Engineering
React Native vs native apps: what startups should choose
Cost, speed, performance and hiring compared, with a simple rule for deciding.
Kavix Team · 1 min read
Choosing how to build your mobile app is one of the earliest and most expensive decisions. Here is the practical view.
React Native
- One codebase for iOS and Android, shared with your web team's TypeScript skills.
- Faster development and easier maintenance.
- Large ecosystem and strong performance for most business apps.
Fully native
- Separate Swift/Kotlin codebases.
- Best access to the newest platform features and demanding graphics.
- Higher cost and slower iteration.
A simple rule
If your app is content, commerce, booking, social or business tools, React Native is almost always the right start. If it is a high-end game, heavy AR or needs deep hardware integration, consider native.
Other considerations
- Time to market: shipping one app beats shipping two later.
- Talent: JavaScript and TypeScript developers are easier to find.
- Sharing logic: you can reuse validation, API clients and types with your web app.
We build cross-platform apps and handle store submission. See mobile apps, and if you are building a product, the SaaS MVP checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Do React Native apps feel native?
Yes, they use native UI components, so well-built apps are hard to tell apart from fully native ones.
- #React Native
- #mobile apps
- #iOS
- #Android
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