• Need both iOS and Android but don't have the budget for two separate native builds and two separate maintenance streams?

  • Evaluating React Native vs Flutter vs native and need an honest assessment of the trade-offs for your specific use case?

React Native Development

Cross-platform iOS and Android apps from a shared codebase using React Native -- the right choice when you need both platforms without the cost of two separate native builds, and when the feature set doesn't require platform-specific capabilities that the framework can't reach.
We handle the full React Native build: architecture, UI, native module integration where needed, backend API, App Store and Google Play submission. You own the code.

  • One codebase for iOS and Android -- roughly half the native development cost

  • Native modules for platform-specific capabilities when the JavaScript layer isn't enough

  • App Store and Google Play submission included

  • Fixed cost agreed before development starts

RaftLabs builds cross-platform iOS and Android apps using React Native for businesses that need both platforms without the cost of two separate native builds. We handle architecture, UI, native integrations where needed, and App Store and Google Play submission. Fixed cost agreed before development starts.

Vodafone
Aldi
Nike
Microsoft
Heineken
Cisco
Calorgas
Energia Rewards
GE
Bank of America
T-Mobile
Valero
Techstars
East Ventures

React Native lets a single engineering team ship a product to both iOS and Android users from a shared JavaScript codebase. For most business use cases -- consumer apps, enterprise mobile tools, and B2B products that need mobile coverage -- this is a practical and cost-effective approach.

The right question isn't whether React Native is as good as native. It's whether the performance and capability trade-offs matter for your specific use case. For most apps, they don't -- and a cross-platform build that reaches both platforms in the same timeline as a single native build is the better commercial decision.

What we build

Cross-platform consumer apps

End-user apps shipped simultaneously to the App Store and Google Play from a single React Native codebase -- marketplace apps, content platforms, loyalty apps, service booking tools, and consumer products that need both iOS and Android coverage from day one. Consistent UI across platforms, push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging, in-app purchase integration where required, and the App Store and Play Store submissions handled as part of the same delivery engagement.

Enterprise cross-platform tools

Internal enterprise apps for field workers, sales teams, and operational staff who use a mix of iOS and Android devices -- the reality of most enterprise mobile deployments. Data capture forms with offline support, barcode scanning, signature capture, and sync with backend systems. A single React Native codebase that the IT team deploys and maintains rather than parallel native codebases that require separate expertise. Distributed via MDM or enterprise distribution rather than the public app stores.

React Native migration from native

Migration of existing separate iOS and Android native apps into a shared React Native codebase -- reducing maintenance overhead from two codebases and two engineering streams to one. Feature parity assessment, migration planning by screen and feature area, and the parallel testing that confirms the React Native version matches the native app's behaviour before the native codebases are retired. The migration that reduces the ongoing engineering cost of maintaining two separate mobile products.

React Native with Expo

React Native apps built with Expo for faster development cycles, over-the-air update capability, and simplified build management -- particularly useful for MVPs and apps that need to push updates without waiting for App Store and Play Store review. Expo's managed workflow covers the most common use cases; we use the bare workflow or direct React Native when native module access is required. EAS Build for cloud-based app builds and EAS Update for OTA updates in production.

Backend integration and API development

React Native apps need a backend for user authentication, data persistence, business logic, and push notifications. Where you have an existing API, we integrate the app against it. Where you need a new backend, we scope and build it alongside the React Native app as part of the same engagement -- Node.js API, database design, authentication, and the backend infrastructure the app requires. The full stack from mobile UI to backend API, scoped and priced as one project.

React Native app maintenance

Ongoing React Native development after initial launch -- new features, React Native version upgrades, iOS and Android OS compatibility updates, and the bug fixes that emerge from production usage across a diverse device population. Third-party library audits when dependencies are deprecated or have security vulnerabilities. App Store and Play Store target API level updates required by platform policy. The sustained development engagement that keeps a cross-platform product current against two platforms that both release major OS updates annually.

Have a React Native project?

Tell us what the app needs to do, which platforms you're targeting, and what existing systems it needs to connect to. We'll scope it and give you a fixed cost.

Talk about your React Native project

Frequently asked questions

React Native is the right choice when you need both iOS and Android, your feature set doesn't require deep platform-specific integrations that React Native's bridge can't reach, and budget or timeline make two separate native builds impractical. It works well for apps with standard UI patterns, standard device capability requirements (camera, GPS, push notifications, maps), and teams with existing JavaScript expertise. Native development makes more sense when you need the latest platform APIs immediately on release, when the app requires heavy use of platform-specific frameworks (ARKit, Core ML, Bluetooth LE at scale), or when you're building exclusively for one platform and cross-platform adds complexity without benefit.

React Native and Flutter are both cross-platform frameworks with strong ecosystems, but they differ in architecture and trade-offs. React Native renders using native platform UI components -- iOS buttons look like iOS buttons, Android switches look like Android switches -- which gives a platform-native feel but introduces some inconsistency across platforms. Flutter renders its own UI using Skia, which means pixel-perfect consistency across platforms but UI that doesn't automatically follow platform UI conventions. React Native has a larger library ecosystem and a lower barrier for web developers to contribute. Flutter performs better in complex animation and custom graphics scenarios. The right choice depends on your use case, team background, and how important platform-native UI feel is to your users.

React Native provides JavaScript APIs for the most common device capabilities -- camera, GPS, push notifications, biometrics, network state, and storage. For capabilities not covered by the core framework or the React Native community library ecosystem, we write native modules: Swift/Objective-C for iOS and Kotlin/Java for Android, exposed to the JavaScript layer via the React Native bridge. This approach covers the vast majority of hardware integration requirements without abandoning the cross-platform codebase. We identify native module requirements during scoping so there are no surprises mid-build.

A focused React Native app -- a single use case, clean UI, and standard integrations -- typically runs $20,000 to $50,000. A more complex app with multiple user roles, real-time features, custom native modules, and significant backend development typically runs $50,000 to $130,000. The cross-platform approach costs less than two separate native builds, but more than a single native app. Fixed cost agreed before development starts. We scope every project before pricing it.