What’s the main difference between ReactJS and React Native?

React is one of the popularly used JavaScript frameworks. As per the StackOverflow survey, 40.58% of developers use React to build dynamic user interfaces.

But it is confused with React Native. For seamless web and mobile app experiences, you must know the difference.

React vs React Native?

Well, the confusion is real. If you are new to app development, you must have encountered it.

React and React Native are JavaScript-based and founded by Facebook, but they differ in their target platforms and development approaches.

To solve your confusion, we have created this detailed guide, React vs. React Native.

What is ReactJS?

With 224k stars, React, or ReactJS is a popular JavaScript front-end development library.

It is extensively used for developing user interfaces for mobile and web applications.

It breaks down the interface into reusable components, allowing developers to build dynamic and interactive user interfaces.

Developers can manage and update these components independently for more complex UI designs.

It leverages virtual DOM for updating the user interfaces efficiently, making change faster as it only modifies the part of the UI that has been updated, without altering the complete page.

Benefits of ReactJs

Benefits of using ReactJs for simple to complex user interfaces.

• Enhanced performance- Virtual DOM ensures faster and smoother updates to the interfaces, leading to better user experiences and improved performance of web apps.
• Reusable components- Developers can break down complex user interfaces into small reusable components, making it easier to maintain code and scalable projects.
• Cross-browser compatibility- ReactJs app executes well on all browsers, allowing it easier to launch web apps anywhere, allowing developers to code only once that will work perfectly on desktop and mobile devices.
• Extensive community- due to comprehensive support, you will find the required support and documentation to get along with ReactJs easily. You can also get several codes for the quick development of your websites.
• Extensive tools- ReactJs has a wide range of tools, offering libraries, plugins, and others for a seamless development process.

Disadvantages of ReactJs

• ReactJs has a long learning curve, specifically for beginners.
• ReactJS’s reliability on core technologies, like JavaScript, TypeScript, and Redux limits its flexibility to fit some use cases.
• ReactJS uses JSX, leading to more complex code, making it harder to understand and maintain.
• ReactJs apps will not work on older versions of browsers as older versions might not support modern-age web technologies.

What is React Native?

As per the StackOverFlow survey, 8.43% of developers prefer React Native.

Unlike ReactJs which is a javascript library, React Native is a JavaScript framework for developing native mobile apps.

It compiles the JS code to native Android and iOS app code for seamless cross-platform compatibility.

It lets developers build dynamic, interactive, and native mobile apps for Android and iOS platforms using one codebase.

Among other cross-platform mobile frameworks, React Native is one of the top frameworks.

React Native is built on top of React, offering the same features like Virtual DOM, state management, and components, to build mobile native apps.

React Native allows developers to access native APIs and Android/iOS platform-specific functionalities to develop apps offering the same look and feel as traditional native apps.

Also read- Why React Native is Ideal for Building Cross-Platform Business Apps

Benefits of React Native

• Cost-effectiveness- you can save costs compared to the old native app development approach, as you need to develop a single code that will work across platforms.
• Extensive developers community- React Native has extensive developers’ support and a community, that actively participates in improving its performance. It helps in providing long-term support with the latest trends and tools.
• Faster development- developers can use the same codebase to launch the app on Android and iOS, saving time and resources and faster time-to-market.

Disadvantages of React Native

• Limited performance- however, the performance of React Native is better than other cross-platform mobile frameworks, but still does not beat the performance of native apps in some cases.
• Limited access to APIs- you might not have full access to the native APIs and features, making it difficult for developers to offer complex functionality.
• Steep learning curve- React Native is difficult for developers who do not have experience with the React framework or mobile app development concepts.

Tabular Difference Between ReactJS and React Native

Detailed Comparision: React vs. React Native

1. Installation process

React and React Native differ in their installation processes.

To install React, you execute a command using npm (Node Package Manager). Also, you will require additional dependencies such as react-dom for web projects.

Setting up React Native requires you to install the React Native CLI globally through npm with npm install -g react-native-cli.

You will also need platform-specific setups, like Xcode for iOS or Android Studio for Android.

Once installed, you can easily integrate React into projects using tools like webpack or create-react-app, while React Native initializes a new project with the command react-native init ProjectName, which sets up the required files and folder structure.

These differences in installation reflect the distinct environments and target platforms of React and React Native.

2. Efficiency

React is efficient for building dynamic web interfaces using a virtual DOM, making UI changes faster and smoother.

Its component-based structure makes it easy to reuse code and organize projects. It improves developers’ efficiency in creating simple to complex UIs.

React Native is a great framework to build cross-platform native mobile apps using a single codebase.

Developers can create a single code that will run efficiently on Android and iOS, offering the same look and feel as the traditional native mobile apps.

This reduces the development time and effort of developers, increasing their efficiency.

Its hot reloading feature lets developers instantly see changes they make, making the development process faster and more productive.

3. Technology Base

In React, developers mainly use JavaScript to create user interfaces, often with JSX for defining UI components.

React relies on a virtual DOM for efficient UI updates and can be integrated with other JavaScript libraries like Redux and React Router.

In React Native, JavaScript is also the primary technology. However, it incorporates platform-specific languages such as Java for Android and Objective-C or Swift for iOS.

Developers write code in JavaScript, which is then translated into native code for each platform.

React Native also utilizes native components and APIs for creating mobile interfaces resembling native apps.

4. Feasibility

React, commonly referred to as React JS, merges HTML and JavaScript technologies primarily to seamlessly integrate CSS.

This integration addresses several CSS development challenges, including global namespace issues and variable/scope isolation concerns.

Are you seeking to enhance your existing app with additional components and features without overhauling the entire codebase?

React Native is the solution you need. It enables the integration of various native components into your existing app code.

For those with hybrid apps built using Ionic and Cordova, React Native facilitates efficient reuse of the Ionic-based code through straightforward plugin integration.

5. Compatibility

ReactJS creates web interfaces compatible with various browsers and platforms, offering responsive and interactive designs from desktop to mobile.

Using Virtual DOM, it enhances performance and ensures consistent behavior across browsers.

React Native builds native mobile apps for iOS and Android, utilizing native components for broad platform compatibility.

Developers write code once and deploy it across platforms, saving time and ensuring smooth performance on diverse devices.

6. Navigation

React enables navigation primarily for web apps using libraries like React Router, facilitating seamless movement between different views within the browser.

It utilizes URL-based navigation, offering various routing techniques to enhance user experience.

React Native provides navigation specifically for mobile apps, offering built-in components and libraries like React Navigation.

These support common mobile navigation patterns such as stack, tab, and drawer navigation, optimized for touch-based interfaces on iOS and Android platforms.

7. Storage

React handles data storage in web applications using methods like local state management, context API, and libraries such as Redux.

It often uses browser storage options like local storage and session storage to store small amounts of data within the user’s browser.

Additionally, React apps can communicate with server-side databases via APIs for storing and retrieving data remotely, ensuring persistent storage and synchronization across devices.

React Native offers storage solutions specifically designed for mobile apps, allowing developers to store data locally on the user’s device using built-in APIs like AsyncStorage or third-party libraries like Redux Persist.

AsyncStorage stores key-value pairs locally, suitable for small data amounts like user preferences or cached data.

React Native apps can also interact with server-side databases through APIs for storing and fetching data remotely, ensuring offline access and data sync across devices.

8. Components

React specializes in creating web interfaces using reusable components. These components are like building blocks, making managing and expanding complex interfaces easy.

With React, developers can create custom components, assemble them, and share data between them easily.

React Native is all about building mobile apps for iOS and Android using native components.

These components are specific to each platform and look and feel like native app elements.

Developers can also create custom components using JavaScript, which are translated into native components, ensuring smooth performance across different devices.

When to use ReactJs?

You can use ReactJs for web app projects that need dynamic and interactive UI with the capabilities of JavaScript.

• Single-page applications- React is ideal for SPAs, as it will update the entire UI dynamically without refreshing the entire page with every load.
• Complex web interfaces- you can build complex UIs with React as it breaks them into small reusable components, reducing development time and effort.
• Large-scale web apps- it is high in scalability and allows complex websites to scale efficiently. Top brands like Facebook and Netflix are using it without failing and catering to millions of users globally.
• Responsive web apps- with ReactJs, developers can build responsive and adaptable user interfaces that scale efficiently on any device from desktops to mobile phones.

Also, you can use ReactJs for high-volume traffic websites, real-time collaboration tools, media streaming services, and more.

When to use React Native?

React Native can help you develop solutions for various purposes.

• Cross-platform development- React Native is an ideal choice for creating cross-platform apps, as it allows developers to use a single codebase to run on Android and iOS platforms, significantly reducing development time and resources.
• Faster time-to-market- you can launch your faster faster, as React Native requires less time to code, test, and launch. It makes React Native a suitable choice for startups or businesses who want quicker products.
• Iterative development- it supports iterative development, allowing developers to build, test, and iterate faster than traditional methods.
• Native functionality- it allows developers to access native APIs and platform-specific features to build apps with similar look and feel across platforms.

Not only this,

• React Native seamlessly integrates into existing native applications, enabling developers to adopt gradually as needed. It suits well for companies, who want to leverage React Native capabilities without switching from traditional systems.
• You can use React Native to add new features to the existing native applications using reusable components and integrate them into the existing codebase, reducing time and improving performance.
• You can also use React Native with traditional native development to build hybrid applications, reaping the benefits of both approaches.

React vs. React Native Real-world Applications

React vs. React Native: Which One to Choose?

So, now you have a clear idea about React and React Native. While they serve different platforms, they share similar development principles.

Learning one makes it easier to learn the other. However, for React Native, knowing React is essential, but understanding native app development is also important due to its limited support.

Whether you’re building a web or mobile app, hiring React or React Native developers can offer advantages.

But, if you’re familiar with JavaScript, learning React is straightforward. Ready to hire dedicated developers?

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Also Read: React Native Vs Swift: Which One Is Better In 2024

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Also Read: 13 Best React Frameworks and Libraries to Use in 2024