React Native app development for iOS and Android

React Native app development gives you one JavaScript codebase that runs on both iOS and Android, and it is an especially strong choice when JavaScript and React are already part of your world. If you have a web team, a React website, or developers who know the ecosystem, React Native lets you reuse that knowledge and reach both app stores without building two native apps. We build React Native apps for Australian businesses, properly engineered and fully owned by you.

This page covers what makes React Native a good fit, how it compares to the alternatives, and what it costs. If you would rather talk it through, get a free quote and we will reply within the hour.

What React Native is good at

React Native is a mature cross-platform framework built on JavaScript and React, the same technology that powers a huge share of the modern web. Its central promise is the same as other cross-platform tools: write once, run on both iOS and Android, for less cost and time than two separate native builds. What sets it apart is its closeness to the web ecosystem.

That closeness matters in practice. If your business already runs a React website, or your developers know JavaScript, React Native feels familiar rather than foreign. You can often share business logic between your app and your website, lean on the same skills, and avoid building a separate specialist team just for mobile. For organisations already invested in JavaScript, that alignment is a genuine, money-saving advantage.

React Native or Flutter

The question we hear most is how React Native compares to Flutter, the other leading cross-platform framework. The honest answer is that both are excellent and for most apps either would serve you well, so the decision usually comes down to your situation rather than a clear technical winner.

React Native makes the most sense when JavaScript and React are already in your world, when you want to share code or skills with a web app, or when hiring is easier in the larger JavaScript talent pool. Flutter often edges ahead on out-of-the-box performance and a more consistent experience across platforms. Neither is a wrong choice. We talk you through the trade-off for your specific app and team, and our cross-platform app development page covers the wider category.

Sharing code with the web

One of React Native's most useful properties is how well it sits alongside a web app. Because React Native and React for the web share a language and a similar structure, you can often reuse the parts of your software that do not depend on the device, such as business rules, data handling and some interface logic. The result is less duplicated work and a smaller gap between your app and your website.

This does not make your app and website the same thing, and we are careful not to oversell it. The two still need their own attention to feel right on their respective platforms. But the shared foundation can reduce cost and let a single team move across both, which is exactly why React Native appeals to businesses that already think in terms of the web.

Is the performance there

A lingering myth says cross-platform means slow. For React Native, as for modern Flutter, that is out of date. React Native produces smooth, responsive apps that users do not tell apart from native ones, and it is used in production by large, demanding companies. Where it can struggle is the same narrow territory as any cross-platform tool: very high-end graphics, games, or heavy real-time processing, where the extra control of native pays off.

For the apps most businesses actually build, marketplaces, booking tools, content apps, customer apps and internal tools, performance is simply not a problem. We build with performance in mind regardless, because a sluggish app fails no matter what it is built with, and the framework is rarely the limiting factor when the engineering is done well.

Who React Native suits best

React Native is a strong default for a wide range of apps, but it is the standout choice in a few situations. Businesses that already run a React website and want their app to share skills, code and a team with it. Startups that want to move fast and hire from the large, deep pool of JavaScript developers. And teams who value the huge ecosystem of ready-made components and libraries the JavaScript world offers, which can speed up a build considerably.

It is less obviously the right pick when you have no existing JavaScript investment and are choosing purely on technical merit, where the decision against Flutter becomes a closer call. Even then, React Native is never a wrong answer; it is a mature framework backed by a major technology company and a vast community, which means it is well supported and unlikely to leave you stranded. The practical point is that React Native rewards businesses already living in the JavaScript and React world, turning what they already know into a faster, cheaper path to a quality app on both stores.

How we build and what it costs

We build React Native apps the same disciplined way we build everything: design first, then development in two-week sprints with a working demo at the end of each, then testing on real devices and submission to both stores, which we handle for you. You see the app come together and can steer as it does.

Most React Native apps cost between $30,000 and $120,000, in line with other cross-platform builds, because one codebase covers both platforms. The figure moves with features, backend complexity and how custom the design is. For a quick estimate, try the app cost calculator.

Whatever you build, you own all the source code and your app store accounts. If React Native fits your team and your app, tell us what you want to build and we will send a free, fixed-price quote, with an honest view on whether React Native or an alternative is the better path for you.