Overview
Last year, I took the dive into my first big mobile application, Train With Us.
When it comes to mobile development, there are a few obvious language and framework options: Swift (iOS native), Kotlin (Android native), Flutter, and React Native (cross-platform). There are others too—like Tauri, which I’m currently using for a personal project.Here are five reasons why I ultimately decided to go with React Native.
Each of these options brings its own strengths to the table. But after research, experimentation, and real-world development, here are five reasons why I ultimately chose React Native
Expo
The benefits of Expo are immense, and personally, I’ve grown to really love working with it. One of the key reasons I chose React Native is because it unlocks access to the powerful Expo ecosystem. Expo abstracts away much of the complexity that usually comes with native mobile development, making it significantly easier to access device capabilities like the camera, location, haptics, notifications, sensors, and more- without having to do any kind of configurations!
The EAS (Expo Application Service) is another standout feature that I can't live without. To put it simply, EAS takes the pain away from creating builds and submitting them to the App/Google Play store! EAS Build and EAS Submit are clean, reliable, and easy to use—especially compared to doing it manually.
Local development and testing are a breeze when utilizing Expo. You can run it locally on simulators or on a physical device (dev build or Expo go) with no complex set up and come with Fast Refresh allows for quick and easy testing.
Expo is a must for mobile development, especially for solo devs and small teams.
Cross Platform
As starting to build the product as a solo developer, cross-platform support was non-negotiable. Flutter also offers great cross-platform capabilities, but Expo's added power (see above) tipped the scale in favour for React Native.
React
Another major factor was my background in web development—particularly with React. I’m already familiar with its component-based structure, hooks, state management, and overall philosophy. This meant I didn't have to start from complete scratch. Learning a brand-new language like Swift or Kotlin would have introduced a steep learning curve. When you are working against deadlines, it is best to go with what you know. React Native (especially paired with TypeScript) allowed me to transfer my skills directly and stay productive in a new environment. It felt less like starting over and more like extending my reach.
Ecosystem
The JavaScript/Typescript/React community is massive, and that comes with a huge library of open-source packages, tools, and utilities.
If you need a specific feature that would be difficult or time-consuming to implement in-house, chances are there’s already a mature, well-maintained library that solves that exact problem. Leveraging the capabilities of these libraries can help you and your team focus on the core logic and user experience
Community and Learning Resources
Number 5 on the list is the community of React Native. There is an endless amount of learning resources available, whether you are trying to fix a tricky bug, implement a feature, or looking for best practices, chances are you will find an answer. YouTube and GitHub are packed with tutorials and example projects around React Native and Expo. Having such a rich community gives developers quick access to answers, bug fixes, and proven solutions.
Final Thoughts
There are so many tech stacks to chose from, and every option-Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, etc-has its pros and cons. But for me React Native and Expo struck a balance of familiarity, flexibility, and power.
