12 Apps Using React Native: Explaining Value and Popularity

Today, the mobile app market is booming. Some companies fight for users, others build apps using React Native and hold all the hype. More and more companies choose this framework for creating their applications. To enlist a few: Facebook, Skype, Tesla, Uber, Walmart, Salesforce and so on. But why is it so popular? What benefits do apps and websites built with React Native bring to businesses and users? Keep on reading to find out.

Since then, React Native keeps growing its community and the number of React Native open-source projects. For example, in March 2020, it got 2075 contributors on GitHub. Surprisingly how Facebook’s internal Hackathon project grew into a competitive cross-platform framework.

So, what is actually React Native? To make things clear: it isn’t a special template language. React Native is a UI component library made of React using JavaScript. These components convert the code into Android and iOS views as they can “talk” with native APIs.

What does it mean for a business owner? The dev team works faster and uses the same code for different platforms. The iOS and Android versions are developed simultaneously. Besides, the websites built with React Native are also growing their popularity.

What does it mean for a user? The apps using React Native provide you with a native-like experience. Despite the platform, the app will run equally on Android and iOS devices. 

Once you take on a developer’s hat, you will find React Native attractive due to

• Coverage for Android and iOS. Even being a single developer in the team, you can build apps with React Native for both major mobile OS.
• Easy to learn. You don’t need to learn specific concepts and use cases. If you are familiar with JavaScript, you will quickly learn how to work with React Native.
• Reusable components. First, you need to define what components you will use in the app. The components are the reusable blocks so you can use them in different parts of the app. The result is saved time.
• Smooth experience. Unlike the native Android or iOS, the apps built with React Native get auto refresh. No need to have the app rebuilt. And you can use Chrome Developer Tools for debugging your code.
• Community support. React Native got back Facebook support and a large developer community. That guarantees the empowerment and constant improvement of the framework.

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How to develop apps using React Native?

Choosing React Native you can shape your idea into a smooth fast-performing app. This cross-platform framework challenges some of the core concepts used by other frameworks. 

How does React Native work? It's like a Swiss Army knife-type. It addresses the problem of developing and managing complex UI. Think about React UI components as self-contained functionality blocks. They are equal for iOS and Android applications. We practice what we preach. For example, check out how to implement push notifications with this framework.

What’s more, some parts of your apps can be developed using native languages. So your mobile apps can have complex functionality and comprehensive UI. To see the beauty and efficiency of React Native apps, check out the most successful examples.

12 best React Native apps

#1 UberEATS with the improved dashboard

• Category: Food & drink
• Age: 3+
• Language: Multilingual
• Price: Free
• Offered by Uber Technologies, Inc.
  

Source: Webservices

UberEATS is a marketplace helping you to get the food from any place, delivered to you anywhere. It differs from the standard Uber app. This application should connect restaurants, delivery partners, and eaters. Looks pretty clear, but this model required a separate dashboard for restaurants. Being built with React/Flux, UberEATS rendered its interface on users’ mobile devices. That led to inefficiency. The restaurant dashboard lacks some features on mobile devices.

Why did this bother them so? Well, the team noticed that UbderEATS’ users accessed this dashboard via mobile devices. So they suffered from incomplete or delayed information delivered by the app.

The solution was to build Android and iOS versions to provide more functionality. Uber team was experienced with React but limited in iOS/Android exposure. Here React Native became their silver bullet. React Native takes only a part of the app’s stack. But the Uber team looks forward to using it more with the marketplace’s growth.

#2 Is Facebook App made with React Native?

• Category: Social Networking
• Age: 12+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free, offers in-app purchases
• Offered by Facebook, Inc.

Source: 9to5mac

Facebook is a homeland of React Native. They developed it to fulfill the company’s growing needs. To be specific, they looked for reduced iterations and a single team for building all versions of the app. They tested it on Events Dashboard. Facebook developers improved performance and UX. Besides, all the changes took place on the framework level. What does it mean? After transferring to the new React Native version, the app performance improves.  

We’ve mentioned that React Native aimed to support an iOS version, however, they added Android UIs too. The short iterations and release 2 times faster proved the framework’s efficiency. 

To strengthen support and constant improvement, Facebook made React Native an open-source framework. The developer community keeps RN updated and compatible with other platforms.

#3 Facebook Ads Manager and React Native

• Category: Business
• Age: 4+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free
• Offered by Facebook, Inc.
  

Source: Momsall

Facebook Ads Manager is one of the first apps using React Native. Actually, this tool for running campaigns was the first Android app built solely on this framework. 

Facebook Ads Manager app has complex business logic. It works with various ad and date formats, spending plans, time zones, timetables, currencies, client profiles and the like. The dev team wrote the large parts of this app using JavaScript. That enhanced the implementation of React Native UI components. Overall, Facebook Ads Manager provides the native-like experience with smooth performance and animations.

#4 How Instagram advanced performance with React Native

• Category: Photo & Video
• Age: 12+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free
• Offered by Instagram, Inc.
  

Source: Dribbble

Instagram is a versatile app with hundreds of dynamic clients. Their advancement story started with integrating React Native into the existing app. The dev team set off with Push notifications view and checkpoints that were built as the WebView. 

Specifically, Instagram developers injected the JavaScript bundle into JavaScriptCore, instantiated native modules and view managers. Then, the team wrapped the current Edit Profile and the Photos Of views into React Native.  In the end, the Instagram team found: cut development time and costs, improved interface and performance. What’s more, their code these OS shares range from 85% to 99%.

#5 Walmart revises eCommerce app using React Native

• Category: Shopping
• Age: 3+
• Language: English
• Price: Free
• Offered by Walmart

Source: Walmart

Walmart is famous for its innovative attitude to the technology stack. So no wonder that they went for rebuilding their eCommerce app using React Native. Their developer team added smooth performance, new features, and clear UI for both Android and iOS. Besides, they cut on resources, and time frames. The mobile platforms share 95% of Walmart’s codebase.

Why did Walmart choose React Native? That was a step to gain the position of the world’s largest online retailer. So the quality of the customer experience Walmart offers matters a lot. With React Native, they managed to release faster and set higher their competitive advantage.

#6 Townske and React Framework Combo

• Category: Travel & Local
• Age: 3+
• Language: English
• Price: Free
• Offered by Townske Pty Ltd
  

Source: Medium

Townske isn’t a mere travel app, it is a travel publishing platform. They started from the Web version and they want to release the iOS app. Although, they didn’t have an iOS development team and didn’t look for outsourcing this project. And React Native came into their sight as a perfect solution.

Townske team created their front-end using React. The choice of React Native for building native mobile apps was rather strong. Once the benefits outweigh the risks, they designed a smooth performing app. It also brought the native experience for users and reduced resources for the company.

#7 Wix and React Native library

• Category: Productivity
• Age: 4+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free
• Offered by WIX.COM, INC.

Source: Dribbble

Wix provides web hosting and website design services. You can design and build your website (and mobile version too) in HTML5/CSS or using drag and drop utilities. The DIY service focuses on small and midsize businesses.

Where does Wix use React Native? They provide a library for delivering a native experience in the app navigation utilities. It is called Wix React Native Navigation. Using this library shows a quite fast and agile app creating. Either way, the solution offered by Wix should be adjusted to the requirements of your future app.

#8 Bloomberg marches to native cross-platform experience

• Category: News & Magazines
• Age: 3+
• Language: English
• Price: Free, In-app purchases
• Offered by Bloomberg Finance LP

Source: Fifthperson

Bloomberg provides a mobile app for enhanced access to personalized content, videos and live feeds. Roughly speaking, they created this app to ensure that users of mobile and web versions have equal experience.

To make this happen, the Bloomberg developer team used React Native. Among the benefits of this framework, they highlighted automated code refreshes, accelerated iterations, quick feature upgrades. It is worth mentioning that Bloomberg engineers revised their app within 5 months. The dev team assumed that the time frame can be twice longer if they didn't use React Native.

#9 Tesla app draws benefits from using React Native

• Category: Lifestyle
• Age: 4+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free
• Offered by Tesla, Inc.

Source: teslarati

Tesla has also joined React Native companies. They developed the app for managing the electric car and Powerwall battery. Basically, the application has to diagnose and locate a car. It enables users with partial control via mobile devices. Tesla keeps all details under the cover, but their React Native app got positive feedback from users.

Why did Tesla select React Native framework? The choice can be explained by the company vision. And the desire to opt for the simple, efficient cross-platform approach. The major here is the customer experience and convenience of using the app despite the device’s OS.

#10 Skype became captivating with React Native

• Category: Social Networking
• Age: 12+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free, In-app purchases
• Offered by Skype Communications S.a.r.l

Source: Dribbble

The competition makes companies look for improvements and Skype isn’t the exception. Back in 2017, they kicked off the revamping of their Android and iOS apps using React Native. As a result, the apps became better performing and added a few neat functions. What’s more, Microsoft continues to develop React Native for building Windows apps.

#11 Discovery VR found a match in React Native

• Category: Entertainment
• Age: 3+
• Language: English
• Price: free
• Offered by Discovery

Source: Hongkiat

Discovery is well-known for its mission to bring the world closer to us and show things that are hard to reach. Their VR app provides an uncommon experience to viewers. It is also widely popular as an education app. 

How does Discovery VR succeed with React Native? This framework helped the dev team to design a cross-platform app. So it brings 360-degree views rendered by VR headset. The React Native based interface employs gyroscope and player using the native APIs.

Overall, Discovery VR got reduced response time and intuitive navigation. From a VR apps point, every second of response time matters a lot.

#12 How SoundCloud Pulse bridged the gap in releases

• Category: Social Networking
• Age: 4+
• Language: multilingual
• Price: Free
• Offered by SoundCloud Ltd

SoundCloud Pulse helps musicians and creators to manage their accounts and community. When they were getting ready to set off the revised apps, they lacked the iOS dev team. So the problem became two-fold: a) delayed-release for iOS app and b) probably losses of iOS audience.

SoundCloud hired the independent research agency that had run the app prototypes built on React Native. After proving the efficiency of this framework, their dev team started to work on the cross-platform app. They pointed out the usability of automated live app reloading, debugging in Chrome, many ready-to-use libraries. Read more about SoundCloud’s journey here.

Why switch to React Native?

The skeptics may ask: Why should I change my framework to Facebook’s brainchild? There are many reasons and here some things you can consider before making up your mind.

• React Native builds apps with native components. So you get better performance and seamless animations.
• You can tailor React Native to do nearly any task. From creating a full-featured app to functionality updates or even content migration.
• The development quality is compatible with native languages, but faster and rendered for major mobile OS.
• React Native is a cost-efficient approach to developing the mobile app (if you are a business owner) and a low-risk addition to your tech stack. It saves money and time. What’s more, it ensures consistency of the app infrastructure.
• The iterations are shorter than Android and iOS apps. The life cycles got simplified without any impact on the performance.

Wrap up

It’s no wonder that the apps using React Native have acquired so much attention. You can’t ignore the fact that this cross-platform framework is highly beneficial. What apps can you create using React Native? Nearly anything that springs your creative mind. 

React Native helps you to save both time and money. As well as shorten the iterations, release time and ensure rapid updates after the MVP launch. Even so, you should note that there are no suit-all-needs languages, frameworks and approaches. If you still have doubts, drop us a line and we’ll discuss how to realize your idea into an app.