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.
