Comparison Between Two Popular Frameworks For Cross-Platform App Development – React Native Versus Ionic

The mobile app market is streaming rapidly and the current stats say that the count of apps has crossed 8 million in the 1st quarter of 2018.

The boost in the number of apps in recent years increases the competition in the mobile app development sector. So, customer engagement is a concern for businesses now.

When it comes to gaining recognition and boosting customer retention, picking up the right framework or platform is the most crucial aspect to be considered. Also, there is no scarcity of the count of platforms available in the market.

In case you are thinking of cross-platform app development, you will get plenty of platforms to choose from. You can go with React Native, Flutter, Ionic, etc. You can simply choose the one that matches your project needs.

Well, this blog would help you compare the two main trending platforms Ionic & React Native. Before we move on to learning about React native vs Ionic, let us introduce each of them.

React Native

It is a JavaScript-based framework that helps develop web and mobile apps with the help of JavaScript.

React native app development supports iOS as well as Android platforms and makes use of designs same as React thereby providing an innovative and engaging interface. Remember React Native doesn’t provide support to an HTML5 or hybrid app.

Ionic

It is one of the trending open-source platforms used to build incredible hybrid mobile apps. Ideally, the apps developed using CSS, HTML5 and JavaScript prefer Ionic.

This framework utilizes Angular and Apache Cordova and is preferred by most developers. Ionic also facilitates cross-platform app development just like React Native.

Differences - React Native vs Ionic

Let us understand the differences from different aspects

1. Native and Hybrid

From the above introduction of React Native, we came to know that it can be used only to build native web and mobile apps with the help of JavaScript. The codes can be easily shared by the developers across the platform by providing the native components.

With React Native, you can get flawless animations along with enhanced performance. Well, you will only get the expected outcome if bridge components are coded for native components and give a default.

When it comes to Ionic app development, it offers dedicated support for hybrid application development frameworks. Ideally, it utilizes web-based technologies to render and code an app and picks Cordova/PhoneGap for evaluation of native features. It includes an Ionic Native feature as well. But, it doesn’t mean this feature can help you build native apps.

2. Technology Stack

React Native is based on simple rules wherein the developers need to follow a set of rules and utilize native components. React Native mainly focuses on UI and UI components. For example, Android comes with a fully customizable toolbar not present in iOS.

When it comes to Ionic, it provides an extensive software development kit to let you build hybrid apps. With a minimal codebase, you can develop multi-platform apps. The ionic framework comes in handy for Angular developers as it offers several built-in components which make the app development process easy.

3. Performance

Well, if you want to choose the winner between the two based on the performance, undoubtedly, React Native wins the race. This is because its closer similarity with the native and it is fast.

React Native is a stable platform that is suitable for building large-scale applications. Inversely, creating native apps prove to be expensive as compared to hybrid apps.

As far as Ionic is concerned, it is slower due to WebView. It primarily utilizes mobile-optimized CSS, HTML and JavaScript components. So, if you wish to include a hybrid element in native apps, go with Ionic.

4. Ease/Difficulty of Programming Language

Ionic framework is related to Angular. It is just another JS framework. It sticks to the Mode-View-Controller model completely. For its views, it makes use of HTML view.

Talking about React Native, it is also a JS-based framework having code similar to HTML, called JSX. JSX comes with an easy codebase to handle.

But, if you do not have healthy collaboration in a team or not working with a team, then it can be difficult when it comes to writing CSS and modifying the template files.

5. Community & Plugins

When working with React Native you would be happy to witness plenty of plugins that can be accessed on NPM.

Also, the plugins can be accessed while working with Cordova and PhoneGap which helps you get several plugins from different communities too.

As Ionic makes use of Cordova and PhoneGap, there is more scope for getting more plugins to avail of native features in WebView.

6. App Testing

React Native helps you test your app inside the browser as it backs rendering. Well, you can also see the results and corrections while creating it because React Native enables it.

Interestingly, you don’t need to rebuild and recompile the app as the result is displayed in the emulator promptly.

Discussing Ionic, you will need to get prompt feedback due while building an app. It can result in frustration for the developers in between as they need to wait to see how many pixels can get perfection. The best thing about Ionic is that it lets you preview the app on browser & mobile devices instantly. Simply refresh and view the changes.

Benefits and Drawbacks of React Native and Ionic

Let us learn about the benefits and drawbacks of each of these platforms to understand React native vs Ionic better : 

Benefits - React Native

• Enables code reusability for cross-platform app development.
• Boosts speed while creating large-scale apps
• It is a stable framework that comes with a code efficiency format.
• Huge community support that facilitates resolving different problems

Drawbacks - React Native

• Not easy for hybrid apps to native apps conversion and may be missing on some essential components required for Android apps
• Doesn’t come with relevant custom modules
• Quite expensive as compared to Ionic
• You need to follow some predefined rules

Benefits - Ionic

• Easy to learn and comprises of built-in components
• Detailed documentation than React Native
• Is an open-source JS framework available for free
• Faster development test process
• Supports Android, iOS, Windows, Web, Desktop, and PWA

Drawbacks - Ionic

• The performance is not better than React Native
• WebView native experience causes problems
• Interactive changes and advanced graphics are not easy to manage.

Conclusion

For cross-platform app development, both React Native and Ionic are perfect choices. Picking any one out of these two depends on your project requirements. Though it wouldn’t be easy to pick from the two still, in case you want an app to perform and offer a native-like experience, then go with React Native app development. On the other hand, if you have some budget constraints and want your app to perform better and stay in the competition then go for Ionic.

To help you build an efficient app based on React Native or Ionic framework, X-Byte Enterprise Solutions can not only assist you to choose the right framework but also help you build an app that suits your project requirements. We are a leading mobile app development company that offers hybrid and native app development services with the help of an expert crew of developers.

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