React and React Native - What's the difference?

Marketing

  1. Mar 08, 2021
  2. 4 min read
react js vs react native

REACT.JS

React.js simply referred to as React mostly, is an open-source framework. It was designed by Jordan Walker for Facebook and the community and released in 2013. React is a type of JavaScript library. It is a front-end JavaScript framework used to build user interfaces or UI components. It is backed by Facebook and a large community.

We can make single-page or hybrid mobile applications using React.js. It has a virtual DOM (Document Object Model), which enhances its performance speed. It will help us to make applications for Android as well as for IOS. Its framework has proper tooling, which makes it more efficient.

PROS OF REACT.JS

1. Easy to learn:

React uses JSX syntax, which is easy to write and learn. Even if developers are unfamiliar with react, but with some basic knowledge of HTML and JavaScript, they can begin to use it. 

2. Job & Hiring:

React has a very big community, as Facebook maintains it. That’s why many people show their interest in learning React. This is a benefit for companies as they can find a skilled and experienced React developer without any hassle.

3. Virtual DOM (Virtual DOCUMENT OBJECT MODEL): Virtual DOM enhances its performance speed a lot. Virtual DOM enables the view layer in web browsers efficient.

4. Reusable Components: We can reuse code components in React. It saves a lot of time and effort. It has a set of many pre-existing components and also gives us a facility for reusable components.

5. Helpful toolset: React has handy tools for developers. This toolset makes the task easier and more understandable for them.

REACT NATIVE

React Native is a platform that allows us to build native mobile apps and cross-platform apps. It was created by Facebook and the community and launched in 2015. React is the base abstraction of React Native. Facebook created React Native for its internal use. It focuses on mobile apps rather than browsers.

We can write apps in JavaScript, Java, C++, and Python. It uses JSX as the syntax, which makes its performance better and more efficient. It doesn’t use HTML or CSS. It supports both IOS and Android applications.

PROS OF REACT NATIVE

1. Hot Reloading - This is the most attractive feature of React native. If you make any change in your code and it is visible automatically during development. All the changes can be tracked. This will save developers time and effort in making the app. 

2. JavaScript - It uses JavaScript to build native apps. Using JavaScript makes React Native unique and handy. As it is a very easy language than other programming languages.

3. High Performance - It also supports code reusability. Its regular updates make it a better place to work. With the use of native tools and controls, we can make its performance better and more efficient. 

4. Cross-platform Usage - In React Native, we code only once and can use it on many platforms. The code is written in JavaScript. But, later, it can convert to native views also. It works for both IOS as well as Android devices. 

5. Saves money and time – As it is compatible with both Android and IOS. So, developers have to install only one app, which will save them money. Also, with the help of its great tooling task, developers can execute tasks rapidly.

REACT VS REACT NATIVE

1. Primary setup - React.js is an open-source framework library. It can build user interfaces or web browsers. You have to choose web packs and bundlers. React Native is a JavaScript framework. We can create native mobile applications with it. In React Native, we have everything ready to set up.

2. Styling and DOM - React uses HTML to render browsers and CSS for styling. It uses virtual DOM to render the browser. In react, we create a stylesheet in JavaScript. React Native doesn’t use HTML to render the apps. React Native uses native APIs to render apps and for styling also.

3. Developer tools - React supports many tools in-built. These tools save a lot of time and effort for developers. It uses third-party CLI tools and has excellent support for major IDEs. React Native supports many innovative tools. As hot reloading, handle logs, Live Reload, etc. We can even use Redux Dev tools and Chrome Dev tools in React native.

4. Animations and gestures - In React.js, we use CSS for developing animations. It doesn’t give us much flexibility as compared to React native. React Native uses animated APIs for inducing animations across various components. We can get to know about various new ways to use JavaScript and create animations for apps

5. Compatibility - React is a single piece of code that is not compatible with many platforms. React Native is compatible with many platforms, which are Android, IOS, or windows.

6. Navigation - React uses a router for navigating web pages. React native has an in-built navigator for navigating mobile applications.

CONCLUSION

React is a JavaScript framework for building browser-based apps. React Native allows us to create native or cross-platform apps for mobile and web. React native is dependent on React.js as its underlying framework. Since both of them have many similarities. It makes its learning curve easy and understandable. To learn React native, you have to first learn about the basics of React.js. Communities of both of them are also getting better day by day.

 

About Author
Marketing

See What Our Clients Say

Mindgap

Incentius has been a fantastic partner for us. Their strong expertise in technology helped deliver some complex solutions for our customers within challenging timelines. Specific call out to Sujeet and his team who developed custom sales analytics dashboards in SFDC for a SoCal based healthcare diagnostics client of ours. Their professionalism, expertise, and flexibility to adjust to client needs were greatly appreciated. MindGap is excited to continue to work with Incentius and add value to our customers.

Samik Banerjee

Founder & CEO

World at Work

Having worked so closely for half a year on our website project, I wanted to thank Incentius for all your fantastic work and efforts that helped us deliver a truly valuable experience to our WorldatWork members. I am in awe of the skills, passion, patience, and above all, the ownership that you brought to this project every day! I do not say this lightly, but we would not have been able to deliver a flawless product, but for you. I am sure you'll help many organizations and projects as your skills and professionalism are truly amazing.

Shantanu Bayaskar

Senior Project Manager

Gogla

It was a pleasure working with Incentius to build a data collection platform for the off-grid solar sector in India. It is rare to find a team with a combination of good understanding of business as well as great technological know-how. Incentius team has this perfect combination, especially their technical expertise is much appreciated. We had a fantastic time working with their expert team, especially with Amit.

Viraj gada

Gogla

Humblx

Choosing Incentius to work with is one of the decisions we are extremely happy with. It's been a pleasure working with their team. They have been tremendously helpful and efficient through the intense development cycle that we went through recently. The team at Incentius is truly agile and open to a discussion in regards to making tweaks and adding features that may add value to the overall solution. We found them willing to go the extra mile for us and it felt like working with someone who rooted for us to win.

Samir Dayal Singh

CEO Humblx

Transportation & Logistics Consulting Organization

Incentius is very flexible and accommodating to our specific needs as an organization. In a world where approaches and strategies are constantly changing, it is invaluable to have an outsourcer who is able to adjust quickly to shifts in the business environment.

Transportation & Logistics Consulting Organization

Consultant

Mudraksh & McShaw

Incentius was instrumental in bringing the visualization aspect into our investment and trading business. They helped us organize our trading algorithms processing framework, review our backtests and analyze results in an efficient, visual manner.

Priyank Dutt Dwivedi

Mudraksh & McShaw Advisory

Leading Healthcare Consulting Organization

The Incentius resource was highly motivated and developed a complex forecasting model with minimal supervision. He was thorough with quality checks and kept on top of multiple changes.

Leading Healthcare Consulting Organization

Sr. Principal

US Fortune 100 Telecommunications Company

The Incentius resource was highly motivated and developed a complex forecasting model with minimal supervision. He was thorough with quality checks and kept on top of multiple changes.

Incentive Compensation

Sr. Director

Most Read
Scaling Data Analytics with ClickHouse

In the modern data-driven world, businesses are generating vast amounts of data every second, ranging from web traffic, IoT device telemetry, to transaction logs. Handling this data efficiently and extracting meaningful insights from it is crucial. Traditional databases, often designed for transactional workloads, struggle to manage this sheer volume and complexity of analytical queries.

Kartik Puri

  1. Nov 07, 2024
  2. 4 min read
From Pandas to ClickHouse: The Evolution of Our Data Analytics Journey

At Incentius, data has always been at the heart of what we do. We’ve built our business around providing insightful, data-driven solutions to our clients. Over the years, as we scaled our operations, our reliance on tools like Pandas helped us manage and analyze data effectively—until it didn’t.

The turning point came when our data grew faster than our infrastructure could handle. What was once a seamless process started showing cracks. It became clear that the tool we had relied on so heavily for data manipulation—Pandas—was struggling to keep pace. And that’s when the idea of shifting to ClickHouse began to take root.

But this wasn’t just about switching from one tool to another; it was the story of a fundamental transformation in how we approached data analytics at scale.

Chetan Patel

  1. Oct 28, 2024
  2. 4 min read
Designing Beyond Aesthetics: How UI Shapes the User Experience in Enterprise Solutions

UI design in enterprise solutions goes beyond aesthetics, focusing on enhancing usability and user satisfaction. By emphasizing clarity, visual hierarchy, feedback, and consistency, UI improves efficiency and productivity, allowing users to navigate complex tasks seamlessly.

Mandeep Kaur

  1. Oct 23, 2024
  2. 4 min read
How We Transformed the B2B Marketplace: From Struggle to Success

We recently undertook a comprehensive transformation of the B2B marketplace to address some pressing challenges

Mayank Patel

  1. Jul 29, 2024
  2. 4 min read