Implementing Camera and Image Selection in React Native
These libraries provide access to device camera hardware and image galleries within React Native applications. react-native-camera and react-native-vision-camera offer full camera view components for building custom interfaces. react-native-camera-kit provides a high-performance native wrapper for camera functionality. react-native-image-picker focuses on launching native system dialogs for selecting existing images or taking quick photos without custom UI. Choosing the right tool depends on whether you need a custom camera interface, high-performance frame processing, or simple image selection.
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React Native Camera Libraries: Legacy, Modern, and Picker Solutions
Building camera features into a React Native app requires choosing between legacy tools, modern high-performance engines, and simple pickers. Each library takes a different approach to accessing hardware — from full custom interfaces to native system dialogs. Let's compare how they handle maintenance, basic capture, UI control, and advanced features.
⚠️ Maintenance Status: Active vs Archived
react-native-camera is officially deprecated and archived.
- It no longer receives updates or security patches.
- Using it in new projects is strongly discouraged.
// react-native-camera: Deprecated
// Do not use in new projects
import { RNCamera } from 'react-native-camera';
react-native-vision-camera is actively maintained and modern.
- Built with React Hooks and modern architecture in mind.
- Regular updates for new iOS and Android versions.
// react-native-vision-camera: Active
import { Camera } from 'react-native-vision-camera';
react-native-camera-kit is actively maintained.
- Focuses on stability and native performance.
- Good track record for production scanning apps.
// react-native-camera-kit: Active
import { CameraScreen } from 'react-native-camera-kit';
react-native-image-picker is actively maintained.
- Focused on image selection rather than camera streams.
- Widely used for simple upload flows.
// react-native-image-picker: Active
import { launchCamera } from 'react-native-image-picker';
📸 Capturing a Photo: API Comparison
react-native-camera uses a ref to access the camera instance.
- You call
takePictureAsyncon the ref. - Requires class components or careful hook usage with refs.
// react-native-camera
const cameraRef = useRef(null);
const takePhoto = async () => {
if (cameraRef.current) {
const photo = await cameraRef.current.takePictureAsync();
}
};
<RNCamera ref={cameraRef} />;
react-native-vision-camera uses a hook to control the camera.
- You call
takePhotofrom the camera instance. - Designed for functional components and hooks.
// react-native-vision-camera
const camera = useRef(null);
const takePhoto = async () => {
if (camera.current) {
const photo = await camera.current.takePhoto();
}
};
<Camera ref={camera} />
react-native-camera-kit uses a callback or promise from the screen.
- You trigger capture via a ref or prop.
- Returns image data directly.
// react-native-camera-kit
const cameraRef = useRef(null);
const takePhoto = async () => {
const photo = await cameraRef.current.capture();
};
<CameraScreen ref={cameraRef} />
react-native-image-picker launches a native dialog.
- You call
launchCameradirectly. - No camera component needed in the UI tree.
// react-native-image-picker
const takePhoto = async () => {
const result = await launchCamera({ mediaType: 'photo' });
};
// No <Camera> component required
🎨 UI Flexibility: Custom vs Native
react-native-camera allows full custom UI overlays.
- You render React components on top of the camera view.
- Good for branded scanning interfaces.
// react-native-camera
<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
<RNCamera style={{ flex: 1 }} />
<CustomOverlay /> {/* Your React components */}
</View>
react-native-vision-camera supports full custom UI overlays.
- You render React components on top of the camera view.
- Better performance for overlays due to modern rendering.
// react-native-vision-camera
<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
<Camera style={{ flex: 1 }} />
<CustomOverlay /> {/* Your React components */}
</View>
react-native-camera-kit allows custom UI overlays.
- You render React components on top of the camera screen.
- Native performance with React flexibility.
// react-native-camera-kit
<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
<CameraScreen style={{ flex: 1 }} />
<CustomOverlay /> {/* Your React components */}
</View>
react-native-image-picker uses native system UI only.
- You cannot customize the camera interface.
- Limited to OS-provided controls and themes.
// react-native-image-picker
// No custom UI possible — launches system dialog
const options = { mediaType: 'photo' };
launchCamera(options, callback);
🚀 Advanced Features: Frame Processing & Video
react-native-camera has limited frame processing support.
- Google Vision API integration is outdated.
- Video recording is basic and less stable.
// react-native-camera
// Limited frame analysis support
<RNCamera
onGoogleVisionBarcodesDetected={handleBarcodes}
/>
react-native-vision-camera supports high-performance frame processors.
- Run JavaScript or C++ code on every frame.
- Ideal for ML, real-time scanning, or effects.
// react-native-vision-camera
const frameProcessor = useFrameProcessor((frame) => {
'worklet';
// Process frame data here
}, []);
<Camera frameProcessor={frameProcessor} />
react-native-camera-kit focuses on scanning performance.
- Built-in barcode scanning is optimized.
- Video features are present but less extensible than VisionCamera.
// react-native-camera-kit
<CameraScreen
scanBarcode={true}
onReadCode={handleScan}
/>
react-native-image-picker does not support frame processing.
- It only returns the final image or video file.
- No access to the live camera stream.
// react-native-image-picker
// No stream access — returns file URI only
launchCamera({ mediaType: 'video' }, callback);
📊 Summary: Key Differences
| Feature | react-native-camera | react-native-vision-camera | react-native-camera-kit | react-native-image-picker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | ❌ Deprecated | ✅ Active | ✅ Active | ✅ Active |
| Custom UI | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Native Only |
| Frame Process | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Advanced | ⚠️ Basic | ❌ None |
| API Style | Ref-based | Hooks | Ref/Props | Function Call |
| Best For | Legacy Apps | Modern Custom UI | Scanning Apps | Simple Uploads |
💡 Final Recommendation
react-native-vision-camera is the best choice for most new projects requiring camera access.
- It offers modern APIs, active maintenance, and high performance.
- Ideal for custom interfaces and advanced features like frame processing.
react-native-image-picker is the best choice for simple image selection.
- Use it when you do not need a custom camera UI.
- Perfect for profile pictures or document uploads.
react-native-camera-kit is a solid alternative for scanning-focused apps.
- Choose it if you need specific native optimizations it provides.
- Good balance of performance and ease of use.
react-native-camera should be avoided in all new development.
- It is deprecated and will not support future OS versions.
- Migrate existing apps to
react-native-vision-cameraas soon as possible.
Final Thought: Match the library to your UI needs. If you need a custom interface, pick VisionCamera. If you just need a file, pick Image Picker. Avoid legacy tools to keep your app secure and stable.
How to Choose: react-native-camera vs react-native-camera-kit vs react-native-image-picker vs react-native-vision-camera
- react-native-camera:
Do not choose this package for new projects as it is officially deprecated and no longer maintained. It lacks support for modern React Native architecture and newer OS features. Existing projects should plan a migration to
react-native-vision-camerato ensure security updates and compatibility. Using this library introduces technical debt and potential breakage on future OS updates. - react-native-camera-kit:
Choose
react-native-camera-kitif you need a stable, high-performance native wrapper with a focus on simplicity and speed. It is well-suited for apps that require reliable scanning or basic capture without complex frame processing. This package is a strong alternative if you encounter specific compatibility issues with other libraries. It balances performance with a straightforward API for common use cases. - react-native-image-picker:
Choose
react-native-image-pickerwhen you only need to select images from the gallery or take a single photo using the native system camera. It is the best option for profile picture uploads or forms where a custom camera interface is unnecessary. This library reduces app complexity by relying on built-in OS dialogs. It is not suitable if you need to build a custom scanning interface or video recording UI. - react-native-vision-camera:
Choose
react-native-vision-camerafor modern apps requiring custom camera UIs, video recording, or advanced frame processing. It supports React Hooks, multi-camera setups, and high-performance workloads like QR scanning or ML inference. This is the recommended successor toreact-native-camerafor most use cases. It offers the most flexibility for developers who need full control over the camera stream.
Popular Comparisons
README for react-native-camera
React Native Camera 
🚧🚧 Looking for maintainers and backers 🚧🚧
See this issue
We are looking for maintainers for this package, or to depreciate this in favor of react-native-vision-camera or expo-camera, if nobody want to maintain this package.
Docs
Follow our docs here https://react-native-camera.github.io/react-native-camera/
Sponsors
If you use this library on your commercial/personal projects, you can help us by funding the work on specific issues that you choose by using IssueHunt.io!
This gives you the power to prioritize our work and support the project contributors. Moreover it'll guarantee the project will be updated and maintained in the long run.
react-native-camera for enterprise
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The comprehensive camera module for React Native.
Supports:
- photographs.
- videos
- face detection (Android & iOS only)
- barcode scanning
- text recognition (optional installation for iOS using CocoaPods)
Example import
import { RNCamera, FaceDetector } from 'react-native-camera';
How to use master branch?
We recommend using the releases from npm, however if you need some features that are not published on npm yet you can install react-native-camera from git.
yarn: yarn add react-native-camera@git+https://git@github.com/react-native-community/react-native-camera.git
npm: npm install --save react-native-camera@git+https://git@github.com/react-native-community/react-native-camera.git
Contributing
- Pull Requests are welcome, if you open a pull request we will do our best to get to it in a timely manner
- Pull Request Reviews are even more welcome! we need help testing, reviewing, and updating open PRs
- If you are interested in contributing more actively, please contact me (same username on Twitter, Facebook, etc.) Thanks!
- We are now on Open Collective! Contributions are appreciated and will be used to fund core contributors. more details
- If you want to help us coding, join Expo slack https://slack.expo.io/, so we can chat over there. (#react-native-camera)
Permissions
To use the camera,
- On Android you must ask for camera permission:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
To enable video recording feature you have to add the following code to the AndroidManifest.xml:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
- On iOS, you must update Info.plist with a usage description for camera
...
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Your own description of the purpose</string>
...
For more information on installation, please refer to installation requirements.
For general introduction, please take a look into this RNCamera.
Security contact information
To report a security vulnerability, please use the
Tidelift will coordinate the fix and disclosure.