Benefits of Outsourcing Mobile App Development Project with React Native
React Native is getting very popular these days and the community of mobile developers using React Native is also growing as well. In this article, we will outline the main benefits of using React Native for a Mobile App development project.
Different types of mobile apps
Basically, there are 3 types of mobile apps:
Native: the type of mobile app that are developed and run on native code (Objective-C or Swift for iOS and Java or Kotlin for Android). Native apps usually provide the best performance and seamless user experience compared to others but it’s also more costly to develop, since developers will need to develop separate versions of apps for different platforms (e.g. iOS and Android).
Mobile Web App: developed using web technology (HTML5). This type of mobile app often delivers poorer user experience with limited features compared to Native and/or Hybrid apps. However, mobile web app is easier produced since developers only have to write their source code once and it can be run across platform on multi-devices. In addition, users can access the app through web browsers instead of having to download from app store.
Hybrid: is the type of app that are built using web technology such as HTML 5, Javascript, CSS and then run inside a container that enable them to be installed on a mobile device like a native app. Hybrid apps cost less to develop compared to native app but also gives poorer performance compared to native apps.
What is React Native?
React Native is a framework developed by Facebook allowing users to build a mobile app using only Javascript [1]. Mobile apps developed by using React Native will deliver a performance just like any other native app developed using Java (android) or Swift (iOS). React Native has been gaining popularity in the recent years and many big companies have already employed this technology to create their app, some well-known examples include: Facebook, Uber, Skype, Pinterest etc.
Why using React Native?
React Native provides the advantages over developing Hybrid or Native apps due to the following reasons:
- Quick and efficient
With React native, developers do not necessarily have to be well versed in the programming languages that are specific to a mobile platform (Java for Android, or Swift for iOS). Using only Javascript, HTML, and CSS mobile developers will be able to build mobile app that will operate similar to any native app. React Native is a good choice for experienced Javascript developers who want to venture in mobile app development.
- Cross-platform
React Native was initially created only for iOS development. Due to growing success and popularity, Facebook extended the support for Android as well. Companies are able to take advantage of this and outsource to get their apps developed for both iOS, and Android simultaneously with React Native, using only one codebase.
- Faster development
Usually, if a company wants to outsource the development of their mobile app for both Android and iOS, offshore development team will be required to build two separate apps natively. With React Native, developers only have to write one set of code (in Javascript) and get their outsourcing client's mobile appication running on both OS. The development time is reduced significantly which also results in lower costs for companies who outsourced.
- Performance
As explained above, hybrid or mobile web apps that work on both iOS and Android often deliver poorer performance (compared to native app), especially for the more complicated apps. With React Native, apps are compiled into natively written code, which means that they will function and perform equally well on both operating systems (iOS & Android) with the speed, look, and functionality of a natively written app.
- Flexibility
React Native can be combined together with components developed in other native language such as Objective-C, Java, or Swift. Developers can also choose to use native code for optimization of the specific aspects of their application. Hence, a mobile app can be built using React Native with parts in native languages.
In addition, React Native’s building blocks are “native components” that compile directly to native. More importantly, these blocks are also reusable and the components that are available in iOS or Android have their counterparts in React.
React Native for outsourcing project
Ultimately, all these advantages provided by React Native will translate into lower overheads, faster deployment and easy maintenance, which leads to a competitive benefit for clients who outsourced their mobile app development project using React Native.
Using React Native will deliver the speed and agility similar to the process of web development. Other than that, React native framework also provide other benefits such as ease to maintain and reusability.
React Native increases efficiency, improve developers’ productivity and reduce development workload.
In addition, companies will not have to face the difficult decision of whether having their mobile apps developed in iOS or Android since React Native make it possible to get their app available in both platforms catering to both markets at once leading to higher level of users' adoption.
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