Cross-platform iOS and Android apps from a shared codebase using React Native -- the right choice when you need both platforms without the cost of two separate native builds, and when the feature set doesn't require platform-specific capabilities that the framework can't reach. We handle the full React Native build: architecture, UI, native module integration where needed, backend API, App Store and Google Play submission. You own the code.
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2,000+ shipments yr 1RaftLabs builds cross-platform iOS and Android apps using React Native for businesses that need both platforms without the cost of two separate native builds. We handle architecture, UI, native integrations where needed, and App Store and Google Play submission. Fixed cost agreed before development starts. A focused React Native app typically runs $20,000 to $50,000 and ships in 10–14 weeks.
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React Native lets a single engineering team ship a product to both iOS and Android users from a shared JavaScript codebase. For most business use cases -- consumer apps, enterprise mobile tools, and B2B products that need mobile coverage -- this is a practical and cost-effective approach.
The right question isn't whether React Native is as good as native. It's whether the performance and capability trade-offs matter for your specific use case. For most apps, they don't -- and a cross-platform build that reaches both platforms in the same timeline as a single native build is the better commercial decision.
Capabilities
End-user apps shipped simultaneously to the App Store and Google Play from a single React Native codebase -- marketplace apps, content platforms, loyalty apps, service booking tools, and consumer products that need both iOS and Android coverage from day one. UI built with React Native's core components (View, Text, ScrollView, FlatList) and custom StyleSheet implementations that produce a polished, platform-appropriate look using React Navigation for stack, tab, and drawer navigation with platform-native gestures and transitions on each OS. Push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for cross-platform delivery with deep link routing so a notification taps into the correct app screen rather than the home screen -- handled with @react-native-firebase/messaging and foreground/background/quit state handling on both platforms. In-app purchase integration using react-native-iap for App Store and Play Store subscription and one-time purchase flows including receipt validation via your backend to prevent receipt fraud. Biometric authentication (Face ID on iOS, fingerprint on Android) via react-native-biometrics for apps requiring fast re-authentication without password re-entry. App Store and Google Play submissions handled as part of the engagement: code signing configuration, provisioning profiles, build variants, screenshot and metadata preparation, and the review submission process -- so your team does not need App Store Connect or Play Console expertise to ship. Target device coverage testing on a representative device set covering the top 10 iOS and Android device models by market share in your target geography before submission.
Internal enterprise apps for field workers, sales teams, and operational staff who use a mix of iOS and Android devices -- the reality of most enterprise mobile deployments where enforcing a single platform is not operationally practical. Data capture forms with offline support using SQLite via @op-engineering/op-sqlite or WatermelonDB for complex relational offline data: field workers log inspections, service calls, or deliveries without a cellular connection, and the app syncs the accumulated records to the backend when connectivity is restored. Conflict resolution strategy for offline sync documented before build: timestamp-based last-write-wins for simple fields, merge or flag for fields where concurrent edits from different users are possible. Barcode and QR code scanning via the camera using react-native-vision-camera with vision-camera-code-scanner for asset tracking, inventory management, and field service identification workflows. Signature capture using react-native-signature-canvas for delivery confirmation, compliance sign-off, and field service completion records stored as base64-encoded PNG alongside the form data. Integration with backend enterprise systems: REST API calls to your ERP (SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics) or internal data services with JWT authentication and automatic token refresh. MDM compatibility for enterprise distribution: the app built as an enterprise IPA (iOS) or APK (Android) distributed via Jamf, Intune, or VMware Workspace ONE rather than through the public app stores, with per-device enrollment and remote wipe capability controlled by your IT team.
Migration of existing separate iOS and Android native apps into a shared React Native codebase -- reducing maintenance overhead from two codebases and two engineering streams to one. Feature parity audit as the first deliverable: every screen, interaction, and edge case in both existing apps catalogued and compared so the migration scope is fully defined before a line of React Native is written, including the native capabilities and platform-specific behaviours that need explicit handling in the new codebase. Migration strategy: screen-by-screen replacement rather than a big-bang rewrite -- the React Native screens are built alongside the existing native apps, tested for functional equivalence, and substituted incrementally so the existing apps remain shippable throughout the migration rather than being frozen. Native module preservation for platform-specific capabilities that cannot be replicated in JavaScript: existing Swift and Kotlin code wrapped as React Native native modules and exposed via the bridge rather than rewritten from scratch, preserving complex business logic or hardware integrations that were expensive to build the first time. Performance baseline established from the native apps before migration starts: app startup time, frame rate on scroll-heavy screens, and memory usage measured as the benchmark the React Native version must match or exceed before the native codebases are retired. Regression testing plan covering the 20 highest-traffic user flows across both platforms, executed against real devices before each milestone, with sign-off criteria agreed up front. The outcome: a single React Native codebase that your engineering team maintains going forward, with both native codebases decommissioned.
React Native apps built with Expo for faster development cycles, over-the-air update capability, and simplified build management -- particularly well-suited for MVPs and content-driven apps where the ability to push bug fixes and UI updates without waiting for App Store and Play Store review cycles (typically 24-72 hours for iOS, 2-4 hours for Android) is a meaningful product velocity advantage. Expo managed workflow covers the most common device capability requirements: camera, maps, push notifications, location, file system, and in-app purchases available as pre-configured modules without writing native code or managing Xcode or Android Studio project configurations. EAS Build (Expo Application Services) for cloud-based production builds: iOS and Android binaries built on Expo's managed infrastructure without requiring a Mac in your local development environment, with build profiles for development, preview, and production configured in eas.json. EAS Update for over-the-air JavaScript bundle updates that bypass the app store review process for JavaScript-only changes -- UI fixes, copy updates, logic changes, and feature flags can be deployed to all production users within minutes of release. Bare workflow or direct React Native used when Expo managed cannot accommodate a required native dependency: we assess at scoping whether Expo managed or bare is the right approach for your specific feature set rather than defaulting to one or the other. Expo Go for rapid prototyping during development: stakeholders review working screens on their own devices by scanning a QR code without installing a development build, accelerating feedback cycles during the build.
React Native apps need a backend for user authentication, data persistence, business logic, and push notifications -- and building the mobile UI against a backend that isn't designed for it creates API contracts that require rebuilding as the app scales. Where you have an existing REST or GraphQL API, we integrate the app against it and identify any API gaps (missing endpoints, inappropriate response shapes for mobile, N+1 query problems in list views) before development starts rather than discovering them mid-build. Where you need a new backend, we scope and build it alongside the React Native app as part of the same engagement: Node.js with Express or Fastify for API servers, PostgreSQL for relational data, Redis for session storage and caching, and the authentication layer the app requires. Authentication implementation for mobile: JWT refresh token rotation stored in the device's secure enclave (iOS Keychain, Android Keystore) rather than AsyncStorage -- the security pattern that prevents token theft from device storage. Social authentication via @react-native-google-signin/google-signin and react-native-fbsdk-next for Google and Facebook sign-in, Apple Sign-In via @invertase/react-native-apple-authentication for iOS (required by App Store guidelines when other social logins are present). Push notification backend using Firebase Admin SDK to send targeted and broadcast notifications from your API, with notification preference management so users can opt into specific notification categories. Backend infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Railway depending on your team's operational preferences and scale requirements -- documented as code using Terraform so the environment is reproducible.
Ongoing React Native development after initial launch -- new features, React Native version upgrades, iOS and Android OS compatibility updates, and the bug fixes that emerge from production usage across a device population that is more diverse and harder to test against than any pre-launch device set. React Native version upgrades on a regular cadence: the React Native team releases new versions frequently, and staying more than 3-4 major versions behind accumulates security exposure and makes future upgrades progressively more expensive. Upgrade path assessed before each major version bump: breaking changes, deprecated APIs, and third-party library compatibility issues identified and costed before the upgrade sprint starts. iOS and Android OS compatibility updates required each autumn when Apple and Google release major OS versions: apps tested against the beta releases starting in June to identify compatibility issues before the September/October public releases create user-facing problems. Target API level updates required by Google Play Store policy (new apps and updates must target the latest or previous Android API level within a year of its release): the annual requirement that catches teams who let their Android target API level fall behind. Crash monitoring via Sentry or Firebase Crashlytics with symbolicated stack traces linked to the React Native source: production crash rate below 0.1% as the quality threshold, with high-priority bug fixes for crashes affecting above 0.01% of daily active users. Third-party library security audits using npm audit with remediation sprints for high and critical severity vulnerabilities -- keeping the dependency graph current without waiting for vulnerabilities to be reported in production.
Tell us what the app needs to do, which platforms you're targeting, and what existing systems it needs to connect to. We'll scope it and give you a fixed cost.
Mobile App Development -- full mobile development capability overview
iOS App Development -- native iOS apps in Swift and SwiftUI
Android App Development -- native Android apps in Kotlin and Jetpack Compose
Flutter Development -- Flutter apps for iOS and Android
Custom Software Development -- web applications alongside your React Native app
AI Development -- AI features in React Native
Frequently asked questions
React Native is the right choice when you need both iOS and Android, your feature set doesn't require deep platform-specific integrations that React Native's bridge can't reach, and budget or timeline make two separate native builds impractical. It works well for apps with standard UI patterns, standard device capability requirements (camera, GPS, push notifications, maps), and teams with existing JavaScript expertise. Native development makes more sense when you need the latest platform APIs immediately on release, when the app requires heavy use of platform-specific frameworks (ARKit, Core ML, Bluetooth LE at scale), or when you're building exclusively for one platform and cross-platform adds complexity without benefit.
React Native and Flutter are both cross-platform frameworks with strong ecosystems, but they differ in architecture and trade-offs. React Native renders using native platform UI components -- iOS buttons look like iOS buttons, Android switches look like Android switches -- which gives a platform-native feel but introduces some inconsistency across platforms. Flutter renders its own UI using Skia, which means pixel-perfect consistency across platforms but UI that doesn't automatically follow platform UI conventions. React Native has a larger library ecosystem and a lower barrier for web developers to contribute. Flutter performs better in complex animation and custom graphics scenarios. The right choice depends on your use case, team background, and how important platform-native UI feel is to your users.
React Native provides JavaScript APIs for the most common device capabilities -- camera, GPS, push notifications, biometrics, network state, and storage. For capabilities not covered by the core framework or the React Native community library ecosystem, we write native modules: Swift/Objective-C for iOS and Kotlin/Java for Android, exposed to the JavaScript layer via the React Native bridge. This approach covers the vast majority of hardware integration requirements without abandoning the cross-platform codebase. We identify native module requirements during scoping so there are no surprises mid-build.
A focused React Native app -- a single use case, clean UI, and standard integrations -- typically runs $20,000 to $50,000. A more complex app with multiple user roles, real-time features, custom native modules, and significant backend development typically runs $50,000 to $130,000. The cross-platform approach costs less than two separate native builds, but more than a single native app. Fixed cost agreed before development starts. We scope every project before pricing it.
Work with us
We scope React Native Development in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.