react-native-screens vs react-native-gesture-handler vs react-navigation vs react-router-native vs react-native-navigation
React Native Navigation and Gesture Libraries Comparison
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react-native-screensreact-native-gesture-handlerreact-navigationreact-router-nativereact-native-navigationSimilar Packages:
What's React Native Navigation and Gesture Libraries?

These libraries are essential for building mobile applications using React Native, providing functionalities for navigation, gesture handling, and screen management. They enhance user experience by allowing smooth transitions, intuitive gestures, and efficient screen rendering, which are crucial for mobile app performance and usability.

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react-native-screens1,332,6993,2391.71 MB1606 days agoMIT
react-native-gesture-handler1,313,8836,2744.24 MB6911 days agoMIT
react-navigation84,18223,844698 B806a year agoMIT
react-router-native25,37954,18339.9 kB2684 days agoMIT
react-native-navigation13,10813,0694.67 MB25314 days agoMIT
Feature Comparison: react-native-screens vs react-native-gesture-handler vs react-navigation vs react-router-native vs react-native-navigation

Gesture Handling

  • react-native-screens:

    This package does not focus on gesture handling but rather on optimizing screen management. It works in conjunction with other libraries to improve the performance of gesture handling by ensuring that screens are only rendered when necessary, thus indirectly benefiting gesture interactions by reducing lag during transitions.

  • react-native-gesture-handler:

    This package provides a comprehensive set of gesture handlers that allow developers to create complex touch interactions. It supports gestures like taps, swipes, and long presses, enabling fine control over touch events. It also allows for gesture recognition to be combined, making it suitable for applications that require intricate gesture-based navigation or interactions.

  • react-navigation:

    This library offers built-in gesture handling for navigation transitions, allowing for swipe gestures to navigate between screens. It provides a user-friendly API for implementing gestures but does not offer the depth of gesture handling that react-native-gesture-handler provides.

  • react-router-native:

    This package is primarily focused on routing rather than gesture handling. It allows for declarative routing in React Native applications, but for advanced gesture handling, it is recommended to use it in conjunction with react-native-gesture-handler.

  • react-native-navigation:

    While primarily focused on navigation, this library does support basic gesture handling for navigation transitions. However, it is not as extensive as react-native-gesture-handler and is more suited for managing navigation flows rather than detailed gesture interactions.

Navigation Structure

  • react-native-screens:

    This package complements navigation libraries by providing a native screen management solution. It does not offer a navigation structure itself but works best when used with libraries like react-navigation or react-native-navigation to enhance performance.

  • react-native-gesture-handler:

    This package does not provide navigation structure; it is solely focused on gesture handling. It is often used in conjunction with navigation libraries to enhance user interactions within the navigation flows.

  • react-navigation:

    This library offers a flexible navigation structure that supports various navigation patterns, including stack, tab, and drawer navigation. It is highly customizable and integrates well with React Native components, making it a popular choice for many developers.

  • react-router-native:

    This package provides a routing structure similar to React Router for web applications. It allows developers to define routes declaratively, making it easy to manage navigation in a React Native app.

  • react-native-navigation:

    This library provides a complete navigation structure, including stack, tabs, and drawer navigation. It is designed to work with native navigation components, ensuring a smooth and performant user experience that feels native to the platform.

Performance Optimization

  • react-native-screens:

    This package significantly improves performance by allowing screens to be mounted and unmounted as needed, reducing memory usage and improving the responsiveness of the app. It is particularly beneficial for applications with many screens or complex navigation flows.

  • react-native-gesture-handler:

    This library is optimized for performance with gesture handling, ensuring that gesture recognition is efficient and does not block the main thread. It minimizes lag during interactions, providing a smoother user experience, especially in complex gesture scenarios.

  • react-navigation:

    While this library is user-friendly, it may not be as performant as react-native-navigation in terms of native transitions. However, it provides a good balance of performance and ease of use, making it suitable for most applications that do not require native-level performance.

  • react-router-native:

    This package is designed for routing rather than performance optimization. It is best used in applications where the routing logic is complex, but it may not offer the same level of performance as native navigation solutions.

  • react-native-navigation:

    This library is built for performance, utilizing native navigation components that enhance the speed and responsiveness of navigation transitions. It minimizes overhead by leveraging the native APIs, making it suitable for applications with heavy navigation requirements.

Learning Curve

  • react-native-screens:

    This package is relatively easy to integrate into existing navigation libraries, but understanding its optimal use cases may require some learning. It is straightforward for those familiar with React Native.

  • react-native-gesture-handler:

    This library has a moderate learning curve, especially for developers new to gesture handling in mobile applications. Understanding how to implement and combine gestures can take some time, but the documentation is comprehensive and helpful.

  • react-navigation:

    This library is known for its gentle learning curve, making it accessible for beginners. Its API is intuitive, and many developers find it easy to implement various navigation patterns without extensive prior knowledge.

  • react-router-native:

    The learning curve is similar to that of react-navigation, especially for developers already familiar with React Router. It provides a familiar API for routing, making it easy to adopt for those transitioning from web to mobile.

  • react-native-navigation:

    The learning curve for this library can be steep for those unfamiliar with native navigation concepts. However, once understood, it offers powerful navigation capabilities that can significantly enhance the user experience.

Community and Support

  • react-native-screens:

    Being a part of the React Native ecosystem, this package benefits from community support and is actively maintained. It is often recommended in conjunction with other navigation libraries, enhancing its usability.

  • react-native-gesture-handler:

    This library has a strong community and is widely used in the React Native ecosystem. It is well-maintained, with regular updates and a wealth of resources available for developers.

  • react-navigation:

    This library has one of the largest communities among React Native navigation solutions. It is well-documented, with extensive resources available, making it easy for developers to find help and examples.

  • react-router-native:

    This package has a dedicated community, especially among developers familiar with React Router. While it may not be as large as some other libraries, it provides sufficient resources and support for effective implementation.

  • react-native-navigation:

    This library also has a robust community, backed by Wix, which actively maintains it. There are numerous tutorials and documentation available to assist developers in implementation.

How to Choose: react-native-screens vs react-native-gesture-handler vs react-navigation vs react-router-native vs react-native-navigation
  • react-native-screens:

    Select this package if you want to optimize memory usage and improve performance by using native screens. It is beneficial for applications with many screens, as it allows for better management of screen lifecycles and transitions, reducing the overhead of keeping all screens in memory.

  • react-native-gesture-handler:

    Choose this package if your application requires advanced gesture handling capabilities, such as swipes, taps, and multi-touch gestures. It is particularly useful for applications that need to manage complex gestures or custom touch interactions.

  • react-navigation:

    Use this library if you prefer a flexible and easy-to-use navigation solution that works well with React Native's component model. It is suitable for applications that require a variety of navigation patterns and want to leverage the React ecosystem for routing and navigation.

  • react-router-native:

    Choose this package if you are looking for a routing solution that is consistent with React Router's API. It is best for applications that already use React Router in web applications and want to maintain a similar routing structure in their mobile app.

  • react-native-navigation:

    Opt for this library if you need a complete navigation solution that integrates deeply with native navigation components. It is ideal for applications that require a native feel and performance, as it uses native navigation APIs and provides a more seamless experience.

Similar Npm Packages to react-native-gesture-handler

react-native-gesture-handler is a library designed to improve the gesture handling capabilities in React Native applications. It provides a more robust and flexible way to handle gestures compared to the built-in gesture system, allowing developers to create complex touch interactions with ease. This library is particularly useful for building applications that require intricate gesture recognition, such as swipes, drags, and multi-touch gestures.

While react-native-gesture-handler is a powerful tool for managing gestures, there are several alternatives in the React Native ecosystem that also offer unique features for handling animations and gestures. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • react-native-animatable is a library that provides a simple way to create animations in React Native applications. It offers a set of pre-built animations that can be easily applied to components, making it a great choice for developers looking to add visual flair to their apps without diving deep into animation logic. While it focuses primarily on animations rather than gesture handling, it can complement gesture-based interactions by adding animated transitions.
  • react-native-reanimated is a powerful library for creating animations and gestures in React Native. It provides a more performant and flexible API for animations compared to the built-in Animated API. With react-native-reanimated, developers can create complex animations that are driven by gestures, making it a great choice for applications that require both gesture handling and advanced animations.
  • react-native-swipe-gestures is a lightweight library specifically designed for handling swipe gestures in React Native applications. It provides a simple API for detecting swipe gestures in various directions, making it easy to implement swipe-based interactions. If your application primarily relies on swipe gestures, this library can be a straightforward solution.

For a comprehensive comparison of these libraries, check out the link: Comparing react-native-animatable vs react-native-gesture-handler vs react-native-reanimated vs react-native-swipe-gestures.

Similar Npm Packages to react-navigation

react-navigation is a popular navigation library for React and React Native applications. It provides a flexible and customizable way to manage navigation and routing in mobile apps, allowing developers to create complex navigation structures with ease. While react-navigation is widely used, there are several alternatives that cater to different needs and preferences. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • react-native-gesture-handler is a library that provides gesture handling capabilities for React Native applications. While it is not a navigation library per se, it is often used in conjunction with navigation libraries to enhance the user experience by enabling smooth gesture interactions. If your application requires advanced gesture handling, such as swipes or drags, integrating react-native-gesture-handler can significantly improve the navigation experience.
  • react-native-navigation is another navigation library specifically designed for React Native applications. It offers a more native experience by using native navigation components, which can lead to better performance and a more seamless user experience. If you are looking for a solution that closely mimics native navigation patterns and provides a more integrated feel, react-native-navigation is an excellent choice.
  • react-router is a widely-used routing library for React applications, primarily focused on web applications. It allows developers to create dynamic routing structures and manage navigation within single-page applications. While it is not specifically designed for mobile apps, it can be used in conjunction with React Native projects that require web-like routing capabilities.
  • react-router-dom is an extension of react-router that is specifically tailored for web applications. It provides additional components and features that make it easier to manage routing in web projects. If your application is primarily web-based and you need a robust routing solution, react-router-dom is a great option.

To explore how these libraries compare, check out the following link: Comparing react-native-gesture-handler vs react-native-navigation vs react-navigation vs react-router vs react-router-dom.

Similar Npm Packages to react-router-native

react-router-native is a routing library specifically designed for React Native applications. It extends the capabilities of React Router to mobile environments, allowing developers to manage navigation and routing in a way that is consistent with React's component-based architecture. With react-router-native, you can easily create nested routes, handle navigation transitions, and manage the app's history, making it an essential tool for building mobile applications with React.

While react-router-native provides a robust solution for routing in React Native, there are several alternatives worth considering:

  • @reach/router is a simple and accessible routing library for React applications. It focuses on providing a minimal API while ensuring that the routing experience is accessible to all users. @reach/router allows for declarative routing and supports nested routes, making it a great choice for applications that prioritize accessibility and simplicity. If you are looking for a straightforward routing solution that emphasizes usability, @reach/router is an excellent option.
  • react-router-dom is the standard routing library for React web applications. It shares many concepts with react-router-native, but it is tailored for web environments. react-router-dom provides a rich set of features for managing routes, including dynamic routing, route matching, and nested routes. If you are developing a web application and need a comprehensive routing solution, react-router-dom is the go-to choice.
  • wouter is a lightweight routing library for React that is designed to be minimal and fast. It offers a simple API and is built with performance in mind, making it an attractive choice for developers who want to keep their applications lean. wouter supports dynamic routing and is easy to integrate into existing projects. If you prefer a minimalistic approach to routing without sacrificing functionality, wouter is a great alternative.

To explore how these libraries compare, check out the comparison: Comparing @reach/router vs react-router-dom vs react-router-native vs wouter.

Similar Npm Packages to react-native-navigation

react-native-navigation is a popular navigation library for React Native applications. It provides a robust and customizable solution for managing navigation and transitions between screens in mobile apps. With a focus on native performance, react-native-navigation allows developers to create complex navigation patterns while maintaining a smooth user experience. However, there are several alternatives in the React Native ecosystem that also offer navigation solutions. Here are a few notable options:

  • react-native-gesture-handler is a library that enables gesture handling in React Native applications. While not a navigation library per se, it is often used in conjunction with navigation solutions to enhance the user experience by providing better gesture recognition and handling. If your app requires advanced gesture interactions, integrating react-native-gesture-handler can significantly improve the responsiveness and fluidity of your navigation experience.
  • react-native-screens is another library that optimizes the navigation experience in React Native applications by using native views for screens. This can lead to improved performance and memory usage, especially in applications with many screens. react-native-screens can be used alongside other navigation libraries to enhance their performance and is particularly beneficial for apps with complex navigation structures.
  • react-navigation is one of the most widely used navigation libraries for React Native. It provides a flexible and easy-to-use API for implementing various navigation patterns, including stack, tab, and drawer navigation. react-navigation is highly customizable and integrates well with other libraries, making it a popular choice for developers looking for a comprehensive navigation solution.
  • react-router-native is part of the React Router family and provides routing capabilities for React Native applications. It allows developers to define routes and manage navigation in a declarative manner. If you are already familiar with React Router for web applications, using react-router-native can provide a consistent experience across platforms.

For a detailed comparison of these libraries, check out this link: Comparing react-native-gesture-handler vs react-native-navigation vs react-native-screens vs react-navigation vs react-router-native.

README for react-native-screens
React Native Screens by Software Mansion

This project aims to expose native navigation container components to React Native. It is not designed to be used as a standalone library but rather as a dependency of a full-featured navigation library.

Fabric

To learn about how to use react-native-screens with Fabric architecture, head over to Fabric README. Instructions on how to run Fabric Example within this repo can be found in the FabricExample README.

Supported platforms

  • [x] iOS
  • [x] Android
  • [x] tvOS
  • [x] visionOS
  • [x] Windows
  • [x] Web

Installation

iOS

Installation on iOS is completely handled with auto-linking, if you have ensured pods are installed after adding this module, no other actions are necessary.

Android

On Android the View state is not persisted consistently across Activity restarts, which can lead to crashes in those cases. It is recommended to override the native Android method called on Activity restarts in your main Activity, to avoid these crashes.

For most people using an app built from the react-native template, that means editing MainActivity.java, likely located in android/app/src/main/java/<your package name>/MainActivity.java

You should add this code, which specifically discards any Activity state persisted during the Activity restart process, to avoid inconsistencies that lead to crashes. Please note that the override code should not be placed inside MainActivityDelegate, but rather directly in MainActivity.

Java 
import android.os.Bundle;

public class MainActivity extends ReactActivity {

    //...code

    //react-native-screens override
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(null);
    }

    public static class MainActivityDelegate extends ReactActivityDelegate {
        //...code
    }
}
Kotlin 
import android.os.Bundle;

class MainActivity: ReactActivity() {

    //...code

    //react-native-screens override
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
      super.onCreate(null);
    }
}

For people that must handle cases like this, there is a more detailed discussion of the difficulties in a series of related comments.

Need to use a custom Kotlin version?

Since v3.6.0 react-native-screens has been rewritten with Kotlin. Kotlin version used in this library defaults to 1.4.10.

If you need to use a different Kotlin version, set kotlinVersion ext property in your project's android/build.gradle and the library will use this version accordingly:

buildscript {
    ext {
        ...
        kotlinVersion = "1.4.10"
    }
}

Disclaimer: react-native-screens requires Kotlin 1.3.50 or higher.

Windows

Installation on Windows should be completely handled with auto-linking when using React Native Windows 0.63+. For earlier versions, you must manually link the native module.

How can I take advantage of that?

Screens are already integrated with the React Native's most popular navigation library react-navigation and Expo.

Supported react-native version

Below we present tables with mapping of the library version to the last supported react-native version. These tables are for the 4.x line of the library. For compat tables of 3.x line please see readme on the 3.x branch.

Support for Paper

Paper is the default rendering system for React Native versions prior to 0.76.

| library version | react-native version | | --------------- | -------------------- | | 4.9.0+ | 0.76.0+ | | 4.5.0+ | 0.74.0+ | | 4.0.0+ | 0.72.0+ |

Support for Fabric

Fabric is React Native's new rendering system.

Here's a table with summary of supported react-native versions when Fabric is turned on.

| library version | react-native version | | --------------- | -------------------- | | 4.5.0+ | 0.77.0+ | | 4.0.0+ | 0.76.0+ |

Usage with react-navigation

[!CAUTION] JS API of the native stack has been moved from react-native-screens/native-stack to @react-navigation/native-stack since version v6. Currently, native stack v5 (imported from react-native-screens/native-stack) is deprecated and will be removed in the upcoming minor release. react-native-screens v4 will support only @react-navigation/native-stack v7.

Screens support is built into react-navigation starting from version 2.14.0 for all the different navigator types (stack, tab, drawer, etc).

To configure react-navigation to use screens instead of plain RN Views for rendering screen views, simply add this library as a dependency to your project:

# bare React Native project
yarn add react-native-screens

# if you use Expo managed workflow
npx expo install react-native-screens

Just make sure that the version of react-navigation you are using is 2.14.0 or higher.

You are all set 🎉 – when screens are enabled in your application code react-navigation will automatically use them instead of relying on plain React Native Views.

Experimental support for react-freeze

You have to use React Native 0.68 or higher, react-navigation 5.x or 6.x and react-native-screens >= v3.9.0

Since v3.9.0, react-native-screens comes with experimental support for react-freeze. It uses the React Suspense mechanism to prevent parts of the React component tree from rendering, while keeping its state untouched.

To benefit from this feature, enable it in your entry file (e.g. App.js) with this snippet:

import { enableFreeze } from 'react-native-screens';

enableFreeze(true);

Want to know more? Check out react-freeze README

Found a bug? File an issue here or directly in react-freeze repository.

Disabling react-native-screens

If, for whatever reason, you'd like to disable native screens support and use plain React Native Views add the following code in your entry file (e.g. App.js):

import { enableScreens } from 'react-native-screens';

enableScreens(false);

You can also disable the usage of native screens per navigator with detachInactiveScreens.

Using createNativeStackNavigator with React Navigation

To take advantage of the native stack navigator primitive for React Navigation that leverages UINavigationController on iOS and Fragment on Android, please refer:

FullWindowOverlay

Native iOS component for rendering views straight under the Window. Based on RCTPerfMonitor. You should treat it as a wrapper, providing full-screen, transparent view which receives no props and should ideally render one child View, being the root of its view hierarchy. For the example usage, see https://github.com/software-mansion/react-native-screens/blob/main/apps/src/tests/Test1096.tsx

Interop with react-native-navigation

React-native-navigation library already uses native containers for rendering navigation scenes so wrapping these scenes with <ScreenContainer> or <Screen> component does not provide any benefits. Yet if you would like to build a component that uses screens primitives under the hood (for example a view pager component) it is safe to use <ScreenContainer> and <Screen> components for that as these work out of the box when rendered on react-native-navigation scenes.

Interop with other libraries

This library should work out of the box with all existing react-native libraries. If you experience problems with interoperability please report an issue.

Guide for navigation library authors

If you are building a navigation library you may want to use react-native-screens to have control over which parts of the React component tree are attached to the native view hierarchy. To do that, react-native-screens provides you with the components documented here.

Common problems

Problems with header on iOS

Solution

Use ScrollView with prop contentInsetAdjustmentBehavior=“automatic” as a main container of the screen and set headerTranslucent: true in screen options.

Other problems

| Problem | Solution | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | SVG component becomes transparent when goBack | related PRs | | Memory leak while moving from one screen to another in the same stack | explanation | | LargeHeader stays small after pop/goBack/swipe gesture on iOS 14+ | potential fix | | onScroll and onMomentumScrollEnd of previous screen triggered in bottom tabs | explanation |

Contributing

There are many ways to contribute to this project. See CONTRIBUTING guide for more information. Thank you for your interest in contributing!

License

React native screens library is licensed under The MIT License.

Credits

This project has been build and is maintained thanks to the support from Shopify, Expo.io, and Software Mansion.

shopify expo swm

React Native Screens is created by Software Mansion

Since 2012 Software Mansion is a software agency with experience in building web and mobile apps. We are Core React Native Contributors and experts in dealing with all kinds of React Native issues. We can help you build your next dream product – Hire us.

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