What's the Difference Between React Native and Ionic
Several years ago, software engineers could not even dream about a tech stack that would allow them to build mobile apps irrespective of the operating system focus. In those days, native app development dominated the market of mobile products. As time has gone on, new technologies including Ionic and React Native have entered the arena and brought a trend of cross-platform app creation. At the same time, these two are not at all the same. So, let’s discover their differences.
Background
First of all, we need to define who is who since Ionic does not fully belong in the cross-platform tools category. It is a typical hybrid framework, which means it uses web technologies, namely, the WebView for rendering and Apache Cordova to access the native features like GPS, camera, etc. When speaking of Ionic, we cannot help mentioning another framework named Angular, which handed over its structure and design to this hybrid app building solution. That’s the reason why Angular-savvy engineers opt for Ionic when going mobile.
Apps built with Ionic cannot boast a native feel and look or powerful performance. Below the surface, they are websites wrapped in a browser shell and connected to devices' native functionalities. Nevertheless, such an approach in app development is rather cheap and fast hence why it is popular among numerous businesses.
React Native is a genuine cross-platform framework built atop a popular JS library - React. The framework inherited not only its name but also the working principles. As a result, developers can create mobile products with close-to-native UX and performance. The core of any application built with this SDK is a reusable JavaScript codebase. In some cases, its scope may reach 95%. The rest are native UI modules, which can vary depending on the target platform.
When Facebook introduced the tool in 2015, the cross-platform building approach was just budding. There were some solutions like Xamarin or Titanium on the stage, but it was React Native which spurred the industry. Today, the framework can be found in the toolboxes of many prominent software companies and power versatile famous mobile apps such as Instagram and Bloomberg.
Differences between React Native and Ionic
A decent and unbiased perspective on the differences between the two frameworks was covered in this blog post titled, Ionic vs. React Native. I cut it down a bit and picked out the most valuable points that would be crucial for choosing between the two.
Type of apps
The principal difference between the two is the type of app to be built. React Native claims to deliver native products. Let’s be honest: the apps built with it are almost native in terms of performance and user experience. Ionic makes no claims thereto and focuses on hybrid apps only.
App’s UX
Neither tech stack can guarantee a high level of user experience in their apps. However, React Native is a definite winner in this regard. It leverages native UI modules or components that make the app look and feel like those written in Java for Android or Objective-C for iOS. Besides, React Native apps are not as limited in access to devices' native features as those built with Ionic. The latter suffer from suboptimal UX and support no interaction with other native apps.
Learning curve
Although both SDKs have JS at their heart, they are different. The hybrid framework relies on the working principles of Angular, with HTML templates for building the view. The cross-platform app leverages the best of React, and is sometimes even called React for mobile. Nevertheless, the JSX-based syntax, lack of CSS, and other intricacies of the framework, do not make for an easy ride through the learning curve.
Platform adaptability
Ionic does not care whether the final product is designed in accordance with some platform-specific style. Apps built with this framework are based on the “run anywhere” principle and are good at it.
iPhone and Android versions of a single React Native app will differ according to OS-specific design patterns. The use of native APIs ensures a high level of adaptability.
Development costs
From a business perspective, it is vital to know the costs associated with various technologies. Both solutions are time and money-savers. Traditionally, hybrid app development is considered cheaper than using React Native, which is, in turn, cheaper than the native app development.
Applicability
All of these tools are designed to achieve the same objective, a mobile app to be run on different platforms. Yet they differ in project requirements. React Native is a great solution for a product with high performance and responsiveness, not to mention the benefits of the native UX. Ionic is a great solution for projects with limited budgets and/or time-frames, but at the cost of both appearance and performance.
Hope you found it usefull. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment section.
