Why we chose React Native (and haven't looked back)

React Native isn’t just a popular framework, it’s a proven one. Developed and maintained by Meta, it’s the same technology behind products used daily by billions of people, including Facebook, Instagram, and Microsoft Office. That level of real-world usage matters. It means the framework is battle-tested at scale, constantly improved, and backed by teams who rely on it for mission-critical products.

In 2026, that maturity is one of React Native’s biggest strengths. Rather than chasing shiny new tools, we favour technologies that have demonstrated longevity, stability, and the ability to evolve without breaking everything that came before. React Native continues to tick all three.

We’re always keeping an eye on the latest developments in mobile frameworks. Our technology radar constantly evaluates market shifts to ensure we’re working with the most effective, future-ready tools available. And even with new contenders emerging, React Native has remained our go-to framework.

Yes, Flutter is gaining traction, but the JavaScript ecosystem is unmatched. It makes sourcing expert talent simpler, offers a vast community of support, and integrates beautifully with other parts of the stack, especially when combined with TypeScript. Together, they give us robust, scalable apps with clean, maintainable code and seamless alignment between frontend and backend development.

One of the biggest commercial advantages of React Native is its single shared codebase across iOS and Android. That doesn’t just mean faster development, it means fewer inconsistencies, simpler testing, and a more predictable roadmap for future features. Updates land simultaneously across platforms, bugs are fixed once, and teams spend more time improving the product rather than duplicating effort.

Before React Native, our team came from a strong native development background. But today, we see little advantage in choosing native unless the project demands direct hardware access, such as gaming or real-time media processing.

That said, React Native isn’t just for typical cross-platform apps. With the introduction of bridgeless mode and deeper integration with native code, there’s almost no limitation on performance or direct SDK access when needed. It gives us the flexibility to deliver native-like experiences without sacrificing efficiency.

React Native doesn’t lock you out of native development, it embraces it. For the majority of user-facing app functionality, React Native delivers everything you need. But when a product demands deeper technical capability, such as Bluetooth communication, advanced hardware access, or specialist performance optimisation, native code can be integrated seamlessly.

This hybrid approach means we’re never constrained by the framework. We get the efficiency of cross-platform development without losing the option to drop down to native code when it genuinely adds value.

Let’s talk about the common concerns.

Performance:

It’s true that early versions of React Native had performance limitations. But that’s old news. With the new architecture, JSI, and Hermes engine, React Native apps can now achieve near-native performance. We’ve put this to the test across projects from travel to enterprise and the results speak for themselves. Smooth animations, quick load times, and consistent performance across devices.

Performance used to be the biggest question mark around React Native, and it’s the area that’s seen the most dramatic progress. With the release of the new architecture in 2025, including JSI, Fabric, and TurboModules, React Native now delivers performance that’s genuinely comparable to fully native apps.

By removing the traditional bridge and allowing JavaScript to communicate directly with native code, apps feel faster, more responsive, and more consistent across devices. In practice, this means smoother animations, reduced startup times, and better handling of complex user interactions - all without sacrificing development speed.

Security:

React Native is only as secure as the team building with it, and that’s where our experience comes in. Our in-house foundation, The Core, is packed with over 20 security measures designed to protect against real-world threats. From encryption and secure API handling to dependency monitoring, every app we build is fortified from the ground up.

Scalability:

Cross-platform doesn’t mean “cut corners.” Our work with partners like Reward Gateway proves that React Native scales beautifully for complex, high-demand products. The framework’s modularity and shared codebase make it easier to evolve, update, and expand apps as business needs grow - without rewriting from scratch.

This is a question we’re asked a lot, so let’s be clear.

Both React Native and Flutter are capable cross-platform frameworks, but they take very different approaches. React Native uses the actual native UI components provided by iOS and Android. That means apps automatically adopt new platform features and design updates as they’re released. When iOS evolves, React Native evolves with it.

Flutter, by contrast, renders its own UI layer. While this can offer visual consistency, it isn’t truly native - platform changes have to be manually recreated rather than inherited. A good example is Apple’s evolving design language, where Flutter teams must explicitly rebuild new visual effects to match iOS behaviour, rather than getting them “for free”.

There’s also the ecosystem to consider. React Native is built on JavaScript and TypeScript, the most widely used programming languages in the world, with millions of developers globally. That gives it the largest library ecosystem, stronger long-term talent availability, and far better alignment with backend and web development.

Flutter’s Dart language continues to grow, but it’s far less commonly used outside of Flutter itself, particularly on the backend. For teams and businesses thinking long-term, React Native offers far greater flexibility and resilience.

React Native isn’t a silver bullet and we don’t pretend it is. For highly specialised use cases such as 3D gaming engines or intensive real-time audio and video processing, fully native development is often the better choice.

But for the vast majority of commercial apps (from travel and fintech to enterprise platforms), React Native delivers everything required, faster and more efficiently, without compromising the end-user experience.

Developing in React Native doesn’t just speed up projects - it helps us deliver secure, high-quality apps. With The Core, our in-house framework, we’ve built a foundation of best practices and over 20 security measures to keep apps protected from malicious threats.

This experience has been shaped by working across diverse industries, from Fintech to Enterprise. Partners like Reward Gateway benefit directly from our years of refinement in React Native development, helping them build scalable, future-proof digital products.

React Native offers speed, flexibility, and maturity - without compromising on quality. With a proven track record, a modern architecture, and the flexibility to go native when needed, it remains the smartest commercial choice for most mobile applications in 2026.

For us, it’s not about following trends. It’s about choosing technology that stands the test of time and React Native continues to do exactly that.