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React Native vs Expo
Trust Score comparison · March 2026
Signal Comparison
3M / wknpm downloads1.5M / wk
300 commitsCommits (90d)400 commits
118k ★GitHub stars36k ★
60k q'sStack Overflow18k q's
HighCommunityHigh
React NativeExpo
Key Differences
| Factor | React Native | Expo |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Hosted | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open Source | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| TypeScript | ✓ | ✓ |
Pick React Native if…
- React teams wanting to ship iOS and Android apps without learning Swift/Kotlin
- Apps with heavy code sharing between web React and mobile
- Large ecosystem of native modules for camera, maps, biometrics, etc.
Pick Expo if…
- Starting a new React Native project — skip the native toolchain setup entirely
- Over-the-air updates with EAS Update to ship fixes without App Store review
- Expo SDK modules (camera, location, notifications) cover your native needs
Side-by-side Quick Start
React Native
import { Text, View, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
export default function App() {
return (
<View style={styles.container}>
<Text>Hello, React Native!</Text>
</View>
);
}
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
container: { flex: 1, justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center' },
});Expo
# Create and run an Expo app
npx create-expo-app@latest MyApp
cd MyApp && npx expo start
# Scan QR code with Expo Go to preview on deviceCommunity Verdict
Based on upvoted notes🏆
React Native wins this comparison
Trust Score 89 vs 87 · 2-point difference
React Native leads on Trust Score with stronger signal data across downloads and community health. That said, the other tool is worth considering if your use case matches its specific strengths above.