Build one mobile app for iOS and Android with React Native
Most companies want a mobile app on both iOS and Android, and most do not want to pay for and maintain two separate native codebases to get there. React Native is the practical answer to that. You write the app once in JavaScript and React, and it runs on both platforms as a real mobile app, not a website in a wrapper. Motomtech builds React Native apps for companies that need to ship to both stores without doubling the work, and we work as an extension of your team rather than a shop you hand a spec to and hope for the best.
The apps we take on range from a first version that needs to get to market quickly to larger products with offline support, device hardware, and integrations into existing backend systems. Wherever the project starts, the goal is the same. We ship an app that feels native to use, performs well on older phones, and stays easy to change as the product grows.
React Native development services
We cover the full range of React Native work, from a first build to long-term support.
- Custom React Native development. We build the app around how your product actually works, with an interface that fits each platform and functionality that holds up under real use.
- Team augmentation. We add experienced React Native developers to your existing team to hit a deadline or cover a skills gap, working in your process and tools rather than off to the side.
- QA and testing. We test on real devices across screen sizes and OS versions, catch the platform-specific bugs that only show up on one of the two, and fix them before they reach your users.
- Maintenance. We keep the app current as iOS and Android release new versions, update dependencies, fix bugs, and tune performance so it keeps running well after launch.
- Consulting. We give straight advice on whether React Native is the right fit, how to structure the project, and where the platform’s limits will matter for what you are building.
Why build with React Native
React Native is an open-source framework from Meta for building mobile apps with JavaScript and React. It has been in production at scale for years, including in apps from Instagram, Airbnb, and others, so the path is well worn and the tooling is mature.
- One codebase, two platforms. You write the app once and ship it to both iOS and Android, which cuts development time and means a single team maintains one codebase instead of two.
- Renders to native UI. React Native draws real native components rather than HTML in a web view, so the app looks and responds like a native app instead of a website on a phone.
- Reusable code. Components are reused across the app, and a lot of the logic carries over from project to project, which keeps the build efficient and consistent.
- Fast iteration. Fast Refresh shows code changes in the running app almost immediately, without a full rebuild, so the development loop is quick and debugging is faster.
- A large ecosystem. Because it is built on JavaScript and React, there is a deep pool of developers and libraries, so common problems usually have a known solution.
React Native is not the right tool for everything. Apps that lean heavily on the latest platform-specific hardware or need the absolute highest graphics performance are sometimes better off native, and we will tell you when that is the case for your project.
What we build with React Native
We focus on the outcome rather than a feature list. These are the kinds of React Native work we are most often asked to take on.
- Android apps that perform well across the wide range of devices and OS versions in the Android market.
- iOS apps that meet Apple’s design expectations and pass App Store review the first time.
- Legacy app migration for older or hard-to-maintain apps, moving them to React Native so one team can maintain a single, current codebase.
- IoT and connected apps that talk to hardware and sync device data, for products that pair a phone with physical equipment.
- Bluetooth apps that pair and exchange data with nearby devices, common in healthcare, fitness, and smart-home products.
- AR features for apps that overlay digital content on the camera view, where it earns its place in the product.
Frequently asked questions
Can React Native be used for both web and mobile?
React Native is built for mobile, for iOS and Android apps. A companion project, React Native for Web, lets you reuse much of the same code to render a web version, which is useful when you want to share logic across mobile and web. For a web-only product, though, plain React on the web is usually the better fit, since it is purpose-built for that and the mobile-to-web translation adds overhead you do not need.
Will a React Native app look and run the same on iOS and Android?
It shares the same codebase and functionality across both, but it does not have to look identical, and usually it should not. iOS and Android have different design conventions, and React Native gives you platform-specific APIs and components so you can match each one where it matters. The core of the app is shared, while specific screens and behaviors are tuned per platform so each feels native rather than ported.
How long does it take to build a React Native app?
It depends on the scope: the number of features, how much offline support and hardware access are involved, the integrations into existing systems, and the state of any designs going in. A simple app can take a few weeks, while a larger product with many features runs to several months. We give a realistic timeline once we understand what you are building, and we ship in stages so you see a working app early rather than waiting for one reveal at the end.
What is the difference between React and React Native?
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces on the web, where it renders to HTML in the browser. React Native uses the same component model and the same way of thinking, but renders to native mobile UI on iOS and Android instead of to a web page. So they share their core ideas and a lot of skills carry between them, but React targets the web and React Native targets mobile.
