10 Apps Built With React Native: Unleashing the Power of Cross-Platform Mobile Development

Introduction to React Native

React Native is a game-changing solution in the field of mobile app development. It adds a new dimension to creating applications for both iOS and Android by using JavaScript and React as its foundation. Unlike methods that necessitate separate codes for each platform React Native streamlines the development process by enabling you to create apps with just one codebase. This not only speeds up development but also promotes code reuse resulting in more efficient and cost-effective app creation. With React Native the barriers between platforms are eliminated, paving the way, for seamless and powerful cross-platform mobile development.

Understanding React Native's purpose and benefits

React Native serves as a dynamic bridge between web and mobile development, offering a revolutionary approach. Its main purpose is to allow you to create reliable and functionally rich applications for iOS and Android using a single code base.

The advantages of React Native cover many aspects. It leverages familiarity with JavaScript and React, allowing developers to seamlessly transition to mobile app development. Thanks to the hot reboot feature, changes in the code are instantly reflected, facilitating faster iterations and debugging.

Key differences between React Native and Native Mobile app development

React Native and native mobile app development represent distinct approaches to creating applications, each with its own set of advantages and considerations. We have already mentioned how React Native works and the main feature - one codebase for iOS and Android.

In contrast, Native mobile app development involves creating separate codebases for iOS (using Swift or Objective-C) and Android (using Java or Kotlin). While native apps offer platform-specific performance optimizations and direct access to device features, maintaining two codebases can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. However, native development provides fine-grained control over the user experience and performance aspects.

• React Native's cross-platform nature streamlines the development process and offers cost savings by eliminating the need for duplicate development efforts. 

• Native development excels in platform-specific performance optimization and control but requires more time and resources to maintain separate codebases.

• React Native stands as a bridge between platforms, allowing developers to create apps for iOS and Android simultaneously using a single codebase. 

• Native development, on the other hand, caters to specific platform intricacies at the cost of increased development complexity. 

The choice between the two depends on project requirements, development resources, and desired user experiences.

Exploring Native development

Native development represents a traditional yet robust approach to building mobile applications, wherein distinct codebases are created for each platform - iOS and Android. This method involves utilizing platform-specific programming languages, tools, and frameworks to create apps optimized for each platform's unique features and performance characteristics.

• In native iOS development, developers use languages like Swift or Objective-C along with Apple's integrated development environment, Xcode. This enables them to create applications that seamlessly integrate with the iOS ecosystem, offering high performance and access to native device features.

• On the Android side, native development involves using Java or Kotlin, often in conjunction with Android Studio. This allows developers to tap into the vast Android ecosystem, leveraging the platform's capabilities to deliver feature-rich apps.

The advantages of native development lie in its ability to harness platform-specific optimizations and offer a high degree of control over the user experience. Apps built natively can fully utilize the device's hardware and software capabilities, resulting in better performance and responsiveness.

However, this approach comes with challenges:

• Developing separate codebases for each platform can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Changes need to be implemented independently on both platforms, leading to potential inconsistencies and increased maintenance efforts.

• Furthermore, testing and debugging across platforms can be complex, and development teams need expertise in both Swift/Objective-C and Java/Kotlin, which might lead to larger development teams or longer development timelines.

In contrast to the native approach, cross-platform development frameworks like React Native have emerged to address some of these challenges by offering a unified codebase for multiple platforms. While native development excels in creating platform-specific experiences, cross-platform frameworks like React Native prioritize efficiency, code reusability, and faster development cycles. The choice between these approaches depends on project priorities, resources, and the desired level of platform optimization.

Emphasizing the benefits of code reusability and cost-effectiveness in React Native development

React Native's rise to prominence in the world of mobile app development can be attributed to its unique ability to deliver two crucial advantages: code reusability and cost-effectiveness. These attributes have reshaped the way apps are conceptualized, developed, and deployed, making React Native an appealing choice for businesses of all sizes.

Code reusability

One of the standout features of React Native is its unparalleled code reusability. With a single codebase, developers can create applications that seamlessly run on both iOS and Android platforms. This eliminates the need to develop separate codebases for each platform, reducing the development effort by half. This unified approach allows developers to share a substantial portion of the code across platforms, leading to faster development cycles and quicker time-to-market.

Code reusability has a cascading effect on the entire development process. It streamlines maintenance, updates, and bug fixes, as changes made to the shared codebase are reflected on both platforms simultaneously. This synchronized workflow accelerates development, ensures consistency, and reduces the likelihood of platform-specific discrepancies.

Cost-effectiveness

Cost considerations are a central aspect of any development project, and React Native excels in this regard. By minimizing the need for separate teams and resources dedicated to iOS and Android development, React Native significantly reduces development costs. The shared codebase approach translates to fewer hours spent on coding, testing, and debugging, leading to substantial savings.

Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of React Native extends beyond the development phase. As apps need to adapt to evolving technologies and user expectations, maintenance costs can become a significant factor. React Native's streamlined approach simplifies maintenance by enabling updates to be rolled out to both platforms simultaneously. This reduces the time and resources needed to keep the app up-to-date and compatible with the latest devices and operating system versions.

Examples of well-known apps built with React Native

The versatility and efficiency of React Native have led to the creation of many well-known and widely used mobile applications in various industries. These apps demonstrate React Native’s potential to deliver flawless user experiences on both the iOS and Android platforms. Here are some well-known examples:

Facebook

The social giant that created React Native also uses it in its app. While some complex features may still depend on native code, React Native allows Facebook to quickly implement user interface improvements and provide a consistent experience for users on both platforms.

Instagram

Instagram, a subsidiary of Facebook, has rebuilt its app using React Native for some sections. This allowed the development team to optimize updates and maintain a consistent look and feel on both platforms.

SoundCloud Pulse

The artist-focused SoundCloud app was created using React Native. This allowed SoundCloud to increase developer efficiency and provide real-time updates to its community of artists.

These examples demonstrate that React Native is not only suitable for small projects but can also support large-scale, high-profile applications. By reducing development time and providing a common code base, React Native has become an attractive choice for companies seeking to provide a consistent and efficient user experience.

Let's take a closer look at these React Native mobile apps.

Confetti

One of our recent projects is Confetti. This application conveniently combines simplicity and functionality aimed at organizing festive events. Tariff plans provide the client with variability and help not to get confused in the abundance of opportunities. It doesn’t matter who you are - a philistine or an entertainment worker. This application is ready to provide you with a convenient organization for any holiday.

• Event planning
• Invitation creation
• Guest list management
• Real-time collaboration
• User-friendly interface

Markid

Markid is a parent marketplace to sell and buy kids' preloved, gently used items - easily and trustfully.

• Customized social marketplace
• Intuitive and highly functional design focusing on parents’ needs
• Integration with DonorsChoose for thoughtful donations
• Integration with Shippo for shipping convenience
• Secure Transactions

The founder of the company Markid, Ankur Dhawan, speaks about our cooperation as follows: “We’ve been able to prove the product-market fit and are now in the process of getting funding. A lot of credit goes to Apiko for the success of the app and the way it works. They’re really good at managing milestones and coming up ahead. They really get into things and do the necessary research before coming up with a solution. They’re very thought solution oriented and respond to feedback very well, taking action immediately”

MinFin

Minfin is a financial management application designed to help users take control of their finances, and make informed financial decisions. It is also a disruptive fintech solution for mobile platforms that allows users to monitor the changes in currency exchange rates in real time. Here are some of its key qualities:

• Budget Tracking
• Bill Reminders
• Expense Analysis
• Financial Goal Setting
• Investment Tracking
• Expense Sharing

LetApp

Hiring managers spend a lot of time before finding the right candidate. They have to deal with the CVs, reach for different candidates, and be torn between numerous interviews. Sure thing, it kills all the creative juices.

To make the hiring process easier, our client - Ankur Patel - came to Apiko to create LetApp. Though some initial work (such as MVP, backend, design sketches) had already been done, it was not sufficient for a well-functioning app. Our team, which consisted of two developers, a designer and a quality engineer, made significant improvements. We created a new user-friendly UI/UX design, rewrote the backend and rebuilt a mobile app using MobX technology instead of Redux. 

After a successful initial deployment, Apiko continued our cooperation with Ankur Patel. Now our team keeps working on this long-term project, adding new features and extending its functionality.

“Compared to my previous experiences with outside vendors, Apiko is the most responsive.”, Ankur Patel writes about our work.

Bopis

Bopis is a shopping app that enhances the retail experience by offering a convenient "Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store" (BOPIS) option. Apiko mobile development team has created the following features for this buy-and-sell marketplace:

• Product Browsing
• Purchase Management
• In-store pickup
• Streamlined Shopping

The Apiko team's professionalism and attentive approach to client needs to shine through in their development work. The impressive download numbers and product uploads within just a month of launch highlight the effectiveness and market readiness of the app. 

Here's what Jean Harry Neas, Founder & CEO, BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup In Store), said about cooperation with us: “A month after the launch of the application, they already had 100-500 downloads and more than 1000 products uploaded. The client commended the Apiko team for flawlessly turning an idea into reality. They were a team of professional developers who know how to listen.”

InsideOut

InsideOut is designed for eating disorder therapy that allows patients to track their behavior, thoughts, goals, and the meals consumed, as well as get their Health Professional’s feedback and support to make treatment instant and seamless. This application also has the following qualities:

• Emotional Tracking
• Journaling
• Goal Setting and Progress Tracking
• Personalized Insights
• Daily Mood Check-ins
• Professional Resources

But in our work, it`s not beautiful descriptions that are important, but the feedback from our clients so here`s a quote from a digital project manager from InsideOut Institute, Daniel Roger:

“The team was highly receptive to feedback and concerns, and internal stakeholders were particularly impressed with their ability to go above and beyond the original scope of the project.”

GoodLifeSorted

GoodLifeSorted is a caregining marketplace that allows you to hire hand-picked, trained, and dependable helpers in your community to take care of your older relatives. Among the main functions of this application are:

• Task and goal tracking
• Calendar integration
• Picking time and days for a visit
• Personalized goal setting
• Progress monitoring
• Sync with third-party apps

Constantine Karampatsos, the CEO of Good Life Sorted, wrote the review that demonstrates the success of this development and the Apiko team`s ability to thrive even in challenging economic conditions,

 “Since Apiko was brought on six months ago, sales are up 650% — especially impressive given COVID-19. Their team is kind, caring, and communicative. Apiko tries to create a partnership, making them feel as if they were a part of the in house team”

Poly 

Poly is a work-order mobile app designed for flawless and accurate facility management in office buildings and corporations. It's mostly used to deal with maintenance requests inside a company. Here are its main features:

• Search for work orders
• Set work availability
• Estimate and track time spent
• Update the status of work orders
• Track assets by scanning QR codes of equipment

This facility management mobile application is a highly scalable and intuitive solution designed specifically for enterprise companies.  Here you can check out how our partner Anthony Serdula has evaluated our work, “Apiko went above and beyond to understand and meet all needs, while their ability to resolve issues quickly and effectively made them a reliable partner.”

NV

The New Voice of Ukraine is a Ukraine-leading media resource and podcast application delivering easy access to information from geopolitical situations to celebrity gossip on the go.

• Voice recognition technology
• Real-time translation
• News and content aggregator
• Personalization
• Community building

Our mobile development team was contacted by the project manager to assist the in-house team with custom app development and adding complex functionality to the application. All in all, we had successful cooperation with the NV team and delivered an outstanding, feature-rich mobile app.

“Proactiveness and regular communication add to Apiko's professional workflow. Thanks to the team's efforts the app is up and running, with no bugs reported thus far. The client commends their ability to deliver on the requirements, add value to the project, and meet the deadlines.” quote from Website Project Manger from NV, Olena Miroshnyk.

 

These React Native mobile apps exemplify the diverse applications that can be developed using the framework. From event planning and fitness tracking to education and shopping, React Native's flexibility and cross-platform capabilities empower developers to create innovative and user-friendly applications that cater to a wide range of user needs.