Glossary · Web & App Development
React Native
Overview
What React Native is
React Native is an open-source framework created by Meta for building mobile apps for iOS and Android from a single codebase written in JavaScript or TypeScript. It uses React, so developers describe the interface with components, but instead of rendering to a web page, those components map to real native UI elements on each platform.
How it works
Your JavaScript code runs and tells the framework what to render, and React Native draws the corresponding native widgets rather than a web view. When an app needs platform-specific capabilities, it can call native modules or drop into Swift, Kotlin, or Java. Features like fast refresh speed up development, and a modernized architecture (Hermes, JSI, Fabric) improves performance.
Why it matters for your business
React Native lets one team ship to both iOS and Android from a shared codebase, which is typically faster and less expensive than building two fully native apps while keeping near-native performance. In React Native and mobile app development, a full-service team uses it to launch cross-platform products efficiently and maintain them in one place.
Where we use it
Related Zen in Tech services
How our team puts React Native to work in real projects.
FAQ
React Native — common questions
React Native vs Flutter, which should I choose?
React Native uses JavaScript/React and renders native UI components; Flutter uses the Dart language and draws its own UI. React Native suits teams with JavaScript and React skills; both deliver solid cross-platform apps, so the decision often comes down to your team's expertise.
Is React Native truly native?
Yes, in the sense that it renders real native UI components, not a web view, and can access native device APIs, so performance is close to native for most apps.
Is React Native production-ready?
Yes. Many large, well-known apps run on React Native. Very graphics-intensive or highly platform-specific apps may still need significant native code alongside it.
Need React Native done right?
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Knowledge hub
From our knowledge hub
All articles →How to Hire React Native Developers (Without Getting Burned)
How to vet and hire React Native developers — skills to test, red flags, rates, and engagement models. A practical hiring guide from Zen in Tech.
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React Native vs Flutter compared on performance, cost, team availability, and UI — with a clear recommendation for each app type. Read the 2026 breakdown.
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