Ionic Vs React Native

With a Smartphone launching almost every other day, mobile apps are growing with equal pace, giving rise to the need of mobile app development. Consequently, majority of the organizations are taking the mobile first approach and taking advantage of the “need of the hour” mobile apps for a burgeoning business.
It has conveniently replaced the earlier workflow that needed to launch a website and then working all the way down. The increasing demand of the mobile platform has prompted many organizations to introduce a host of technologies that are making it easier for companies to rush into the smartphone domain.

While it started with Hybrid frameworks for app development using basic languages, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, soon followed native frameworks that allowed faster way to develop apps designed especially for mobile operating systems like the iOS or the Android. They differ in the features provided by them and in the way, they communicate with the APIs on a certain OS, however, they are similar in terms of supporting the mobile app development process using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Which One is Better: Ionic or React Native?

Let’s take a look at the individual frameworks that can help you to choose the right one suited to your needs.

Ionic Framework

Introduced by Drifty.co, Ionic is one of the well-known and common frameworks used for hybrid mobile app development. Using this framework, developers can design apps with a single code base for most of the operating systems. It uses different markup languages, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and development frameworks like PhoneGap, etc. offering an experience similar to native. Ionic assists web developers in designing apps rich in features, that are modern and exude elegance.

Benefits of Using Ionic Framework

It’s an opensource SDK (software development kit) that’s platform independent despite the codes it’s working with, such as, HTML, JavaScript, AnguarJS, and CSS.
It enables the developers to build default mobile app User Interface features effortlessly and skilfully.

1. Allows you to write once, and work on all mobile phones.

2. Covered by PhoneGap and Cordova.

3. Offers plenty of useful plugins.

4. Compatible with UIWebView of iOS and WebView of Android.

React Native Framework

Based on JavaScript technology, React Native is a framework developed by the Facebook community that’s compatible with multiple platforms. Using this framework, web developers can design improved apps based on single code base that are native-like. The entire purpose of React Native is to develop applications using React and JavaScript, offering superior quality experience. It’s the base framework used by Facebook for most of its apps. The social media giant also hosts a community specially dedicated to make the framework a highly advanced utility.

Benefits of Using React Native Framework

1. It’s a self-reliant framework that’s independent of iOS or Android OS, which means that the developed code can be used on both the OS.
2. Managed by a powerful community of web developers and firms, they help amateur developers to accelerate the process of learning and development.
3. Since the developers are allowed to reuse the same code, it’s made to deliver the apps extremely fast.
4. The React Native community forum helps the developers solve any issues quickly.
   Comes with the facility of Easy and Live Reloading that automatically refreshes the virtual Dom, and so, windows do not need to be refreshed.

Comparison between Ionic and React Native

1. General Overview

While ionic uses web technologies for enhanced portability, React Native implements functional user interface.

2. Technology

Ionic helps you develop hybrid apps that are made available on iOS's UIWebView and Android's WebView. React Native, on the other hand, helps you develop apps using the typical UI blocks. React Native utilizes the native providing APIs in iOS’s Objective-C and Android’s Java.

3. Programming Language

Ionic uses Typescript, which is typed superset of JavaScript that assembles as a simple and neat JavaScript on any browser. Reactive Native uses the JSX code which is a syntax extension that adds XML syntax to JavaScript.

4. Performance

Hybrid apps developed by Ionic are usually not as fast the ones developed by React Native.

5. Learning Curve

Ionic offers a lot of components are pre-developed and pre-styled, while React Native offers not many pre-developed components.

6. Testing

Ionic gains an upper hand here as the its testing process is compatible with any browser, while with React Native, you would need a device or an emulator.

7. Ease of Development

The best part about Ionic is that it needs to be written only once, yet can be administered anywhere. React Native needs to be learned only one time and gradually gets easier to be written on any platform.

8. User-Friendliness

Both the frameworks are known to be extremely useful since both of them (ionic and React Native) can be recycled when required. The codes can be re-written one more time in many circumstances. However, codes written in Ionic can be functional anywhere post an initial launch, whereas the written in React Native will have to be written again on the new platform.

9. Phone Hardware Receptiveness

Ionic uses Apache Cardova, while React Native is has its own ability.

10. Added Features

The documentation procedure in Ionic is much simple, clean, and consistent in comparison, and also offers a wide range of pre-designed collection of styles. React Native, on the other hand, offers a pretty cool feature, namely, Hot Reload feature that helps to debug and update the currently running application without the need of entirely redeveloping it.

While there are some major differences between the two frameworks, what stays common among the two is the strong community support. With features that are unique to each of the framework, it can be a tough choice to make. But, the fact remains that both the frameworks excel in their specialities in their own way. Identify your needs based on the features offered by both the platforms, and make your choice between Ionic and React Native.If you are an android developer or looking to switch toward Ionic Mobile App Framework then you can find Ionic Tutorial from hackr.io.