react-native vs expo vs quasar vs cordova vs framework7 vs ionic vs @nativescript/core
Cross-Platform Mobile Development Frameworks Comparison
1 Year
react-nativeexpoquasarcordovaframework7ionic@nativescript/coreSimilar Packages:
What's Cross-Platform Mobile Development Frameworks?

Cross-platform mobile development frameworks enable developers to build applications for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, etc.) using a single codebase. These frameworks provide tools and libraries that facilitate the development process, allowing for a more efficient workflow and reducing the need for platform-specific code. They often include features such as UI components, native access, and performance optimizations, making it easier to create high-quality mobile applications that run seamlessly across different devices.

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react-native2,717,718120,73973.7 MB8886 days agoMIT
expo1,084,64137,633351 kB8065 days agoMIT
quasar162,46126,30210.8 MB618a month agoMIT
cordova58,793948144 kB572 years agoApache-2.0
framework712,60518,28314.6 MB2075 months agoMIT
ionic11,9592,000900 kB367-MIT
@nativescript/core6,63424,56425.2 MB9023 months agoApache-2.0
Feature Comparison: react-native vs expo vs quasar vs cordova vs framework7 vs ionic vs @nativescript/core

Native Performance

  • react-native:

    React Native applications provide excellent performance by compiling to native code and allowing for direct interaction with native components, making them suitable for performance-critical applications.

  • expo:

    Expo applications leverage React Native's capabilities, providing near-native performance while simplifying the development process. However, some performance optimizations may be limited compared to pure React Native apps.

  • quasar:

    Quasar applications can achieve near-native performance by using Vue.js and optimized rendering techniques. It allows for building applications that feel responsive and fluid, especially when using native components.

  • cordova:

    Cordova applications run in a web view, which may lead to performance limitations compared to native apps. While it allows for quick development, it may not match the performance of fully native applications.

  • framework7:

    Framework7 offers good performance for hybrid applications, but since it relies on web technologies, it may not achieve the same level of performance as native apps, especially for complex animations.

  • ionic:

    Ionic applications run in a web view, which can impact performance. However, with optimizations and the use of native plugins, it can still provide a satisfactory user experience for many applications.

  • @nativescript/core:

    NativeScript provides true native performance by compiling to native code and allowing direct access to native APIs, ensuring that applications run smoothly and efficiently on mobile devices.

Development Speed

  • react-native:

    React Native offers a fast development cycle with hot reloading, allowing developers to see changes in real-time, which speeds up the development process significantly.

  • expo:

    Expo significantly speeds up the development process with its managed workflow, providing instant feedback and easy deployment options, making it ideal for rapid iteration and prototyping.

  • quasar:

    Quasar's powerful CLI and component library enable developers to rapidly create applications across multiple platforms, streamlining the development process and reducing time to market.

  • cordova:

    Cordova's use of web technologies allows for quick prototyping and development, making it suitable for projects with tight deadlines, although it may require more effort for optimization later.

  • framework7:

    Framework7 provides a fast development experience with its extensive UI components and documentation, allowing developers to quickly create visually appealing applications without deep knowledge of native code.

  • ionic:

    Ionic's extensive library of components and CLI tools facilitates rapid development, allowing developers to build applications quickly using familiar web technologies.

  • @nativescript/core:

    NativeScript allows for rapid development with its rich set of components and support for popular frameworks like Angular and Vue, enabling developers to build applications quickly while maintaining quality.

Community and Ecosystem

  • react-native:

    React Native has one of the largest communities among mobile frameworks, with a vast ecosystem of libraries, plugins, and resources available, ensuring strong support and continuous improvement.

  • expo:

    Expo has a vibrant community and ecosystem, providing numerous libraries and tools that enhance the development experience, along with excellent documentation and support.

  • quasar:

    Quasar has a growing community with a focus on Vue.js, providing a solid ecosystem of plugins and resources that enhance development and support.

  • cordova:

    Cordova has a large and established community with a wealth of plugins and resources available, making it easy to find support and extend functionality.

  • framework7:

    Framework7 has a dedicated community, but it is smaller compared to others. It offers good documentation and resources, but the ecosystem may not be as extensive as larger frameworks.

  • ionic:

    Ionic has a strong community and a rich ecosystem of plugins and resources, making it easy to find support and integrate third-party libraries into applications.

  • @nativescript/core:

    NativeScript has a growing community and ecosystem, with a variety of plugins and resources available, although it may not be as extensive as some other frameworks.

UI Components

  • react-native:

    React Native provides a set of core components that can be styled to create native-like interfaces, with the flexibility to customize and extend components as needed.

  • expo:

    Expo offers a set of pre-built components that integrate well with React Native, providing a good balance between native look and ease of use, although customization may be limited.

  • quasar:

    Quasar provides a vast array of responsive UI components that are highly customizable, allowing developers to create visually stunning applications that cater to various platforms.

  • cordova:

    Cordova relies on web technologies for UI components, which may not provide the same native look and feel. Developers often use frameworks like Bootstrap or Ionic for UI design.

  • framework7:

    Framework7 provides a rich set of UI components designed to mimic native mobile interfaces, making it easy to create visually appealing applications that feel native.

  • ionic:

    Ionic offers a comprehensive library of UI components that are designed to look and feel native on both iOS and Android, providing a consistent user experience across platforms.

  • @nativescript/core:

    NativeScript provides a variety of native UI components, allowing developers to create applications that look and feel native on both iOS and Android platforms.

Learning Curve

  • react-native:

    React Native has a moderate learning curve, especially for developers already familiar with React, but newcomers may need time to grasp mobile-specific concepts and native integrations.

  • expo:

    Expo is beginner-friendly, providing a simplified development environment that allows new developers to quickly learn and build applications without deep knowledge of native code.

  • quasar:

    Quasar is accessible for developers familiar with Vue.js, providing a straightforward learning experience, but may require time to explore its extensive features and components.

  • cordova:

    Cordova has a relatively low learning curve for web developers, as it utilizes familiar web technologies, making it easy to get started with mobile development.

  • framework7:

    Framework7 is easy to learn for developers familiar with web technologies, but may require additional effort to master its specific components and architecture.

  • ionic:

    Ionic has a gentle learning curve for web developers, leveraging familiar technologies, but may require some time to understand its specific components and best practices.

  • @nativescript/core:

    NativeScript has a moderate learning curve, especially for developers familiar with Angular, Vue, or React, as it requires understanding of native concepts and APIs.

How to Choose: react-native vs expo vs quasar vs cordova vs framework7 vs ionic vs @nativescript/core
  • react-native:

    Choose React Native if you want to build mobile applications using React and need a balance between performance and development speed. It allows for building native apps with a familiar React syntax and provides access to native components.

  • expo:

    Choose Expo if you are looking for a streamlined development experience with React Native, providing a set of tools and services that simplify the process of building, deploying, and testing applications. It's great for beginners and rapid prototyping.

  • quasar:

    Choose Quasar if you want a comprehensive framework that allows you to build responsive websites, PWAs, and mobile apps with a single codebase. It provides a rich set of components and plugins, making it suitable for complex applications that require a lot of features.

  • cordova:

    Choose Cordova if you want to create hybrid mobile applications using standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and need access to native device features through plugins. It's suitable for projects where performance is less critical and rapid development is prioritized.

  • framework7:

    Choose Framework7 if you want to create hybrid mobile applications with a native look and feel, focusing on UI components and a smooth user experience. It's particularly useful for building apps that resemble native iOS or Android applications without needing to dive deep into native code.

  • ionic:

    Choose Ionic if you prefer to build hybrid applications using web technologies and want a rich set of UI components and a powerful CLI. It's ideal for developers who want to leverage their web development skills to create mobile applications.

  • @nativescript/core:

    Choose NativeScript if you need to build truly native mobile applications with direct access to native APIs and components, allowing for a high level of performance and user experience. It is ideal for developers familiar with Angular, Vue, or React, as it supports these frameworks.

README for react-native

React Native

Learn once, write anywhere:
Build mobile apps with React.

React Native is released under the MIT license. Current CircleCI build status. Current npm package version. PRs welcome! Follow @reactnative

Getting Started · Learn the Basics · Showcase · Contribute · Community · Support

React Native brings React's declarative UI framework to iOS and Android. With React Native, you use native UI controls and have full access to the native platform.

  • Declarative. React makes it painless to create interactive UIs. Declarative views make your code more predictable and easier to debug.
  • Component-Based. Build encapsulated components that manage their state, then compose them to make complex UIs.
  • Developer Velocity. See local changes in seconds. Changes to JavaScript code can be live reloaded without rebuilding the native app.
  • Portability. Reuse code across iOS, Android, and other platforms.

React Native is developed and supported by many companies and individual core contributors. Find out more in our ecosystem overview.

Contents

📋 Requirements

React Native apps may target iOS 15.1 and Android 7.0 (API 24) or newer. You may use Windows, macOS, or Linux as your development operating system, though building and running iOS apps is limited to macOS. Tools like Expo can be used to work around this.

🎉 Building your first React Native app

Follow the Getting Started guide. The recommended way to install React Native depends on your project. Here you can find short guides for the most common scenarios:

📖 Documentation

The full documentation for React Native can be found on our website.

The React Native documentation discusses components, APIs, and topics that are specific to React Native. For further documentation on the React API that is shared between React Native and React DOM, refer to the React documentation.

The source for the React Native documentation and website is hosted on a separate repository, @facebook/react-native-website.

🚀 Upgrading

Upgrading to new versions of React Native may give you access to more APIs, views, developer tools, and other goodies. See the Upgrading Guide for instructions.

React Native releases are discussed in this discussion repo.

👏 How to Contribute

The main purpose of this repository is to continue evolving React Native core. We want to make contributing to this project as easy and transparent as possible, and we are grateful to the community for contributing bug fixes and improvements. Read below to learn how you can take part in improving React Native.

Code of Conduct

Facebook has adopted a Code of Conduct that we expect project participants to adhere to. Please read the full text so that you can understand what actions will and will not be tolerated.

Contributing Guide

Read our Contributing Guide to learn about our development process, how to propose bugfixes and improvements, and how to build and test your changes to React Native.

Open Source Roadmap

You can learn more about our vision for React Native in the Roadmap.

Good First Issues

We have a list of good first issues that contain bugs which have a relatively limited scope. This is a great place to get started, gain experience, and get familiar with our contribution process.

Discussions

Larger discussions and proposals are discussed in @react-native-community/discussions-and-proposals.

📄 License

React Native is MIT licensed, as found in the LICENSE file.

React Native documentation is Creative Commons licensed, as found in the LICENSE-docs file.