Startups often find themselves in a tough spot: you need a high-quality mobile app to attract users, but you’re working with tight budgets and even tighter deadlines. This is where React Native comes in. It’s an incredibly versatile framework that allows you to build apps for both iOS and Android with a single codebase, saving you time, money, and headaches.

This is just my opinion based on my experience building apps for startups. While I think React Native is fantastic, other frameworks like Flutter, Native development, or even Progressive web apps (PWAs) may be a better fit for certain use cases. Let’s explore some key points.

One codebase, two platforms

If you’ve ever tried to develop separate apps for iOS and Android, you know it’s like building two entirely different products. With React Native, you only need to write one codebase to deploy on both platforms.

React Native uses JavaScript (or TypeScript if your prefer) and supports native components, ensuring a polished, responsive app experience. For comparison, Flutter also supports cross-platform development but uses Dart, which has a smaller talent pool compared to JavaScript developers. While Native development offers full customization, it requires separate teams for iOS (Swift) and Android (Kotlin/Java), which increase the cost and time.

According to the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, JavaScript continues to be the most widely used programming language, strengthening React Native’s appeal for startups.

Some additional note: The JavaScript ecosystem makes it easier to find developers and scale your team quickly. Additionally, if you already have a React web app, your team can probably reuse some logic and knowledge in the React Native development process. It’s not as simple as copy-pasting, but it surely helps!

Cost and speed matter

Startups don’t have time to waste—and every dollar counts. React Native’s speed and cost efficiency make it a solid choice.

Shared code means faster development and lower costs. For MVPs, React Native excels because it allows startups to quickly validate their ideas and iterate based on user feedback. This ability to deploy a functional prototype for both platforms simultaneously means you can test market fit or pitch to investors without significant upfront investment.

Building MVPs with React Native is especially advantageous because it supports rapid iteration. You can quickly make adjustments based on early feedback and scale the app further when the core idea is validated. By contrast, Native development involves separate teams and timelines, which can slow down this process.

React Native’s mature ecosystem and library support help you launch faster without compromising quality, making it an ideal choice for startups eager to move quickly.

Ecosystem and community

One of React Native’s biggest advantages is its thriving community. Whether you’re troubleshooting an issue or looking for the best libraries to extend functionality, you’ll find a solution.

React Native benefits from massive community support, with widely adopted libraries like React Navigation or Redux. Additionally, being built on JavaScript means you can also use popular pure JS libraries such as Lodash and D3.js in your projects. This opens up an incredible range of possibilities for handling data manipulation, visualization, and more.

The community also produces extensive tutorials, forums, and third-party tools, making it easier to get started and resolve challenges. For example, platforms like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and Discord groups dedicated to React Native are always buzzing with new ideas and solutions.

Why I lean toward React Native: The combination of a dedicated community and access to JavaScript’s vast library ecosystem ensures quicker fixes and better tooling, so you’re not reinventing the wheel.

Flexibility for startups

Startups thrive on flexibility—whether you’re building a minimum viable product (MVP) or scaling your app. React Native adapts to your needs effortlessly.

Native development might be the better choice for products that require highly complex, platform-specific features like advanced AR/VR applications or heavy computational tasks, such as gaming engines. These apps often benefit from the full capabilities of the device’s hardware, which Native development can unlock better than any cross-platform framework.

That said, for the majority of apps—especially those centered on content delivery, user engagement, or basic e-commerce functionality—React Native is the better option. It allows you to deliver high-quality user experiences while keeping costs and development time low. Additionally, React Native’s hot-reloading and shared codebase make it easier to maintain and update the app as your startup grows.

In my experience React Native strikes the perfect balance between speed and scalability. While Native development might shine in niche cases, React Native covers the broad spectrum of startup needs effectively.

Conclusion

From my perspective, React Native is an excellent framework for startups aiming to deliver high-quality mobile apps without breaking the bank. It offers the perfect mix of cost efficiency, speed, flexibility, and innovation—all backed by a vibrant community and industry giants.

In case you still doubt whether your product could be worth building with React Native, consider this: last year, more than 1,000 apps in the United States generated monthly revenues exceeding $10,000 using React Native, according to Statista.

That said, every project is unique, and other technologies might better suit specific needs. If you’re unsure about the right technology for your product, we’d love to chat! At Sagitta, we’ll help you assess your requirements and guide you to the best choice, whether that’s React Native or another solution. We’re here to help you succeed.