The Question Every Mobile Founder Asks
We're about to build a mobile app. Do we go native or cross-platform?
The internet is full of opinions. Most of them are wrong. Or right for the wrong reasons.
We run a development shop. We've shipped 30+ mobile apps. Here's what we actually learned.
The Short Answer
For most apps: React Native.
For specific cases: Native.
That's it. That's the answer.
When to Choose Native
1. Performance-Critical Apps
Gaming. Video editing. AR/VR. Real-time graphics.
If you're building something that needs 60fps animations, native is your only real option.
2. Platform-Specific Features Day One
If you need Apple's ARKit, Android's NFC capabilities, or complex home screen widgets on launch, native gets these first.
3. Long-Term Maintenance (5+ Years)
Native projects have longer lifespans. Direct platform access, no framework deprecation risk.
When to Choose React Native
Here's what native evangelists don't tell you: most apps don't need native.
If you're building a consumer app, social platform, e-commerce experience, B2B tool, or booking app: React Native is not just good enough — it's better.
Why React Native wins for most apps:
- One codebase, both platforms
- Your web team can help
- Hot reloading makes UI iteration fast
- Faster iteration
- Massive ecosystem
The Real Trade-offs
Performance
Native is faster. Always.
But does it matter for your app? For 80% of apps, React Native's performance is indistinguishable from native. Your users won't notice.
App Size
React Native apps are larger. For most apps, this is negligible. 5MB vs 3MB.
Native Feature Access
React Native lags behind in accessing new platform features. If you need the absolute latest on day one, native wins.
Most apps don't need the latest platform features.
The Decision Framework
Is performance critical? (gaming, video, 60fps) → Native
Is platform-specific UX required? → Native
Do you have a React web team? → Consider React Native
Is budget constrained? → React Native
Is time-to-market critical? → React Native
Is your app 80% UI/forms/dashboards? → React Native
Most SaaS apps fall into the React Native column.
What We Actually Build
For our clients, we recommend React Native for MVP. Every time.
Speed matters. You need to test your idea. You need to iterate.
You can always rebuild native later if performance becomes critical. But if your app fails because you took 6 months instead of 3, you won't need the native performance.
The Honest Answer
Your app probably doesn't need native.
The performance gap has closed significantly. For most apps, the difference is imperceptible.
What will change your conversion is whether your app solves the problem, the UI is clear, it loads fast, and it's reliable. All achievable with React Native.
The One Exception
Games and graphics-heavy applications need native. Flutter is better there. But even Flutter is a compromise.
For everything else: React Native.
Want to build a mobile app? We default to React Native for most projects. Let's talk.
