Are you ready to create native mobile apps that impress users? If so, you're likely familiar with the importance of seamless performance, fast operating speed, and highly responsive user interfaces. But which framework should you choose for your next project – NativeScript or React Native?
NativeScript is an open-source framework that enables developers to build apps on both iOS and Android platforms. With over 3,000 stars on GitHub since its release in 2015, NativeScript has gained a significant following. Its key benefits include fast iteration and hot reloading for better file refreshment.
React Native, on the other hand, is one of the most popular frameworks in the world, used by nearly 11.5% developers to create high-quality apps. Its advantages include top-notch app performance and fast iteration with hot reloading for improved file refreshment.
What Apps are Built With React Native and NativeScript?
Both frameworks have been successfully implemented to build native mobile apps that aim to win users' hearts and minds. Let's take a look at some notable examples:
NativeScript has been used to develop the following apps:
• MyPuma, an app for selling sports products from Puma
• Portable North Pole, enabling users to send greetings from Santa Claus
• California Court Access, serving as a reminder for court gatherings in the region
• Discord, a popular platform for gamers
• SoundCloud, a music streaming service
• Vogue World, a fashion news and top stories app
NativeScript vs React Native: Key Differences
While both frameworks are used for native mobile development, they have distinct approaches to app performance, access to native APIs, architecture, learning curve, and more. Let's explore the key differences:
Learning Curve
When measuring output and time spent on app development, the learning curve is crucial. NativeScript offers a unique advantage with its ability to create apps in multiple combinations:
• NativeScript and JavaScript
• NativeScript and Vue.js
• NativeScript and Angular
• NativeScript and TypeScript
Winfred Van Egteren, a component architect from Triodos Bank, applied NativeScript to app development and shared his experience:
Architecture
React Native calculates changes to UI on the UI thread, resulting in responsive UIs. However, this means that developers must know Objective-C for iOS and Java for Android to access native APIs.
NativeScript, on the other hand, executes the UI thread to implement the UI. Its benefits include simple access to native APIs, smoothly created animations, and zero-day support for OS releases.
Programming Languages
NativeScript uses TypeScript as its programming language, while React Native supports JavaScript, Kotlin, Java, Objective-C, and Swift.
Native APIs
React Native provides a basic set of native API modules but requires developers to find required bridges themselves. In contrast, NativeScript injects Android and iOS APIs into the JavaScript Virtual Machine (JVM), allowing for easy access without knowledge of programming languages used for native app development.
Plugins and Third-Party Libraries
NativeScript's plugins are available on its official website, a feature React Native lacks. This framework relies on third-party plugins located on outside resources like GitHub and repositories, which can lead to more costs and development time.
NativeScript supports native libraries that derive from plugins, while React Native has its own component libraries like NativeBase or MaterialKit React Native for building native UIs for mobile apps.
Performance
Both frameworks provide native app performance, with high loading times (60 frames per second) at runtime. However, React Native offers faster UI rendering thanks to Virtual DOM and more native performance than NativeScript.
Development Community
React Native has a larger community of developers than NativeScript, with 42% of programmers using the former compared to 11% for the latter. Moreover, React Native is more popular among renowned companies.
Now that you've learned about the key differences between NativeScript and React Native, which framework will you choose for your next project?