ReactJS vs. React Native Development: Choose the Right Path for You

React - A JavaScript library. It is used to create web applications and frontend elements. On the other hand, React Native is a cross-platform framework used to build mobile apps that function like “Native” apps.

Native apps are those apps that are built for a particular operating system like Android or iOS.

Undoubtedly, every day on Google there are searches in thousands for topics like ReactJS vs. React Native. Still, the comparison is a redundant question.

ReactJS and React Native are designed to achieve different requirements. Searching in the terms of ‘vs.’ is not the right way around. To understand it in much better terms, we need to dive deep into its history.

So, without any further ados, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

• What is ReactJS?

• When to use ReactJS?

• Pros and Cons of ReactJS

• What is React Native?

• When to use React Native?

• Pros and Cons of React Native

What is ReactJS?

As we mentioned earlier, it is a JavaScript library used to build user interfaces for web apps. It was developed by Facebook aka Meta, and has become one of the most in-demand and in-use JS libraries.

When to use ReactJS?

It is best for web development that requires interactive user interfaces. Following are some of the major uses of ReactJS:

1. Single-page applications (SPAs): ReactJS is considered the best for building single-page applications. The entire UI can update dynamically without reloading/refreshing the web page.

2. Complex web interfaces: It makes it easy to build complex user interfaces by breaking them down into smaller, reusable components. This can greatly simplify the development process and lead to more maintainable code.

3. Large-scale web applications: ReactJS is used by many large companies for their web applications. It has a proven track record of being able to handle complex use cases.

4. Responsive web design: It allows to building of responsive and adaptable user interfaces for desktop and mobile devices.

Pros and Cons of ReactJS

Following are some of the major pros and cons of ReactJs:

Pros:

Benefits of using ReactJS over traditional web development:

• Improved performance

• Reusable components

• Cross-browser compatibility

• Large and active community

• Strong ecosystem of tools and resources

Cons:

Following are some of the cons of using ReactJS:

• Steep learning curve

• Complex codebase

• Dependence on other technologies

• JSX limitations

• Browser compatibility

What is React Native?

React Native is a popular framework for building native mobile apps by compiling JavaScript code for native mobile platforms like Android and iOS. It uses the same ‘React’ but applies them to building native mobile applications.

When to Use React Native?

1. Best for cross-platform development: React Native is considered as the best for building cross-platform applications. It lets developers write a single codebase that runs on iOS and Android. 

2. Cost-effectiveness: It offers faster and more efficient development, which can result in cost savings compared to traditional native app development. 

3. Faster time-to-market: React Native can help you get your app to market faster than traditional native app development, as it requires minimal time to build, test, and deploy. 

4. Iterative development: Developers can build, test, and iterate on their apps more easily.

5. Native functionality: It provides access to native APIs and platform-specific features and can take advantage of the benefits of a single codebase.

Pros and Cons of React Native

Following are some of the major pros and cons of React Native:

Pros:

Benefits of using React Native over traditional web development:

• Faster development

• Strong developer community

• Low-cost market entry

Cons:

Following are some of the cons of using React Native:

• Performance limitations

• Limited access to native APIs

• Debugging

• Steep learning curve

• Complex UI elements

In short, React JS is a good choice for web development while React Native is the best choice for mobile app development.