Upwork

More than that, in case one wants to create two native apps, there will be a need to create two separate UI/UX design mockups, which will result in additional expenses. At the same time, when building a React Native app, only one UI/UX mockup might be enough. It can be adapted to the requirements of both iOS and Android guidelines, which saves up the time and resources required for design.

These factors imply that choosing React Native for app development is a great option for startups who work under tight budget constraints. We have decided to estimate how much more expensive it is to develop MVPs of the most popular app types with the help of native technologies. It turned out that building one native app can be 10%—50% more expensive than building a React Native app.

App ideaReact Native
development price
iOS
development price
Android
development price
E-commerce app$20,000$24,000$27,000
App for social network$18,000$23,000$28,000
Delivery app$15,000$20,000$23,000
Taxi app$25,000$32,000$35,000
Investment app$30,000$35,000$41,000
Dating app$40,000$47,000$52,000
Fitness app$30,000$33,000$36,000
Music app$25,000$28,000$30,000

Reason 4: Simple updating

After the MVP release, the startup owner might need to enhance the software based on user reviews or add new features to the app. Also, small bugs might pop up, and there will be a need to fix them.

React Native delivers great help in these cases because it allows updating apps without going through the approval process in Google Play and App Store. On the contrary, native apps need to be sent to stores each time a new update is released. It usually takes Google Play and App Store 2–3 days to approve the app. The React Native over-the-air updates save both time of the development team and the resource the startuppers spend on app maintenance, which is another compelling reason to choose React Native for app development.

Reason 5: Shorter development time

During eight years on the market, a huge development community grew around React Native. Thanks to this fact, there are a lot of ready-made components that can be reused multiple times, so there is no need to build common features from scratch. This factor greatly reduces development time.

Due to the shared codebase, React Native apps are developed about 30% faster than native ones. It makes React Native a perfect solution for building MVPs, and apps with minimum functions needed to enter the market. The framework allows quickly building and testing the product with first customers and then keep improving it upon the need. In addition, quick development results in lower development costs, as most software development companies charge hourly rates.

Our team can prove that using React Native for app development reduces engineering time. The aim of the Oddscrowd and Lainappi teams was to release their apps to the market as soon as possible. That’s why we managed to release the first versions of these products within 3–5 months and helped our customers hit their targets.

If you want to launch an app to the market that fast - feel free to contact us!

Checklist: How to hire a React Native team?

In case you have already decided to use React Native for app development, finding React Native developers will be the first step towards bringing your idea to reality. To make the app successful and keep the process of development smooth, you need to find experienced and diligent React Native developers.

You can choose to hire freelance developers, build your own in-house IT team, or hire an outsourcing agency. We don’t recommend hiring a team of freelancers as they might not be reliable. Also, it might take long for them to form a well-coordinated team.

If you are choosing between an in-house team and an outsourcing agency, you need to rely on your goals. To quickly test your business idea on the market, it’s better to hire an outsourcing company. That’s because most outsourcing teams already have well-built internal processes, and they can free you from managing the development, so you can spend more time scaling your project. Here’s the list of issues to check before shaking hands with an outsourcing IT company.

  • Pleasant initial contact

    Pay attention if the company is willing to answer your questions about the price and development process. If the company doesn’t delay the answers and communicates respectfully, there is a high chance that your work will be smooth and trouble-free.

  • Reviews

    Client feedback tells a lot about the service quality and diligence of the company. To see how well the company can use React Native for app development, check reviews on websites like Goodfirms or Clutch.

  • Portfolio

    If you feel suspicious about the reviews, you can also check the company’s cases. To find out how the company handles UI/UX design, check their website as well as sources like Dribbble or Behance. Cases from the portfolio will help you understand if the company is able to use React Native for app development and solve complex tasks.

  • Transparent communication

    The company should provide you with info about the steps they make during the development. Usually, an outsourcing team should provide you with product presentations every two weeks to demonstrate the project’s progress.

  • Post-release maintenance

    Before starting the cooperation, find out how the company manages post-release maintenance. Sometimes the need to fix bugs or release an update occurs. In this case, you might need the help of your outsourcing company even after the release of the first app version.

By the way, our team has vast experience in using React Native for app development. During 15 years on the market, we have engineered and released more than 30 React Native applications. If you have an app idea, fill in the form, and we will get in touch with you within 24 hours.

If you want to develop your own React Native app — feel free to get in touch.
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