Why We Use React Native for App Development

Updated: 02 November, 2026

We build our mobile apps with React Native, and clients sometimes ask why we choose it for app development. This guide to React Native app development explains our reasons. This post gives our reasons in plain English, and is honest about the cases where another approach might suit you better.

If you are a business owner in Liverpool or Merseyside thinking about an app, you do not need to know the technology to make a good decision. You do need to know what your choice of tools means for cost, speed and how the app feels to use.

What is React Native?

React Native is a framework for building mobile apps. The official React Native site describes it as bringing the best parts of developing with React to native development, and says Meta released it in 2015 and has maintained it since, with contributions from a community of individuals and companies. Its tagline is "Learn once, write anywhere".

The key point for a business owner is how it works. You write the app using JavaScript and React, but the screen elements are not a web page wrapped in an app. React Native's documentation explains that its components are backed by the same views that Android and iOS use, so React Native apps are built from real native components. At runtime, it creates the corresponding Android and iOS views, so the interface uses the same platform building blocks as other apps on the phone.

Why we chose it

One team, one codebase for iPhone and Android

Traditionally, an app for iPhone is written in Swift or Objective-C and an app for Android in Kotlin or Java. That means two sets of code. With React Native, much of the app can be written once and used on both platforms. For you, that usually means less duplicated work, and a simpler path to keeping the two versions consistent when you add a feature.

We say "much of" deliberately. Some parts of an app, such as certain device features, may still need platform-specific work, and we plan for that at the start.

It suits our other work

We build websites with Gatsby, which is also based on React. Using the same family of tools across web and mobile helps our work stay consistent and makes it easier for the same people to work across both. If you want a website and an app that share a look and feel, that is a practical advantage.

Apps that look and feel native

Because the interface is made from native components, the result behaves in the way people expect on their own phone: familiar scrolling, buttons and text input. That matters more than most owners realise. Customers rarely care what an app is built with, but they quickly notice one that feels odd.

A sensible way to control cost

Building one app rather than two can reduce the amount of work involved, which can help keep a budget under control. We cannot give a price without knowing what you need, since features matter far more than the framework. Our guide to what app development costs explains what really drives the figure.

A mature ecosystem

React Native's own documentation recommends starting new apps with a framework, and names Expo as a production-grade option that is free and open source. That kind of established tooling means developers are not building everything from scratch.

When React Native may not be the right choice

No tool suits every project. It is worth thinking about a fully native approach, written separately for each platform, if:

• your app depends heavily on very specific, advanced features of one platform;

• you only ever need one platform and want to use its newest features as soon as they appear;

• the app is a graphics-intensive game or similar, where a different toolset is usually preferred.

We will tell you if we think your project falls into one of these groups. The right answer starts from what your app needs to do, not from our favourite tool.

What this means for your app

When you work with us on a mobile app, you can expect:

• a conversation about what the app needs to do, who will use it and what the first version should include;

• one build approach that targets iPhone and Android together, unless your needs say otherwise;

• an app that uses native interface components;

• testing on real devices before it goes to the app stores.

To explore a project, see our mobile app development page, or contact us with a short description of your idea.

Frequently asked questions

Is React Native a good choice for a business app?

It is a widely used framework that is actively maintained, and it can suit many business apps such as booking, ordering, account or customer-service apps. Whether it is right for yours depends on the features you need, so it is worth discussing before you commit.

Does React Native work on both iPhone and Android?

Yes. The React Native site says it targets Android, iOS and more. Much of the code can be shared between the two, though some features may need platform-specific work.

Is a React Native app a real app or just a website in a wrapper?

It is a real app. React Native components are backed by the same views that Android and iOS use, so the screens are made from native elements rather than a web page displayed inside an app.

Will a React Native app cost less than two separate apps?

Often it needs less work than building two separate native apps, which can lower the cost, but that is not guaranteed. The features, design and integrations you need have a bigger effect on cost than the framework.

Can you use React Native for my existing app idea?

Usually we can talk it through quickly. Tell us what the app should do and which devices your customers use, and we will say whether React Native fits or whether another approach would be better.

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