Expo vs React Native: What are the differences?

Introduction

Expo and React Native are both popular frameworks for building mobile applications. While they share similarities, there are key differences that set them apart.

1. Managed vs Bare Workflow: Expo provides a managed workflow where some aspects of the development process are abstracted and handled by the Expo platform. It simplifies the setup process and provides features like over-the-air updates. On the other hand, React Native offers a bare workflow where developers have more control over the app's configuration and dependencies. This allows for deeper customization but requires more setup and handling of libraries and tools.

2. Access to Native APIs: React Native gives developers direct access to native APIs and allows them to write native code if needed. This is important for applications that require specific device functionalities or if there are limitations in the React Native framework. Expo, however, initially offers a limited set of native APIs. Although Expo has an extensive library of pre-built components and modules, access to native APIs requires detaching an Expo project to a standalone React Native project.

3. Performance: React Native provides a bridge between JavaScript and native code, which can introduce some performance overhead. While it is fast and efficient for most use cases, certain performance-sensitive tasks might require writing native code. Expo helps optimize performance by handling complex tasks on the server side. It also offers a faster development cycle due to its hot reloading feature.

4. Development Tools and Libraries: Expo provides a range of development tools and libraries out of the box, including Expo SDK, Expo CLI, and Expo Client app for previewing projects. It offers a comprehensive set of features that simplify development, such as push notifications, analytics, and authentication. React Native, on the other hand, relies heavily on third-party libraries for these additional features. While this gives developers more flexibility in choosing the best libraries for their needs, it requires additional setup and integration.

5. Publishing and Deployment: Expo offers a simple and fast publishing process. Developers can easily publish their apps to the Expo platform, enabling immediate over-the-air updates for users. This makes it convenient for testing and iterating on the app. React Native requires a more complex process for publishing and deployment. It involves building the app bundle and then either manually deploying it to app stores or using a continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline.

6. Ecosystem and Community: React Native has a larger and more mature ecosystem compared to Expo. It has been around for a longer time, and as a result, there are more third-party libraries, tools, and resources available for developers. Expo, while growing rapidly, has a smaller ecosystem in comparison. However, Expo benefits from being built on top of React Native, allowing developers to leverage the React Native ecosystem as well.

In summary, Expo offers a managed workflow with simplified setup and access to a wide range of features out of the box, while React Native provides more control and customization with its bare workflow. Additionally, React Native allows direct access to native APIs and has a larger ecosystem, while Expo optimizes performance and offers faster development through its server-side processing and hot reloading capabilities.