React Native app development
React Native App Development Company for TypeScript Teams
We are a React Native app development company in Lahore building iOS and Android apps in TypeScript on the New Architecture. If your company already runs React on the web, React Native lets one set of skills, patterns and often business logic serve your website and both app stores.
You get senior engineers, a working build every two weeks, and code in your own repository from day one.
- TypeScript by default
- New Architecture on every new build
- Expo and bare workflow experience
- You own code, designs and store accounts
Why companies hire a React Native app development company
React Native renders real platform UI components, driven by JavaScript or TypeScript. A button in a React Native app is a native iOS or Android view, which is why scrolling, text input and accessibility behave the way users expect on each platform.
The business case is usually about people more than code. If you employ React developers, they can review, extend and eventually own the mobile app. According to Clutch, separate native iOS and Android apps roughly double cost compared with one cross-platform build. React Native gives you that saving while staying close to the web stack your team already knows.
Choosing a React Native app development company is about how they handle the hard parts: native modules, upgrades, release automation and performance on mid-range Android phones. The rest of this page explains how we approach each. For the wider framework decision, see our cross platform app development company page.
TypeScript and the New Architecture
Every new project we start is written in TypeScript with strict mode on. Typed API responses, navigation params and component props catch whole classes of bugs before a build reaches QA, and they make handover to your team much easier.
The bigger change is under the hood. According to the React Native 0.76 release notes, React Native 0.76 (October 2024) turned on the New Architecture by default and declared it production-ready. In plain terms:
- JSI (JavaScript Interface) lets JavaScript call native code directly instead of sending serialised messages over the old asynchronous bridge.
- Fabric is the new renderer. It supports concurrent React features and synchronous layout reads, which removes many of the flicker and jump issues older apps suffered.
- TurboModules load native modules lazily and with type-safe interfaces generated by Codegen, which shortens startup.
- Bridgeless mode removes the legacy bridge entirely.
For you, this means fewer performance workarounds and a codebase aligned with where the React Native ecosystem is investing. Before we add any third-party library, we check that it supports the New Architecture.
Expo or bare React Native workflow?
Expo is a framework and set of services on top of React Native. For most new apps it is the sensible starting point, but bare projects still have their place.
| Factor | Expo (managed, with prebuild) | Bare React Native |
|---|---|---|
| Setup and upgrades | Faster; SDK releases bundle tested library versions | You manage every native dependency version yourself |
| Custom native code | Supported through config plugins and Expo Modules | Full direct control of Xcode and Gradle projects |
| Builds and submission | EAS Build and EAS Submit, or your own CI | Fastlane with GitHub Actions or another CI service |
| Over-the-air updates | EAS Update built in | Possible with self-hosted or third-party tooling |
| Best for | Most new apps, MVPs, teams without iOS/Android specialists | Apps with heavy native SDKs or a brownfield native host app |
Our default is Expo with prebuild. It still generates native projects when needed, so choosing Expo does not lock you out of native code.
Sharing code and skills with your React web team
The realistic goal is to share logic, not screens. Web uses HTML elements and CSS; React Native uses native views and a subset of CSS-like styling. Trying to force one UI codebase across both usually produces an app that feels like a website.
What shares well, typically in a monorepo with pnpm or Yarn workspaces:
- API clients and TypeScript types generated from your OpenAPI or GraphQL schema (often served by a Node.js backend)
- Validation rules (for example with Zod), pricing logic and formatting helpers
- Data fetching and caching patterns using TanStack Query
- Design tokens such as colours, spacing and typography scales
- Lint rules, testing conventions and code review standards
This is where React Native beats other cross-platform options for many companies: your web engineers can review mobile pull requests from week one, and after launch your in-house team can maintain the app without a separate specialist hire. If you would rather add capacity to your own team, you can hire React Native developers from us with a two-week trial.
Over-the-air updates with EAS Update, and their limits
Because much of a React Native app is a JavaScript bundle, you can ship fixes to that bundle without a full store release. EAS Update publishes a new bundle that installed apps download on next launch, usually in minutes. Paired with Sentry or Crashlytics release tracking, this turns a typo or logic bug into a same-day fix.
There are firm limits. Native code changes, new permissions and new native libraries always need a store build. Both Apple and Google allow interpreted code updates only when they do not change the app’s primary purpose or bypass review, so OTA is for fixes and small improvements, not for shipping new features that reviewers never saw. We use update channels (production, staging) and runtime versions so an update never reaches a binary it is incompatible with, and we keep rollback one command away.
OTA is fine for
- Copy and translation fixes
- JavaScript bug fixes
- Small UI adjustments
- Feature flags for already reviewed features
- Not for: new native modules, new permissions, a change of app purpose
Have an existing React web app?
Send us the repository or a short description of your stack. Within one business day we will tell you what can be shared with a mobile app and outline the path to a fixed quote.
React Native performance practices we apply
Most slow React Native apps are slow for the same handful of reasons. These practices are part of our code review checklist.
- Use FlashList or a tuned FlatList for long lists, with stable keys and memoised row components
- Run animations and gestures on the UI thread with Reanimated and Gesture Handler
- Keep Hermes enabled and measure startup time on a mid-range Android phone, not only a new iPhone
- Cache and resize images with expo-image instead of loading full-size files
- Avoid unnecessary re-renders: split context, memoise selectors and profile with React DevTools
- Move heavy work (encryption, parsing large files) into native modules via TurboModules
- Track crash-free sessions and slow screens in Sentry or Firebase Performance from the first beta
Upgrading older React Native apps to the New Architecture
Many apps built a few years ago are stuck several versions behind, often with libraries that no longer work. Under our app modernization services we upgrade them in controlled steps rather than one risky leap. Our React Native New Architecture migration guide covers the version timeline and library audit in more detail.
Audit
We list every dependency, check New Architecture support, find abandoned libraries and note custom native modules. You get a written report with effort and risk per item.
Stabilise tests and CI
Before touching versions we add smoke tests for key user flows with Jest, React Native Testing Library and Maestro or Detox, so regressions are visible.
Step through versions
We upgrade React Native in small hops using the official upgrade helper diffs, fixing breakages at each step. Optionally we move to Expo prebuild at this stage.
Migrate native modules
Custom modules are rewritten as TurboModules with Codegen specs. Abandoned libraries are replaced or vendored.
Staged release
The upgraded app goes to TestFlight and Play Console internal testing, then a staged rollout with crash monitoring before reaching all users.
When React Native is the right choice, and when it is not
Choose React Native if
- You have React or TypeScript developers who will own the app after launch
- You want to share API types and business logic with a web app
- Fast fixes through OTA updates matter to your support team
- Your UI should follow platform conventions rather than a fully custom look
Consider something else if
- The app is mostly native SDK work, such as AR, advanced camera processing or CarPlay. Native Swift and Kotlin is usually cleaner; see our iOS app development and Android app development services.
- You want a heavily custom, animation-rich interface and have no React team. Our Flutter app development team may be a better fit.
Our Flutter vs React Native honest comparison sets out these trade-offs in detail, and React Native vs native app development covers when Swift and Kotlin win.
How a React Native project runs with us
We sign an NDA before discovery, then turn your idea into user flows, a clickable Figma prototype and a prioritised backlog with acceptance criteria. Development runs in two-week sprints. At the end of each sprint you install a real build through TestFlight or Play Console internal testing, not a screen recording.
A dedicated project manager keeps the backlog current and flags scope or timeline risk early. Mobile app testing happens on real iOS and Android devices. We handle App Store and Google Play submission, including the privacy questionnaires, and stay on for post-launch support. The full process is on our how we work page, and contract options are compared on engagement models.
React Native projects and client feedback
[[Add 2–3 React Native case studies: industry, starting point (new build or upgrade), stack (Expo/bare), outcome approved by client.]]
[[Add verified client testimonial with written permission.]]
React Native app development FAQs
Is React Native still a good choice for new apps?
Yes, for the right product. Since version 0.76 the New Architecture is the default, which removed the old bridge and many of its performance limits. React Native is a strong option when you have React or TypeScript skills in-house, want to share logic with a web app, or value fast OTA fixes. It is weaker for apps dominated by heavy native SDK work.
Should we use Expo or bare React Native?
For most new apps we recommend Expo with prebuild. You get faster setup, tested library versions, EAS Build and EAS Update, and you can still write custom native code through config plugins and Expo Modules. Bare React Native makes sense when an existing native app hosts React Native screens, or when unusual native SDKs need direct control of the Xcode and Gradle projects.
Can our web developers maintain the React Native app?
Usually, yes. React, TypeScript, hooks, state management and testing patterns transfer directly. The new parts are mobile navigation, platform permissions, native builds and store releases. We document these, pair with your developers during the final sprints and hand over CI pipelines, so a capable React team can take ownership after launch without hiring a separate mobile specialist.
Are over-the-air updates allowed by Apple and Google?
Yes, within limits. Updating the JavaScript bundle to fix bugs or adjust copy is common practice. Changes that alter the app’s primary purpose, add features reviewers never saw, or need new native code or permissions must go through a normal store release. We set up EAS Update with separate channels and runtime versions so updates stay compatible and policy-safe.
Can you upgrade our old React Native app?
Yes. We start with a dependency audit that lists libraries without New Architecture support, abandoned packages and custom native modules, with an effort estimate for each. Then we add smoke tests, upgrade in small version steps, migrate native modules to TurboModules and release through a staged rollout. Sometimes the audit shows a rewrite of specific screens is cheaper, and we will say so.
How much does a React Native app cost?
Cost depends on screens, user roles, backend work, integrations and native modules, not on React Native itself. Clutch reports that one cross-platform build costs roughly half of building separate native iOS and Android apps. For a structured estimate try our app cost calculator, or send your feature list and we will reply within one business day with a range and next steps.
Who owns the code and app store accounts?
You do. The code lives in your Git repository from the first commit, and you own 100% of the code, designs and store accounts. We work as members on your Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts, sign an NDA before discovery, and hand over signing credentials, Expo or CI configuration and documentation with every release.
Talk to a React Native team that ships
Share your idea, your web stack or your existing app. Within one business day we will come back with a scoped plan, a recommendation on Expo or bare workflow, and the next step to a fixed quote.